We had a great time back in August at our first Action Hero Boot Camp! We spent three days camping, sword fighting, cracking bullwhips, throwing knives, making a movie, swimming, learning tactical shooting and more. The best part is, everyone had a good time! We were worried. We wanted to make sure that people knew that this was a place where beginners who had never touched a sword or thrown a movie punch could try something new. We also wanted to have a diverse group of men and women of all ages. Well, folks got the message and people turned out in force to support this unique first time experiment. We had a great group of people with varying backgrounds and abilities and people really came together to create a safe, fun, high-energy boot camp experience.

Here are some highlights from this year's Boot Camp:

Missy and Heather sling some steel

Just 24 hours ago they were all pacifists!

Christina practices her action-hero knife throwing!

Dan Demonstrates the proper technique of the "action-hero pre-throw flippity-flip"

Dan Thurmon and Marine Major Ron Tootle were both guest instructors. Here they take a break to watch some of the other heroes enjoying action activities in our campground.

John "Hack" Davis headed up the bullwhip coaching and soon we were all cracking like pros!

A sneak preview of next year's "ninja" training classes at Boot Camp 2007!

More swordplay from John and Hak (no relation).

Eleven heroes jumped out of this plane on Monday!

Practicing the jump!

Dave is psyched and ready... and something else we can't put our finger on

Let's go!

Bye-bye Patrick!

Happy landings, April!

Look for these and more Action Hero Boot Camp highlight pics in our Gallery very soon. We'll also be posting the 2006 highlights video as well as our "Action Movie" that we filmed! A Fist Full of Port-a-John [working title] In fact, why don't you boot camp alums email me some title suggestions at ActionMovie@HackandSlash.com

What about next year you ask? And a lot of people have been asking! The current plan is to explore moving the Camp to late October/Early November which will make the need for air conditioning obsolete and the camp a little less tiring. We can really enjoy the big bonfires at night too! We will look at doing two sessions (3-4 days), adding an intermediate session (2-3 days) and an advanced track which will run throughout the camp (10 days!). If you are interested, email us at HeroCamp@HackandSlash.com and we'll put you on the "Hot List" for first notification and discounts!

Hack and Slash have been asked to be instructors at the 2007 Patrick Crean Art of the Sword Workshop. It's at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in the beautiful Canadian Rockies from December 31rst- January 6th. We would like to invite you to come along!

This event is simply the fast track to meeting and learning with the top fight directors in the stage, film and television industry. What's more, it is the only worldwide staged combat organization and you will meet folks from all over the world! As a result of our work with the IOSP, we have met and studied with three of the directors from "Highlander", the fight director of "Troy", the 'wire work' coordinators for "The Matrix" and Jet Li's "The One" as well as combatants and choreographers from Norway, Sweden, Africa, England, Australia, China and more that we can't even remember. We not only got to take classes from these folks, but share meals, beers and ski slopes, while trading stories and building life-long friendships.

There are other reasons that this is the coolest workshop which include the really nice accommodations (included in the tuition!), the fantastic food in the beautiful mountainside dining hall (included in the tuition!), and the world class skiing (if you're a skier, this place is heaven!) and the beautiful Canadian Rockies! That's the Arts Center at the bottom of the picture! The arts facilities are big and extremely professional. This is my favorite place to practice my bullwhip, in a big dance studio overlooking a winter paradise!

Here's our friend Danny Beavis on fire at the workshop!

Here Slash crosses steel with Braun McAsh, choreographer for Highlander the Series and Movie

Check out this promo video that Slash did for the workshop (you'll recognize his voice) and then visit www.IOSP.org for more info and registration! So here's the deal: when you register, send us an email at banff@hackandslash.com and let us know you are coming. We will get credit for bringing students and we have promised to bring at least five with us to help keep this event growing.

We have taken many workshops in our career and this one is not only the best one for overall fun, adventure, skill building and professional networking, it's also the cheapest one out there! At $1000 Canadian, that's like $800 US, a canoe and two beaver pelts... and the room and food are all included!! Those of you who take advantage of this opportunity will be the one's raving like we are right now the next time the IOSP has this event, which could be three years from now... or never! Anyway, if nothing else, watch the video for fun because it's pretty cool!

If you are registering or have any questions at all, email us at banff@hackandslash.com and let's get this party started!

Slash was hit by a car! Well, on purpose actually. In filming the Redamedia production of "Isolated Incident" which is the "Catcher in the Rye" of flesh-eating zombie movies, in our opinion, Slash did his first stunt hood roll. We'll try to put up some video of the cinematic maiming if opportunity permits.

Happy Birthday to Slash! Check out this video clip of a rather unique stripper that Michael Rosman got him for his... um... 24th birthday.

Sir Nigel Hack gave birth to two beautiful twins this week. "I didn't even know I was pregnant!" says the... um... 26-year-old bachelor and father of nine. "I don't even know who the father is!" The labor lasted 172 hours which, in our opinion is far too long for these to be earth babies. Many thanks to the hundreds of well-wishers who stood in a candlelight vigil outside his hospital room. The week-old twins are currently attending school at Southern Methodist University and are at the head of their class... which we find odd as well... we were thinking Ivy League. Well, all you can do is give it you best as a parent and after a couple of hours they are on their own.