Rescue teams have found the body of a missing hot air balloonist who was lost in a storm on Friday in Fitzgerald, Georgia after helping a group of skydivers jump to safety. Ed Ristaino, 63, had five skydivers on board when a storm appeared above his balloon. He instructed his passengers to jump quickly before the balloon was sucked up into the clouds. "If we would have left a minute later, we would have been sucked into the storm," said skydiver Dan Eaton. Ristaino was able to radio to his gro... Read More
A Norwegian sailor who made an illegal voyage to Antarctica earlier this year has damaged his ship and needs help from Argentine authorities. Jarle Andhoy, 34, sailed to Antarctica last month to look for the remains of his ship Berserk, which sank last year in a previous voyage. Andhoy lacked permits required to sail to Antarctica and is now wanted in New Zealand. His crew includes a mechanic who mistakenly joined the voyage when Andhoy's new yacht, Nilaya, left Auckland while he was still on ... Read More
Skier Marcel Hirscher secured Austria's first overall World Cup since 2006 with a win on Saturday in the final giant slalom race of the 2012 World Cup season in Schladming, Austria. Hirscher, 23, had broken his foot in the offseason but recovered quickly to win nine World Cup races. "I was well behind a couple of times this season. I told myself that the race today was the same as a race in January to take the pressure off," he said. Lindsey Vonn also took the overall crown but was unable to b... Read More
Officials at Saguaro National Park in Arizona are implanting cacti with microchips in an attempt to deter cactus poachers. Saguaro cacti, which are used widely in southwestern landscaping, are popular among thieves. Cactus rustlers can sell stolen plants to nurseries and landscape contractors. Inserting small transponder tags will make tracing stolen plants easier. The chips are easily inserted and should last 75 years or longer.
Read more at National Parks Traveler
Saudi Arabia is considering whether to allow a small team of women to compete in the Olympic Games in London this summer after a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland last week. Saudi officials have since submitted a list of four athletes for IOC approval. Women in Saudi Arabia are not encouraged to participate in sports, and the nation is one of only three countries never to send a female athlete to the Olympics. In a statement, the IOC said it was "confident Saudi Arabia is working to include wom... Read More
