Adrenalin Sports – Great for Thrill Seekers

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” – Ernest Hemingway

What are adrenalin sports? They are the ones that get your blood pumping, heart racing and nerves jangled. The point of these activities is to get out of the comfort zone and into the danger zone. Highly specialized, they include snowboarding, windsurfing, extreme rock climbing, ice climbing, mountain biking and many more. As defined, they can take place in the air, on the land, and in the water.

Have you ever wanted to try an adrenalin sport? If you are, you are not alone. Many have claimed that they would like to try skydiving and bungee jumping in the future. There are other unbelievable variations to this theme. For example, cave diving is an extreme sport! So is “wing suit paddle flying” and “stand up paddle surfing”. Plain old regular surfing is also considered an extreme sport, never mind that it’s been around for centuries. So is automobile racing.

The first concern is physical conditioning. Do I have it in me? A basic level of agility, nerve and good reaction time is essential in order to take part in any of these activities. The second concern is safety. Let’s face it, fear plays a part in the thrill you seek. The fear of bodily injury, pain and even death always exist. People have died doing these sports, but then again, there are people who die in their own bathtubs as well. Flirting with fate, adrenalin sports bring out the tiger in you that is lying dormant inside. Just how well can you adapt when the heat is on?

A special, Olympics type of competitive event was formed in 1995 called the Extreme Games. After the first year, they became known as the X Games. ESPN covered it and promoted it as marketers seized the opportunity to promote sport drinks, attire and a lifestyle that soft westerners craved. Little by little, extreme sports moved more into the mainstream.

Just a few years later, a new sports channel was born in the same vein designed for those who would rather watch than participate. The Extreme Sports Channel which shows nothing but extreme sports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Launched by the Extreme Sports Company in 1999, it opened a whole new market of people fascinated by these extreme sports. They are watched by dedicated fans all over the world, most recently in Italy (as of 2012).

Are extreme sports just for young people? Technically, yes, but if you are middle aged or above, there is no reason why you can’t try them.

Adrenalin sports tend to be notoriously expensive. Yes, these are games for the well to do, but as they gain popularity, new opportunities widen for the average work-a-day Joe.

Believe it or not, many disabled people also participate in extreme sports. There is a non-profit organization called Adaptive Action Sports which provides technology to help them take part in competitions like the X Games.