Superior man enjoys new stilts

Did the ice and snow shut you in the house Tuesday? How did you pass the time? Did you play video games or watch television while snacking? Apparently James Bailey didn't do those things. Instead he honed his jumping stilts skills.

After learning about James and his jumping stilts, The Express asked if a photographer and reporter could meet with him and do a story. We assumed the meeting would have to be after the ice and snow melted. We were wrong. In an hour or so James has sent us several photos showing skill with the jumping stilts. The pictures were taken inside his house.

You ask what are jumping stilts? They have various names, including bounce stilts and spring stilts. They are special stilts which allow the user to run, jump and perform various acrobatics. They use fiberglass leaf springs and were patented in 2004 under the trade market "PowerSkip." They are marketed for recreational and extreme sports use.

Using only their weight and a few movements, a user can generally jump three to five feet off the ground and run up to 20 miles per hour. They also give the ability to take up to 9-foot strides. Jumping stilts were used in the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic games held in Beijing.

Bailey said he loves the stilts and considers them to be an awesome way to exercise. As a bonus, they always provide a full adrenaline rush.

He ordered the stilts about three weeks ago and they arrived just before Christmas. He has clocked about 20 hours on them since. The pictures related to this story were taken in his house when he was practicing on a skateboarder's mini-ramp commonly known as a half-pipe.

He said the stilts are so much fun, he easily walked and ran more than 15 miles in about nine hours.

Bailey said Superior is a perfect town for roaming which he considers to be an adventure on stilts.

The downside is falling, especially falling in front of someone else on stilts.