29 The Most Popular Extreme Sports

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Extreme sports are all about the thrill. For some people, it’s for pure fun, and for others its about testing the limits of what is humanly possible. To whatever degree, extreme sports all carry a certain wow factor, giving them a unique sense of appeal. Here is our complete list of extreme sports, listed from the “intense” to outright “INSANE”!

1SCUBA DIVING

  

Some might not consider scuba diving to be an extreme sport. But think about it, you’re 100+ feet underwater and the only thing keeping you alive is that tank of oxygen strapped to your back. Not to mention all of the creatures lurking below… pretty intense.

  2 POWERBOCKING

                      

Sure, it’s not the most extreme sport you can think of. But, some people get very technical with their power stilts; flips, kicks, tricks, and all kinds of acrobatics.

    3 MOUNTAIN BOARDING

                                   

Also known as dirt boarding and off road boarding, mountain boards take on all types of terrain, and are sometimes used to do tricks or even downhill races. Kind of a cross between skateboarding and snowboarding.

4 WAKEBOARDING / WATER SKIING

                       

Wakeboarding and water skiing are very popular water sports, typically done at the recreational level. But, some take these sports to a whole new level, throwing fancy maneuvers and jumping the boat’s wake to do tricks in the air.

5 PARASAILING

            

Many probably think parasailing is just a relaxing tourist activity at the beach. But, when you’re being pulled by a piece of rope hundreds of feet above the water, the adrenaline rush definitely kicks in.7

6 BAREFOOTING

                                               

Just like water-skiing, but without the skis. Barefooters must travel at speeds up to 35-40mph to stay above the water. As if that isn’t enough, barefooting competitions include tricks, slaloms, and even jumps.

7 SURFING

                                   

The bigger the wave, the better the ride. Some surfers will ride waves up to 50 feet in height! Staying on the surfboard is critical, because a bad wipe-out can be ugly.

8WHITE WATER RAFTING

                           

Using an inflatable raft or kayak to navigate choppy “white water” that has an unstable, turbulent current. Rafters risk hitting sharp rocks, unexpected steep waterfalls, and being thrown from the raft. Hang on tight!

9 ABSEILING (rappelling)

                                    

Descending down a cliff side on a rope. Sounds easy right? People must trust their safety and lives to the rappelling equipment and their skills. One mishap can make for a very bad situation.

10HANG GLIDING

                                      

Imagine a giant paper (actually fabric) airplane. Suspend yourself from the frame and run off a cliff or steep hillside, that’s hang gliding. What could go wrong?

11PARAGLIDING

                                     

Same concept as hang gliding, but paragliding uses a certain type of parachute, and in some cases a propeller. Paragliders can reach great heights and soar for several miles at time. Due to gusts and shifting wind patterns, paragliding is rather risky.

12 BMX

                                      

There’s the traditional BMX racing and then there’s BMX freestyle, where riders attempt to gain massive air and pull off next to impossible tricks. Landing a big trick on a bmx bike brings a big rush, but crashing brings a big OUCH!

13 ICE CROSS DOWNHILL

                                             

A lovely combination of speed skating and hockey, where four people wearing pads and hockey skates race down a track made of ice. Steep hills, tight turns, jumps and rollers make for a very exciting scene. Oh, and there’s really only one rule, first one to the bottom wins.

14STREET LUGE

                         

Riding a custom-made board down a road at speeds up to 60 mph, using only your shifted weight to steer and relying solely on your feet to stop. Street luge brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “road kill”.

15DOWNHILL SKATEBOARDING

                          

Downhill skateboarders use hybrid longboards with longer decks, softer wheels, and wider trucks, enabling them to reach ridiculously high speeds. When there is a crash, the carnage isn’t pretty.

16 DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKING

                        

The name suggests it all. Get down the hill as fast you can on a mountain bike. Take special notice to protruding trees, roots and rocks along the way.

17 ALPINE SKIING & SNOWBOARDING

                                    

There seems to be a correlation between speed and adrenaline rush. Take a pair of waxed up skis or snowboard and rip down a steep, snow covered mountain side at speeds that approach 100 mph. Piece of cake; “It’s all downhill from here”.

18 WATERFALL KAYAKING

                                   

As if hitting raging rapids isn’t enough, some kayakers choose to push the limits of what a plastic boat (and human) can endure. Press your luck and dive head first off a waterfall. Good Luck!

19 ICE CLIMBING

                        

Scaling up massive ice formations either on frozen waterfalls or snow covered mountains. Ice climbing open’s itself up to all kinds of risks, broken chunks of ice, avalanches, even falling to a cold death.

20 HIGHLINING

                                  

High lining is a form of slacklining (basically tightrope walking on a strap) at elevated heights. Enthusiasts set up at the tops of trees, between buildings, even across ravines and canyons. In the event of a slip up, the only thing keeping you from plummeting is a simple harness and rope attached to the line.

21CLIFF DIVING

                        

We’re not talking about jumping from that big rock at your local swimming spot. We’re talking about big ass cliffs that are 10, 15, 20 meters tall. At those heights hitting the water feels like breaking through concrete; not much room for error here. By the way, the divers don’t wear any protective clothing, just a basic swimsuit.

22FREE CLIMBING

                       

What does this mean? It means you climb a rock formation without any other type of assistance or support besides your climbing harness. If you slip/fall, the only thing keeping you from tumbling down to the bottom is your safety rope and the clips anchored into the rock; better hope they’re secured!

23 SKYDIVING

                         

Probably one of the oldest of all extreme sports, skydiving  originated over 200 years ago. The sport has since evolved into jumping from aircraft and doing a variety of midair tricks before deploying the parachute. Although it is a widely practiced sport, it still carries a considerable amount of risk and produces an adrenaline rush that is described as addictive.

24 CANYON SWINGING

                       

Here’s a different type of trust fall. Take a long piece of rope, attach one end to your your harness and the other end to the edge of a cliff or bridge, then JUMP! You’ll enjoy a stomach turning free fall, followed by a giant pendulum ride that swings you back and forth for several minutes.

25 BUNGEE JUMPING

                                                  

Jumping from a high structure and entrusting a large elastic rope around your ankles to break your fall is quite counter intuitive. But, if you can talk yourself into taking the plunge, you’ll have a near out of body experience to brag about.

26 BASE JUMPING

                                   

Jumping from a Building, Antenna, Span, or Earth (BASE) and free falling at over 100 mph is a thrill that is difficult to match. Unpredictable wind gusts, proximity to other buildings, and short period of time to deploy the parachute are some reasons why BASE jumping is a favorite to many adrenaline junkies. Not to mention it’s illegal.

27RUNNING OF THE BULLS

                                 

Mess with the bull and you get the horns, for real! For most people Running of the Bulls is a “fun”, nerve racking experience that will leave a bank of memories for endless conversation. For an unfortunate few, it means a trip to the hospital, or perhaps worse.

28 WINGSUIT FLYING

                         

If you have a friend that has an obsession with flying and an addiction for adrenaline, buy them a wingsuit! These futuristic suits allow BASE jumpers and parachuters to more effectively steer their direction of travel and achieve maximum hang time in the air. Some people even use their wingsuits to “fly” along cliffs and hillsides, giving them a greater sense of speed and flight.

29 SOLO CLIMBING

                          

Anyone that does this is absolutely insane. But, a very select group of people practice the sport of solo climbing without any safety rope or form of protection, just a good pair of climbing shoes and favorite chalk bag. In order to be a successful solo climber, you must have a “grip of death” and be able to “hold on for dear life”, literally.

@jacknjillscute