list of extreme sports
List of Extreme Sports
People often talk about extreme sports and the adrenaline rush you get from it. Here's all the buzz about the popular heart-racing sports you can try your hand at.
Adrenaline junkies, thrill seekers and even regular office-goers these days are constantly looking for new ways to have a crazy time trying their hand at sports which range from the fun ones to the absolutely insane! Extreme sports act as the perfect way for people to try out things that they would otherwise never even dream of doing; All for the adrenaline rush from pushing themselves to conquer their biggest fears by defying all logic and sense of reasoning and just taking the plunge, quite literally! Here's a short list of the many popular extreme sports that could help bring out the adventurer in you.
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Top 5 Places - Buffalo Creek - Pine, CO / Porcupine Rim - Moab, UT / Tsali Recreation Area, Robbinsville, NC / Slickrock - Moab, UT / Blankets Creek Bicycle Trail - Woodstock, GA
Best Time - Autumn, Spring
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Mountain biking involves riding special mountain bikes in extremely rough terrains. This can be very challenging, and tests both your mental and physical strength to the limit. It's a must-do activity for all the enthusiasts out there who want to get the feel of battling it out with the elements.
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Top 5 Places - Mount Snow, Dover VT / National Stadium, Warsaw / Aspen, CO / Los Angeles, CA / Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO
Best Time - Summer, Spring
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★☆☆☆☆
Skateboarding has really caught on with the youth these days. It involves performing tricks and maneuvers while riding a skateboard across the street, railing of the stairs, footpaths amongst other places. There are dedicated skateboarding rings all over for professionals and real enthusiasts. This too features in the X Games and is quite a favorite among the crowd.
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Top 5 Places - Mount Snow, Dover VT / National Stadium, Warsaw / Aspen, CO / Los Angeles, CA / Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO
Best Time - Summer, Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
The name already has the term extreme in it, and that with a good reason, too. Extreme motocross is not for the faint-hearted, as this is all about performing death-defying stunts on your dirt bike as you take off from a ramp, traveling at great speeds. An integral part of the X Games, this is quite a crowd puller.
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Top 5 Places - Reveille Peak Ranch, TX / Eagle Creek Park, IN / Lake Grapevine, TX / East Fork State Park, OH / CYO Camp Rancho Framasa, IN
Best Time - All through the year
No. of people - 2 to 3 per team
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush -★★☆☆☆
Put together some extreme sports like mountain biking, paddling, and cross-country running and you have the sport of "adventure racing". This sport truly pushes you to the limit and truly puts the extreme in the extreme sports. There are a lot of adventure racing events organized the world over which draws in scores of enthusiasts who train for these events right through the year. What adds to the excitement is the fact that teams aren't allowed to use GPS or any motorized forms of transport.
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Top 5 Places - Any and all places outside
Best Time - All through the year
No. of people - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Originally from France, this is an extremely fast-paced and fun sport. It involves running through your environment, as you jump, dodge, climb, and move past obstacles at speeds that almost make you seem like a ninja! This is one sport that is pure unadulterated fun and simply a very interesting way of traveling.
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Top 5 Places - Vertical Edge Climbing Center, Durham, NC / Hangar 18 Indoor Climbing Gyms, Upland, CA / The Sports Center, Chelsea Piers, NY / Rockwall, New York University Palladium, NY / Brooklyn Boulders, Brooklyn, NY
Best Time - Summer
No. of people - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
With time constraints and people wanting everything on the go, we've brought the outdoors, indoors! For all those who want to experience the thrill of mountain climbing without all the risks involved, this is the perfect solution for you. Indoor climbing gives you the feel of mountain climbing with specially designed walls of different heights and varying difficulty. The techniques and the equipment used are the same as in actual mountain climbing, and are very close to the real deal.
