The title of this post pretty much says it all. Safari guide Matthew Copham set his GoPro camera down while out in the field and he managed to capture a once in a lifetime shot. A curious cheetah wandered up to take a look at the strange device and then gave it a lick. Fortunately, the big cat didn't find the camera tasty enough to eat. Still, pretty cool footage none the less.

The Red Bull Rampage is always a cool event with downhill mountain bikers showing off their skills on a tough course in Utah. This year, second place rider Kelly McGarry was wearing a GoPro camera for his final run, which gives us a dizzying look at what it is like to ride this course. Along the way, McGarry also manages to pull of a couple of impressive backflips which definitely wowed the crowd. Watching this video definitely reaffirms my decision to leave this kind of riding to the professionals.

The already crowded action camera market, currently dominated by GoPro, just got a bit more crowded. Garmin, the company so well known for making GPS devices, has released two new enteries for aspiring filmmakers to consider in the form of the VIRB and VIRB Elite. Whether or not they'll be able to make a dent with consumers remains to be seen, but they are packing some serious technology under the hood.

The VIRB is capable of capturing video in resolutions up to 1080p HD, which is pretty much standards for any action camera these days. But Garmin's device also features onboard image stabilization and lens distortion correction, which help to make the footage just a bit cleaner and clearer. Battery life is a rated to be a solid three hours and both versions of the VIRB are capable of capturing still images while video is recording. A built-in 1.4-inch display allows the user to watch video already shot or see exactly what they are filming at all times. The VIRB Elite also comes equipped with onboard WiFi and GPS, while both units feature ANT+ connectivity for pairing with other devices.

Garmin knows their market well and built the VIRB to appeal to the outdoor crowd. The camera is rated for IPX-7 waterproofing, which means it can survive under a meter of water for up 30 minutes. That makes it tough enough for most waterborne adventures, although if you want to take it diving you'll need to purchase the optional dive case. A number of mounts will be available for the VIRB as well allowing the user to connect it to their handlebars, helmet, surfboards, kayaks and more. A built-in HDMI port and a microSD card slot rounds out the package. The camera can support up 64GB of microSD storage, which is enough for as much as 7 hours of 1080p footage.

The VIRB and VIRB Elite will be available in September with a price tag of $300 and $400 respectively.

It's been awhile since we had one of those "people are awesome" videos, but the one below makes up for the long wait. It shows all manner of men and women doing extraordinary things, often in some fairly extraordinary places. As the name implies, much of the video was captured on a GoPro camera, which gives the footage an even extra personal touch. Lots of fun, inspiring stuff here. Enjoy!

The Similan Islands make up a small archipelago that sits off the coast of Thailand. The entire region has been designated as a national park and it is known for being a fantastic spot for scuba divers, something that is abundantly clear in the video below. The short film was shot near the islands back in February and gives us a glimpse of the amazing sea life that inhabits the region. This is both beautiful and tranquil. Quite lovely.

GoPro: Similan Islands Scuba Diving from Marcus Pai on Vimeo.

One of the largest and most popular event for outdoor athletes is now underway in Vail, Colorado, where the GoPro Mountain Games kicked off yesterday. These are the same mountain games that we've come to know and love over the past number of years, although this time GoPro has stepped up to be the title sponsor replacing Teva.

The events kicked off yesterday with a light schedule to get things started but things will pick-up considerably today as we head into the weekend. As usual, there are a number of great outdoor sports for athletes to take part in with bouldering, slacklining and slope style mountain biking taking center stage today. The number of events really ramps up tomorrow as climbing, kayaking, cycling and many other competitions begin, and of course the battle for the title of the King of the Mountain kicks into full gear as well.

Of course, there will be plenty to do for spectators as well. In addition to cheering on these amazing outdoor athletes, the Adventure Village returns to give kids an opportunity to learn more about the sports they're watching while Gear Town will be a great place to check out new outdoor equipment and possibly even score some killer deals. As always, there will be plenty of live music, parties, food and photo competitions to help keep everyone entertained.

For a full list of events and to get more details on the GoPro Mountain Games, click here. If you're in the neighborhood this weekend, it looks like this will be a fun event worth checking out. And if you're up to it, you might still be able to get involved in some of the competitions.

Peru is one of those countries that ever adventure traveler should visit at least once in their lifetime. Travel blogger Dan Moore recently discovered this for himself when he allowed the Facebook followers of Covermore travel insurance to dictate his entire trip, starting with the destination. Dan chronicled his travels using a GoPro camera and along the way he visited classic sites like Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca. The essence of his trip is captured in the video below, which is likely to inspire you to want to visit Peru too. Looks like he had a great time.

I've been fortunate enough to have all kinds of amazing wildlife encounters in my travels, but I haven't yet gotten the opportunity to go whale spotting. I hope to change that in the future and videos like this one only help to make that more of a priority. It was shot with a GoPro camera (of course!) and while it is short, it captures some amazing underwater images of a pod humpback whales. Simply beautiful.

GoPro: Cruising with Humpback Whales from GoPro on Vimeo.

Mountain bikers looking for a sense of redemption will certainly enjoy this video. It features three years worth of crashes captured on GoPro and edited together by filmmaker Joe Bernard. Watching some of these makes me feel a little bit better about my own spills, which still come at too frequent a rate for my taste. It's good to know I'm not alone.

Warning: this is six minutes of video that will have you saying not only cringing in pain but involuntarily blurting out more an a few "ouch!" comments.

Thanks to Adventure Journal for sharing this.