Extreme Sports

I

Introduction

Extreme Sports, non-traditional sports and activities that require participants to combine athletic skill with pronounced risk. Most extreme sports are not true competitive sports because the main challenge is not imposed by another athlete or opposing team, but by the inherent difficulty of the activity. Extreme sports allow and encourage individual creativity in the innovation of new manoeuvres and in the stylish execution of existing techniques.

Because extreme sports enthusiasts place themselves in dangerous situations, controlling risk is vital. Before they attempt risky activities, they must know their own physical abilities and understand how well they can block the natural instinct of fear. They must also recognize the physical limits of their equipment. Participants should have experience in whatever activity they are taking to an extreme level, and must know what they will do in an emergency.

II

The Development of Extreme Sports

Some of the most popular sports that can have extreme elements are skiing, rock climbing, snowboarding, mountain biking, in-line skating, and white-water kayaking (canoeing). In these activities, athletes exceed traditional safety limitations to create new disciplines in the sport. For example, people who engage in extreme skiing make dangerous runs down mountains over uncharted terrain. The enhanced danger posed by cliffs, crevasses, and extremely steep slopes elevates traditional snow skiing to an extreme level. Likewise, extreme free rock climbing, or rock climbing without ropes, is generally considered more dangerous than traditional climbing methods, which typically incorporate protection in the form of a climbing partner and roping system.

Some extreme sports combine the techniques and physical skills of two or more sports, often mainstream sports that were once considered extreme. One of the best examples of this sort of transition is found in skysurfing, which first became popular in the 1990s. The sport combines skydiving and snowboarding and involves experienced parachutists performing acrobatic stunts on boards similar to snowboards. Individually, skydiving and snowboarding were once considered extreme. Snowboarding’s own development owed much to the sports of skateboarding and surfing, which were considered non-traditional when they were first popularized in the 1960s.

III

Extreme Sports for Individuals

Many extreme sports are performed by individuals, either for the inherent thrill of the activity or for this thrill combined with competition. Bungee jumping, BASE jumping, skysurfing, and street luge are just a few of the extreme sports designed for individuals.

Bungee jumping involves leaping from a fixed location such as a crane, platform, bridge, or cliff, and breaking the fall with a bungee cord—an elasticated rope—that is attached to the ankles. Jumps take place from heights of 25 to 200 m (80 to 650 ft). After the jumper begins falling, the bungee cord pays out behind the jumper’s feet. When it is fully extended, the cord breaks the jumper’s fall, stretching to minimize the jolt of the stop. The United States Bungee Association (USBA) estimates that over 7 million bungee jumps were made between the late 1980s and the late 1990s, making bungee jumping one of the most popular extreme sports. It is most commonly done from specially designed platforms under the supervision of a licensed company and is considered one of the least dangerous extreme sports.

In BASE jumping, parachutists jump from artificial and natural structures at heights between 90 and 1,100 m (300 and 3,600 ft). BASE refers to the four launching points for jumpers—buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs and waterfalls). Because the launch heights are low compared to those in traditional skydiving, the parachutes used in BASE jumping are specially designed to open quickly. BASE jumping is considered one of the most dangerous of all extreme sports. Dangers include jumpers’ parachutes not opening quickly enough and excessive gusts of wind that can easily blow a jumper into a rock face or another nearby surface. In many places BASE jumping is prohibited, but even where the activity is legal, only competent skydivers should attempt jumps.

In skysurfing, an expert skydiver performs acrobatic stunts while free-falling from about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Skysurfers stand upright on a board, similar to a snowboard, which is attached to the feet with special bindings that allow them to detach from it if necessary. The board’s aerodynamic properties enable skysurfers to move horizontally and to do loops, turns, and similar feats in mid-air. At around 1,100 m (3,600 ft), the skysurfer deploys a parachute. Skysurfing is dangerous because the board is difficult to control. Skysurfers must concentrate on using their bodies and the board to avoid spins that can render them unconscious or disoriented during a fall. Spinning can also cause the lines of the parachute to tangle and the canopy to deploy improperly.

Street luge is a ground-based extreme sport similar to traditional luge (which is held on an ice-covered course). Street lugers race on paved roads, reaching speeds of more than 110 km/h (70 mph). A street luge, or rail, is a narrow aluminium beam that is 41 cm (16 in) wide and 2.6 m (8y ft) long. The rail rides on small wheels similar to those on skateboards. Street lugers lie face up in a stiff, feet-first posture that maximizes aerodynamic efficiency. The rail has no braking system or steering mechanism, so riders direct it using slight shifts of weight or pressure from the feet. Lugers race against the clock to complete a course in the fastest possible time. Extreme speeds make street luge dangerous, and the risks increase because only a helmet and abrasion–resistant clothing protect the racer in a crash. As there are no permanent racecourses, street luge is often practised on the open road, where traffic can also pose a threat.

The annual X Games feature events in a wide range of extreme sports. Lasting for a week, they take place in both the summer and the winter. The first X Games (then called the Extreme Games) were held in 1995 in Rhode Island. The Summer X Games involve more than 400 athletes competing in more than 25 alternative sports, including bicycle stunt riding, aggressive in-line skating, skateboarding, skysurfing, snowboarding, and street luge. The Winter X Games, created in 1997, feature mountain bike racing on snow, ice climbing, and other winter events.

IV

Extreme Sports for Teams

Not all extreme sports consist of individual competition. One example of team competition is adventure racing, which involves teams travelling across rugged terrain without the use of motorized equipment. Races may involve skiing, hiking, sea kayaking, and many other activities. All members of a team must stay together during a race. Adventure racing is considered by some to be the ultimate test of athletic ability and mental strength because participants must engage in high levels of athletic activity in harsh environments. Enthusiasts are often injured and frequently lose their way during the course of a competition.

The precursors to adventure races were endurance races such as triathlons and extreme long-distance running events. Two of today’s most popular adventure racing events are the Raid Gauloises and the Eco-Challenge. Created in 1989 by French journalist Gerard Fusil, the Raid Gauloises is a gruelling two-week adventure race in which five-person teams cross rugged and remote terrain. The inaugural Raid was held in New Zealand, and subsequent races have been staged in Costa Rica, Madagascar, Borneo, and Chile. The race has five separate stages designed to fit each location’s unique terrain. Stages may require horseback riding, white-water paddling, mountain climbing, running, skydiving, or hiking. Each year, about half the teams that enter the Raid fail to complete the race. French teams have dominated the competition since its inception.

The Eco-Challenge adventure race was first organized in 1995 by Mark Burnett, a member of the first American team to compete in the Raid Gauloises. The Eco-Challenge is a 10-day, 600-km (370-mi) event, which was first held in Utah. Like the Raid, the Eco-Challenge features five-member teams and has several stages. Typical activities include mountain biking, sea kayaking, long-distance hiking, and skiing. Before each year’s race, Eco-Challenge athletes participate in an environmental service project, to illustrate the power of teamwork and to promote outdoor activities that have a minimal effect on the environment.