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Top 5 Places - Winchester, UT / Providence, RI / Goldendale, WA / Talimena, OK / Signal Hill, CA
Best Time - All through the year
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★☆
Street luge is for all the adrenaline junkies out there who really wanna push the very limits of extreme. In street luge, you ride down the slope of a paved road, lying flat on your back on a specially made luge board. As you speed down the slope at blistering speeds of up to 100 miles/hour, you rely on your body and your legs to steer you and on your shoes to stop you (along with a little prayer!) as gravity takes over.
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Top 5 Places - Great Canadian Bungee, Canada / Bloukrans River Bridge, South Africa / "007 Goldeneye" Bungee Jump, Switzerland / Victoria Falls Bridge, Zimbabwe / Bhote Kosi Bungee, Kathmandu, Nepal
Best Time - Spring, Summer
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
Over the years, bungee jumping has gained tremendous popularity with people, both young and old alike. It features right on top of the to-do list of almost every other thrill seeker out there. In bungee jumping, you jump off a tall structure like a bridge or a tower with a bungee cord to help break your fall. The lengths of the cord are altered according to the weight of the person jumping.
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Top 5 Places - New River Gorge Bridge - Fayetteville, West Virginia / Perrine Bridge - Twin Falls, Idaho / Troll Wall and Kjerag - Norway / Angel Falls - Venezuela / Trango Towers - Northern Pakistan
Best Time - Summer
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
Few people actually know that base jumping is actually an acronym (B.A.S.E) for the place from where you jump as part of this sport; B - Buildings, A - Antennas, S - Spans or bridges, and E - Earth (cliffs). While base jumping, the enthusiast jumps off a tall structure and after free falling for a fair distance, descends with the help of a parachute. This is a sport that only advanced jumpers tend to attempt because it involves a higher risk element. Base jumpers often jump from tall historical structures or national monuments to grab media attention, and many a time to support a cause. It is banned in most US states and other countries around the world, because of the high level of risk involved.
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Top 5 Places - Skydive Lost Prairie, MT / Skydive Sebastian, FL / Pacific Skydiving Center, HI / Sky Dive San Diego, CA / Skydive Space Center, FL
Best Time - Spring, Winter
No. of People - Solo, Duo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
Man has forever been fascinated by flight, and although we have, over the years, built plenty of aircraft of different sizes, the dream to actually fly without any other aid has always been an elusive one. Skydiving or parachuting is the closest we have gotten to living this dream. It generally involves a person or a group of people jumping off planes at heights of above 1,000 meters and free falling towards the earth at great speeds. The thrill of falling from the sky is unmatched by any other form of sport. Towards the end of the free fall, the parachute is deployed to break the speed and ensure a safe landing.
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Top 5 Places - Texas / Florida / California / Massachusetts / Maryland
Best Time - Summer, Spring, Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
A little-known sport called sky flying or wingsuit flying is a mix of base jumping and skydiving. It involves a jumper jumping off a tall structure or cliff, wearing a special gliding suit, and unlike free falling, glides through the sky with the help of the 'wings', which is actually a webbing that stretches across the hands to the legs of the suit. The final descent is made with the help of a parachute.
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Top 5 Places - San Jose, CA / Mojave Desert, CA / California City, CA / Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, MI / Makapuu Cliffs, HI
Best Time - Summer
No. of People - Solo, Duo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★☆
Imagine flying through the skies on one of the paper planes which you used to make as kids. Well, gliding kinda lets you do just that. It involves taking off holding on to a glider, which looks very similar to a kite, from a plateau at a high altitude. When the wind conditions are favorable, you can take off into the sky with a small run up and glide around effortlessly. It can either be done solo or with a partner and is a whole lot of fun.
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Top 5 Places - Sun Valley, ID / Trump Wollman Skating Rink, NY / Toyota Sports Center, CA / Rockefeller Center, CA / Leon Black Family Ice Rink, CO
Best Time - Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush -★★★☆☆☆
Few things match the poise and grace of an ice skater performing. Well, now you too can try your hand out at ice skating, with special ice skating rings coming up all over the place. Ice skating is a perfect way to step out with the family and have a great time. It does not quite push the extreme, although a lot of people with broken bones and bruised egos from their last ice skating trip might not quite agree!
