There aren’t many things cooler than a solar eclipse; the moon appearing directly in front of the sun and plunging the entire planet into darkness as a result. That is pretty spectacular.

Know what’s even more spectacular though? Mountain biking in front of a solar eclipse. Or skiing in front of a solar eclipse. Or slacklining in front of a solar eclipse. Or cliff diving in front of a solar eclipse. Or – well, you get the point.

With last night beckoning the arrival of the most visible solar eclipse in the United States since 1918, there was a window of opportunity for the best in the world do get out there and do their thing. The eclipse was visible in an enormous 70-mile-wide, 2500-mile-long zone across America.

It’s not easy though. Remember, if you’re aiming to get a shot with the solar eclipse, you have about two and a half minutes. It’s hard enough without the added issue of getting a mountain biker or a slackliner in frame. That means there aren’t a whole lot of photographs and videos that come out of the solar eclipse in adventure sports – but what does come out is damn good.

So, without further ado, here are some of the biggest, baddest, most-beautiful action sports moments filmed or shot in front of a solar eclipse in the past few years, and of course, the stories behind them.

1) Slacklining the Solar Eclipse | Alex Mason at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA (2017)

Slackliner Alex Mason rigged a line through the famous Corbet’s Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming with the help of “Sketchy” Andy Lewis – a slacking legend known for performing with Madonna in the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show.

“Crossing the couloir was the most amazing and surreal experiences of my life,” said Mason. “Highlining is already so out of my comfort zone, so it was really intimidating to take this on during total darkness… But I’m so glad I did. Such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The line that Alex walked was 23 metres long and 150ft from the ground with 10,000ft exposure, at an elevation of 10,450ft. We’re glad we left this one to him.

His slacklining efforts were shot by National Geographic photographer and explorer Keith Ladzinski.