Are you a fan of extreme sports? Here’s our top 5
Extreme sports have been gaining popularity all around the world since the introduction of the X Games in 1995. Extreme sports are sports that involve a high level of risk. Not only do extreme sports have a high level of risk, but they often involve heights and high speeds. Even though extreme sports can be dangerous, they create an adrenaline rush that entices people to continue participating in the sport.
One of the most popular and well-known extreme sports is skydiving. While parachutes are used, it is still a dangerous sport that can result in death. Before the parachute is opened, there is a period of free falling. People describe free falling as freedom and bliss. This feeling of free falling is what people love about skydiving and why they continue to do it.
Behind skydiving, downhill mountain biking is one of the most popular extreme sports. With steep terrain, narrow paths, obstacles, and speeds of between twenty and forty miles per hour, downhill mountain biking poses serious risks. Even though there is a high chance of getting injured, the adrenaline people get from navigating around obstacles as well as the feeling of wind on their face make the risks worth it.
The next most popular extreme sport is whitewater rafting. The mixture of the feeling of your stomach dropping, the adrenaline from going through rapids, and water splashing all over makes whitewater rafting so popular. Not only that, but it is a group activity. People can go whitewater rafting with their friends and family. This is unlike most other extreme sports and makes it stand out.
After whitewater rafting, the most popular extreme sport is bungee jumping. Being an extreme sport, it is high risk, high reward. There is a high risk of a spinal cord injury because of the elastic chord the person is attached to. The reward, like skydiving, is that bungee jumping also gives people the sensation of free falling. This sensation is why people all over the world continue to go bungee jumping despite the possibility of serious injury.
While it is less known than other extreme sports, volcano boarding has become popular. Even though volcano boarding takes place all over the world, the most popular place is Nicaragua. People from all around the world travel to Nicaragua in order to experience the rush of sliding down a volcano. Between the rigorous climb up the volcano, high speeds going down the volcano, and the thrill of danger, volcano boarding is the next up and coming extreme sport.
Even though extreme sports are dangerous, this sense of danger is part of the appeal. Not only does danger increase adrenaline, but it also produces the need to go into survival mode. People like the feeling of being in control of their own lives, and the mixture of adrenaline and survival mode make extreme sports so popular.