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Top 5 Places - Salt Lake City, USA / Vancouver, Canada / Sochi, Russia / Salzburg, Austria / Pyeongchang, South Korea
Best Time - Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★☆☆☆
This is one for those who have intense urge for speed. The point of the sport is skiing down a snow-clad mountain slope in a straight line in the shortest possible time. Traveling at mind-boggling speeds of up to 125 miles/hour, this is just the sport for all the speed lovers out there, although this is a purely professional sport and is not advised for amateurs because of the high risk involved.
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Top 5 Places - Park City Mountain Resort, UT / The Canyons Resort, UT / Squaw Valley, CA / Mammoth Mountain, CA / Mount Bachelor Ski Resort, OR
Best Time - Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
A mix of skateboarding and skiing, snowboarding involves coming down a snow-covered mountain on a snowboard attached to your feet. Snowboarding is a professional sporting event at the Winter Olympics, although amateurs too can test their skills with it. As is the case with skateboarding, you can come up with some stunning acrobatic stunts as you slide down the snow-clad mountains.
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Top 5 Places - Vikersundbakken, Norway / Einsiedeln, Switzerland / Pragelato, Italy / Jyväskylä, Finland / Salt Lake City, USA
Best Time - Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Ski jumping is not as popular a sport as some other extreme sports because it is confined to certain large snow-clad mountains in Northern Europe, but it still is pretty extreme nonetheless. In ski jumping, one goes down a long specially designed ramp wearing skis and the point is to have the longest flight after taking off from the ramp. It is now an integral part of the Winter Olympics.
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Top 5 Places - Bonaire, Netherlands / Turks and Caicos, West Indies / Cayman Islands, United Kingdom / Bahamas / Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Best Time - Spring, Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Now we come from the sky into the deep blue sea! With most of the earth being covered with water bodies, it was just a matter of time before man took to the seas. Not just over the water, but within it. While scuba diving, you get to see the beautiful marine life of the area up close and in person. Wearing a wet suit along with the scuba gear, you can explore the depths of the ocean and quite literally reach out to the rich aquatic life of the region. Scuba diving is especially popular in areas with a prosperous marine life and around coral regions. A lot of tourist destinations around the world with large water bodies are now actively promoting scuba diving to attract tourists.
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Top 5 Places - Puerto Rico / Bonaire, Netherland / Turks and Caicos, West Indies / Curacao, Netherlands / Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Best Time - Spring, Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★☆☆☆
Snorkeling is quite similar to scuba diving, minus the wet suit and the heavy scuba gear. In snorkeling, you wear a snorkeling mask which lets you breathe out of a pipe and you can swim underwater and explore the marine life for as long as you can hold your breath. Snorkeling is usually done in shallower clear waters, and is another fun way of enjoying the water and exploring it at the same time.
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Top 5 Places - Lake Ouachita, USA / Lake Ozonia, USA / Moogerah Dam, Australia / Yarra River, Australia / Lake Pepin, USA
Best Time - Summer, Fall
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Waterskiing is mainly skimming the surface of the water, wearing skis while being pulled by a boat. It's a fun activity and can be tried on a fairly small water body. Professional skiers add fun tricks and complex moves to add to the excitement and fun quotient of this sport.
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Top 5 Places - Lake Ouachita, USA / Lake Ozonia, USA / Moogerah Dam, Australia / Yarra River, Australia / Lake Pepin, USA
Best Time - Summer, Fall
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Wakeboarding is another form of waterskiing, the main difference being that the surfer rides a wakeboard instead of skis. There are plenty of wakeboarding competitions that have come up over the years and wakeboarding is now a part of the X Games as well. If the Wind Gods are gracious enough, you can get some serious air, soaring several feet in the air as you skim the surface of the water.
