What are extreme sports? A list of all extreme sports played around the world

Thrill, adrenaline, action, and adventure are the driving forces behind athletes who enjoy a high dose of risk in whatever sport they are involved in. Dig in and discover what extreme sports are and how they are played around the world.

While traditional athletics stay within set regulations, action sports tend to push the boundaries of speed, height, and physical ability. This article will dive deep into the activities of the most extreme sports.

What are extreme sports?

These action-packed activities are a class of athletic exercises carried out to challenge natural physical limits and environmental hurdles. With mind-boggling stunts by players, different variations, such as inline skating, bungee jumping, paragliding, and windsurfing, have become extremely attractive.

What is the definition of extreme sports?

This is a category of athletic activities that involve outrageous levels of risk. Although the activities pose a danger of death or injury, they attract more athletes than mainstream games.

What else are extreme sports sometimes called?

The sport is also referred to as an action, alternative, or adventure sport. Just like the names suggest, the different variations of the activity usually involve breaking natural physical challenges and geographical barriers.

What is the history of extreme sports?

Individual activities began at different times in history. The use of crude roller skates can be traced back to the 1700s. Bicycle Motorcross and mountain biking began in the 1970s following the invention of motorcycles.

The games became highly popular following the debut of the X Games, a televised ESPN festival in 1995. Pop culture movies on surfing, skateboarding, and rollerblading in the 90s also increased their popularity.

However, some of the first extreme sports, such as cliff diving, can be traced to the ancient native Hawaiian culture in the 1700s. Cliff diving was also a part of the Mayan culture in La Quebrada, Mexico.

How have extreme sports evolved?

Over time, more danger has become a part of the activities, which comes at a high price in terms of deaths and casualties. The need to experiment and push more boundaries is common among its athletes. However, as a precaution, there has been increased investment in technological advancement in operation and safety gear.

What are the benefits of extreme sports?

Several studies have been done to help explain why athletes continually engage in the sport despite its inherent risks. One popular reason claims that athletes are purely motivated by the high adrenaline rush.

However, further studies indicate that breaking natural limits can enhance the players' strength, mental well-being, self-awareness, and satisfaction. In an interview with the Guardian, legendary free runner, Sébastien Foucan said,

What are the most common extreme sports?

Examples of mainstream extreme sports include skateboarding, surfing, BMX biking, snowboarding, mountain biking, freestyle skiing, and bungee jumping. Some of the most popular extreme sports are rock climbing, with over 490 million participants worldwide, and inline skating, which has over 17 million participants in the US alone.

What extreme sports are listed in the Olympics?

Are extreme sports in the Olympics? Action activities such as snowboarding, mountain biking, bobsleigh, skeleton, BMX freestyle, and racing are included in the Olympic game list. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will also feature three new games, including climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.

What are some of the most extreme sports?

Adventure games such as paraskiing, heli-skiing, wingsuit flying, BASE jumping, and cave diving feature some of the most dangerous, if not deadly recreational activities. Here is a list of the most deadly adventure games in the world today.

1. Paraskiing

This is a combination sport involving paragliding and skiing. Although this can be done as a recreational activity, competitive guidelines by the FAI Skydiving Commission require athletes to jump 1000m from a helicopter onto a landing pad before skiing down a slope.

2. Heli-skiing

Heli-skiing is the ultimate example of extreme sport tourism. With the use of helicopters, athletes and tourists can access out-of-area backcountry and ski down steep slopes with more dangerous terrains.

3. Wingsuit flying

Although the sport accounts for over 400 deaths since 1981, it remains quite popular. Competitively, the wingsuit pilots are judged based on compulsory and free moves and flying styles.

4. Highlining

What is highlining? As a more extreme version of tightrope walking, highlining involves walking at incredibly great heights across a rope between mountains, cliffs, and buildings. In 2017, the longest highline (1662 metres) walk across the Cirque de Navacelles at 340 metres was completed by three French athletes.

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5. Volcano Surfing

Also known as ash or volcano boarding, the sport takes action games to an extraordinary level. Some of the most popular destinations for the adventure include the Cordillera de los Maribios mountain ranges in Leon, Nicaragua, and Mount Bromo in Java, Indonesia. Athletes surf down active volcanoes at speeds of about 80.5 km/h (50mph) while braving poisonous gases, falls, and burns from flying lava.

6. BASE jumping

As a result of a 0.2 - 0.4 injury rate and a 0.04% death rate per jump, BASE jumping is considered illegal in the USA, Canada, and Australia. However, this does not stop its athletes from jumping off buildings, bridges, and cliffs for the adrenaline.

7. Cave diving

Although it has claimed the lives of many athletes, it is an attractive endeavour for individuals who enjoy exploring untouched underwater scenery. In an interview with famous cave diver and underwater photographer, Jill Heinerth told the Guardian,

8. White water rafting

Why is rafting an extreme sport? White water rafting is a physically exerting challenge requiring athletes to navigate down river rapids on rafts. White water rafting is relatively safe, with rare fatalities compared to most adventure sports.

9. Wing walking

What is wing walking? It involves acrobatic aerial manoeuvers and stunts on the wings of bi-planes. Although the sport has become much safer, it has claimed the lives of several athletes, including Ormer Locklear, who invented wing walking.

10. Bungee jumping

What makes bungee jumping extreme? Jumping head-first over a bridge or cliff with an elastic chord tied to an athlete's foot makes it one of the most adrenaline-filled activities.

What are some popular extreme land sports?

What are the most difficult extreme water sports?

What are the most popular extreme air sports?

It is easy to dismiss extreme sports as professional sports based on popular and conventional beliefs. However, its athletes commit to years of training and education while constantly pushing their physical limits.

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