Make My Day Trivia Quiz

Answer: Abseiling

Abseiling is a technique used by climbers to descend down a rock face or cliff by controlled sliding down a rope. The other three terms are all synonymous and can be used interchangeably. 'Hiking' is commonly used in North America and the UK, while 'Bushwalking' is predominantly an Australian term and 'Tramping' is the term for this fantastic activity in New Zealand.

Answer: Cave

'Spelunking', also called caving and pot-holing, involves the exploration of caves. Depending on the level of expertise of the participants, this activity may involve negotiating small cliffs, squeeze points and water-filled areas. The term 'spelunking' comes from the very similar Latin and Greek words for 'cave' which also form the basis of 'speleology', the scientific study of caves.

Answer: Crampon

English rock climber and railway engineer, Oscar Eckenstein, designed the first crampon in 1908. Strapping these devices to the bottom of the boots provided much greater traction as the sharp points dug into the snow and ice. Before this time, the safest way to proceed up a slippery incline was the laborious process of cutting steps into the ice. Crampons have advanced enormously in design over the last century with several varieties available including versions just for the instep or the toe of the boot, but the essential principle remains the same.

Answer: Birdwatching

Very enthusiastic birdwatchers - or 'twitchers' - often keep a log book of the birds they see, especially any rare species. Several sources indicate that 'twitching' actually refers to the adding of a tick mark alongside a species that has just been spotted for the first time. Apocryphal stories suggest that the 'twitching' refers to the barely suppressed excitement associated with a rare find! The log books of twitchers are often extremely valuable to scientists and management agencies who are studying the occurrence and behavior of various species, often to develop informed management actions for protection and preservation. 'Chasing' is the North American term but the meaning is essentially the same as 'twitching'.

Answer: Norway

The largest difference between telemark skiing and alpine (downhill) skiing, is that with telemarking, the heel of the ski boot is not attached to the ski and hence can be lifted, much like in cross-country skiing. Turning is achieved by dropping the inside knee towards the ski and also dropping that ski backwards a little.

The technique was first demonstrated by Norwegian Sondre Norheim in 1868 and the style prevailed for nearly 50 years before the development of the 'stem Christie' (named after Christiania (Oslo)).

The stem-Christie is the forerunner of today's parallel skiing styles. Telemarking regained popularity in the 1970s and is a relatively common sight at many ski resorts and in backcountry areas. Modern telemark gear frequently involves a molded plastic boot - very similar to an alpine ski boot - and wide, slalom style skis.

Answer: Geocaching

A key date for the development of geocaching was May 2, 2000 when 'selective availability' for GPS was turned off by US President Bill Clinton. This allowed much greater accuracy in positioning for civilian users. The objective of the activity is to use coordinates from a host website to locate hidden (waterproof) containers, known as 'caches', and then sign the logbook within. Often small trinkets are also exchanged.

As homage to Harry Potter, people unaware of geocaching are called 'Muggles'!

Answer: BASE

BASE jumping gets its name from 'Buildings, Antennas, Spans, Earth' where 'spans' are bridges and 'earth' is usually cliffs. The activity is not illegal but many of the desirable locations do not allow their facilities to be used. It is potentially quite dangerous as unlike sky diving, there is no time to deploy a reserve chute if something goes wrong. One of the less successful early BASE jumps was performed by Franz Reichelt in 1912, where he demonstrated his new 'coat parachute' by jumping off the first level of the Eiffel Tower.

The device failed and Reichelt died. The ski chase scene in the 1977 film 'The Spy Who Loved Me' (James Bond) featured a BASE jump as James skis off the cliff and deploys a parachute (which of course was colored as a Union Jack).

The jump was performed by Hollywood stuntman, Rick Sylvester.

Answer: Helmet

The two sides of this debate can be summarized as:
Pro-Helmet - helps avoid or minimize head injuries after a fall or crash. This benefits the individual and society who then avoid the cost of potentially very expensive hospital treatment and after-care.
Anti-Helmet - it's an issue of civil rights. I am responsible for my own health and safety and if I want to wear a helmet I will, but I shouldn't be forced to do so. In addition, compulsory helmet use will deter many from cycling and hence the overall health of the community will decline.

There are many other aspects to this matter, but I don't want this to become a thesis! As of July 2012, helmet use is compulsory for all cyclists in Australia and New Zealand. In many countries (and in some jurisdictions within those and other countries) helmet use is compulsory for junior riders but there is a wide variation as to the cut-off age.

Answer: Regulator

Although there are a large number of different designs and may include one tube or two, the basic function of the regulator is simply to reduce the high gas pressure from the gas tank down to a comfortable level for the diver to breathe. This is achieved through valves - sometime just one, often a series.

A number of attachments are sometimes found with the regulator including a valve for inflation of a buoyancy compensator and a spare demand valve for emergency use by the diver's buddy. Scuba gear (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) originated with the 'Aqualung' developed by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1943.

The actual term 'scuba' was introduced by US army medical corps physician Christian Lambertsen in 1952 who continuously patented his own 'rebreather' from 1940 to 1989.

A rebreather circulates the exhaled air and strips out the carbon dioxide.

Answer: China

Unlike western dragons, Chinese dragons are seen as wise and bringers of good luck. The dragon's head is usually made from a fine bamboo frame and the silk covering individually painted. Aerodynamically, the lift is created by the long tail section. Although usually much shorter, these kites can be as much as 80m (260 ft) long and require a team on the ground to fly them. Kite making in China dates back to at least 230 BC.

The later development of paper-making technology, meant that kites were no longer the preserve of the wealthy (including the Emperor) who could afford silk, they became a highly popular past-time for all.