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Top 5 Places - Gold Coast, Australia / Mentawai Islands, Indonesia / Jeffreys Bay, South Africa / Fuerteventura, Spain / California, USA
Best Time - Fall, Summer
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★☆
One of the most fun water sports, surfing has for long been a rage amongst adventure seekers. It's a feeling of being one with the water around as you surf on a long board riding the waves. It's totally dependent on the waves and can be loads of fun, although it does come with its fair share of risks.
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Top 5 Places - Lake Waco, USA / Lake Ozonia, USA / Yarra River, Australia / Lake Ouachita, USA / Lake Pepin, USA
Best Time - All through the year
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
As the name suggests, barefoot skiing or water skiing is skiing without the aid of skis, as you are tugged along over the surface of the water by a boat. The fact that there is little that separates you from the water surface adds to the thrill of this sport. Tons of fun, this sport will make you feel like you've been transported back into the Flintstones' era!
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Top 5 Places - Birmingham, AL / La Jolla Cove, CA / Malibu, CA / Denver, FL / Maui, HI
Best Time - Summer
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Open water swimming is the sport of swimming in large water bodies like oceans, rivers and even reservoirs. If you love the water, and swimming comes as second nature to you, then this is the sport for you. The bigger water bodies make the swimming challenging, and it is a true test of your fitness and stamina. It has now been included in the Olympic Games as a medal event.
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Top 5 Places - Chickasabogue Park, AL / Big Bear Lake, CA / Burrows Island, WA / Colorado River, CO / Kayak Kauai, HI
Best Time - Spring
No. of People - Solo or Duo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
Kayaking can be one crazy ride or a calm little time out enjoying the beauty of nature, depending on the locale you choose to explore. You could either choose to go solo or team along with a partner to go kayaking. You don't really need any special skills to try your hand at this sport, unless of course you are enrolled for one of the many kayaking competitions or if you choose to go kayaking in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, trying to escape from the Loch Ness Monster!! Kayaking is tons of fun and also is a great form of exercise which will work up quite a sweat.
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Top 5 Places - Colorado River, CO / Rogue River, OR / Summersville Lake, WV / Skykomish River, WA / Penobscot River, ME
Best Time - Summer
No. of People - 8 - 12
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★★★
White water or river rafting is one of the few real extreme water sports that anyone can try out. Being a team sport, it is all about working together to steer clear of obstacles as your inflatable raft gets tossed and thrown about by the mighty rapids, although deep down within it seems as though you are just holding on to your dear life! This sport is most fun during the rains when the river flows close to its peak with real strong currents.
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Top 5 Places - Paros Island, Greece / Langebaan, South Africa / Fuerteventura, Spain / Columbia River Gorge, USA / Bonaire, Netherlands
Best Time - Spring, Winter
No. of People - Solo
Expense Meter - $ $ $ $ $
Adrenaline Rush - ★★★☆☆
Windsurfing or sailboarding is somewhere in between sailing and surfing. In this sport, you rely on the wind and the surf to push you on. It uses a surfboard which has a small sail attached to it to catch the wind. This sport is all about balance and skill and the weather conditions being right.
These sports should do more than get your heart racing, and take you on one helluva ride. So strap on your helmet and get padded up for the thrills, the chills, and zipping away at the speed of light (although I'm not too sure if your Health Insurance Company is gonna be too happy about it)!
Mountain Biking
Skateboarding
Extreme Motocross
Adventure Racing
Parkour
Indoor Climbing
Street Luge
Bungee Jumping
Base Jumping
Skydiving
Wingsuit Flying
Hang Gliding
Ice Skating
Speed Skiing
Snowboarding
Ski Jumping
Scuba Diving
Snorkeling
Waterskiing
Wakeboarding
Surfing
Barefoot Skiing
Open Water Swimming
Kayaking
River Rafting
Windsurfing