Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Debris found from missing plane carrying Grants Pass man and two teens ... Motorcyclist injured in crash with semi on I-5 ... Flooding closes Medford YMCA pool until Labor Day ... Debris found from missing plane carrying Grants Pass man and two teens ... Motorcyclist injured in crash with semi on I-5 ... Flooding closes Medford YMCA pool until Labor Day ... Ashland professional storm-chaser prepares for biggest assignment yet Justin Walker plans to sail — and maybe dive — into a hurricane The next time a hurricane makes landfall in the United States, Justin Walker will drop what he's doing and get on a plane to catch it. By Teresa Ristow MailTribune.com By Teresa Ristow Posted Mar. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 31, 2014 at 11:38 AM By Teresa Ristow Posted Mar. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 31, 2014 at 11:38 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The next time a hurricane makes landfall in the United States, Justin Walker will drop what he's doing and get on a plane to catch it. He'll then climb into an armored jet boat and hit the ocean where the storm is forming, attempting for the first time ever to film a storm surge making landfall from the water. If something goes wrong in the boat, he'll be forced to abandon it and scuba dive into the ocean to wait out the storm. "It's a dangerous game we're playing," said Walker, 34, an Oklahoma native and professional storm-chaser who has lived in Ashland for the last two years. A graduate of the meteorology program at University of Oklahoma (name corrected from earlier version) , Walker said he grew up in "severe-weather central" and was chasing storms as a hobby by the time he was in high school. He later secured a job at the Center for Severe Weather Research in Boulder, Colo., tracking storms across the country and gathering data for seven years. His team spent five seasons featured on Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers," four of which you can spot Walker in. Together the team chased hundreds of storms. "I stopped counting at 100 tornadoes," said Walker, who's also been in the eye of four hurricanes. "They were windy, wet and cold," said Walker, adding that 50 degree weather seems much colder when coupled with 100 mph hurricane winds. "You're constantly wet. Water always seems to get into the vehicle." Since leaving the center in 2012 and stumbling into Ashland, Walker took a job as a barista at the Rogue Valley Roasting Co. and began to pursue a new extreme hobby — ultra-marathon running. He began running ultra-marathons — those longer than the traditional 26.2 miles — and so far he's completed five 50-mile runs, including the Siskiyou Outback Trailrun from the top of Mount Ashland, and made attempts on two 100-mile runs. While he plans to continue training for marathons, Walker is also about to be sucked back into the life of storm chasing, as part of a new project he's pursuing with National Geographic. He leaves Ashland next week to head for the Great Plains, where he'll spend two months chasing tornadoes in a modified vehicle designed to put Walker in the heart of each storm. The armored, 16,000-pound tornado intercept vehicle is 6 feet long by 6 feet wide, with big spikes that can anchor into the ground if the vehicle is at risk of being carried into a tornado. Walker will be filmed as part of a 3D IMAX film National Geographic is planning. In the fall, he'll be on call with filmmakers and report to work if a hurricane is headed for landfall in the United States. If it does, he'll jump into the armored jet boat to help capture IMAX footage from the water. By Teresa Ristow MailTribune.com By Teresa Ristow Posted Mar. 31, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Mar 31, 2014 at 11:38 AM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501