Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes -- And What They Reveal about Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communica Hardback - 2008

by Maria Coffey

Real-life psychic, near-death, andparanormal experiences are combinedwith cutting-edge science andvivid adventure stories in this energeticlook at why extreme athletes andmountaineers take the risks that allowthem to push the limits of consciousness,and what they encounter there.In the life-or-death world of extreme adventure sports,there is one thing that athletes often keep quiet about: the'forbidden' territory of paranormal experiences. Rangingfrom fleeting moments of transcendence to full-blown encounterswith ghosts and everything in between visions, near-deathexperiences, psychic communication many extremeathletes have experienced these moments of connection withthe beyond, but have been reluctant to talk about them.In Explorers of the Infinite, award-winning outdoors journalistand lifelong adventure sports devotee Maria Coffey probesthe mystical and paranormal experiences of mountaineers,snowboarders, surfers, and more. She reviews cutting-edgescience, and consults the history of philosophy and spiritualityto answer the question: Could the state of intense 'aliveness'that is the allure of extreme sports for so many actually be aroute to a connection with the beyond?Coffey investigates the scientific explanations for mysticalphenomena, ranging from simple explanations to theories fromconsciousness studies and quantum physics, and leaves us wonderingwhere science ends and spirituality begins.An energetic, you-are-there look at the spiritual lives ofextreme athletes, Explorers of the Infinite asks why extreme athletestake the risks that allow them to push the limits of consciousness,what they encounter there, and what we can learnfrom them.