Here’s the deal with extreme sports; they are challenging and dangerous. But, even with these qualities, they are often among some of the most practised sports.
In this well-researched article, I will share my top ten extreme sports with you that you can perform anywhere. Also, I will highlight my best extreme sport among this list.
Let’s dive into it!
List of 10 Extreme Sports You Can Do Anywhere
Although all extreme sports possess dangerous and challenging attributes, they can be pretty fun. Extreme sports have one good thing in common – the ability to heighten the body’s adrenaline pump.
Let’s look at my top ten picks of extreme sports for you to try out anywhere.
Highlining
If you are familiar with slacklines, highlining is one of its branches. Mainly, athletes in this sport practice it at great heights – between mountains or buildings.
This sport involves the use of strong lines or ropes attached to the ends of two high areas. Usually, the slacklines used in highlining get permanently secured by a harness.
This sport’s idea is for the athlete to walk on the slackline from one end to another without falling. The sport is extreme because it mainly occurs at great heights, usually above 50ft.
If you want to try highlining (after practices), you can get a slackline and secure it properly to any high height around you, like buildings. But, ensure you do this with supervision, safety, and not the free solo highlining.
Base Jumping
I believe the best way to explain base jumping is by linking it as a branch of skydiving. While skydiving is diving of planes, base jumping is performing the same stunts off building tops.
Generally, “base” jumping is an acronym for;
B – Building
A – Antenna
S – Span
E – Earth
The acronym implies the different places from which these athletes jump when performing this extreme sport. Like skydiving, this sport is extreme, if not more dangerous!
However, base jumping is one extreme sport that you can perform anywhere. Your location will likely be from any of the four areas in the acronym.
Span refers to bridges in the acronym, while Earth implies any high natural formation like cliffs and mountains. However, ensure that you perform this sport with proper supervision.
BMX
BMX (or bicycle motocross) is a type of extreme sport representing the group of cycling activities. For athletes to engage in this sport, they make use of BMX bikes.
This might seem like an old-fashioned bike riding sport, but think again!
BMX features different acrobatic stunt-like activities performed with bikes on flat or irregular-shaped surfaces.
In BMX, there are different variations to this sport; you have the
- BMX racing
- BMX flatland
- BMX-vert
- BMX-dirt
- BMX-street
Each of these variations has different extremities. I believe the BMX-vert is the most dangerous of all the BMX variations.
For this sport, all you need is a bike and a surface to ride. However, this sport can result in athletes getting concussed or severe damage to the spine, depending on how they land.
Freediving
You can term freediving as one of the oldest diving sports. This sport revolves around being able to hold your breath for an extended period underwater.
If this sport doesn’t spark “very” extreme to you, I guess you must have gills or don’t mind drowning.
For instance, it can help divers who consistently participate in freediving to expand their lungs and breath-holding capability.
If divers are unable to hold their breath after deep diving, it results in death by drowning. This makes the sport extreme, dangerous, and unlikely for many people.
However, you can practise this sport in a deep pool, river, or anywhere with a large water gathering.
Skydiving
This is one of my favourites and my best for this list. You can almost liken this sport to base jumping, but it differs significantly, and it’s more exciting.
Although I have complimented this sport for being exciting, it can be dangerous and scary. Skydiving involves divers jumping off a plane at a high altitude with a parachute.
Mainly, the sport’s extremity showcases at the last hundreds of feet before touching the ground. If the parachute refuses to launch or the landing is incorrect, it will eventually result in severe injuries.
Generally, you can skydive anywhere; all you need is a plane, parachute, and an open field. Never skydive above buildings, roads, train tracks, or spiky areas.
Freerunning
Freerunning (or parkour) is an art of fast, dynamic, fluid, and efficient movement from one place to the other without anything but your clothes and shoes.
You must be thinking this can’t be an extreme sport; well, think again!
These athletic movements are not like the basic runs you and I make; they are on and over buildings and constructions.
Freerunning can even involve jumping areas that are very high up, and that can be dangerous. This sport is one that you can practice anywhere because it requires no specific location.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding? Yes, you got that right! Generally, basic skateboarding might not get the tag “extreme.” But when it begins to involve high stunts, the label starts to appear.
Moreover, there is ever any skateboarding routine that doesn’t involve stunts. What makes it even more dangerous is that it usually occurs over hardened cement grounds.
Where skateboarding becomes extreme and challenging involves when tricks like The Ollie, Flip Trick, Grinds, and Aerials get performed.
Once these stunts or any other invented ones begin to occur, the dangers begin to rise. Primarily, injuries from this sport can start as basic scratches and move on to broken bones.
Triathlon
Each year, about 4 million people in the U.S participate in triathlons. I know this might make it seem like an easy and non-extreme sport, but it is quite the opposite.
For instance, the Ironman Triathlon is an intense sport filled with different activities that strain the body. It consists of long leg races, swimming, and cycling going as far as miles.
The main deal with triathlon is the non-stop racing intensity going for minutes. Primarily, if you are under-prepared, you will likely pass out while performing this extreme sport.
It requires strength and endurance to partake in this extreme sport. If you want to get into triathlon, you can create yours or go to a centre performing this sport.
Bouldering
This is almost like my second favourite sport on the list. This sport involves climbing walls without ropes or protective gear.
Bouldering is difficult, dangerous, and life-threatening. You can consider bouldering as a test of sheer physical strength and gripping.
The only safe part with this sport is that when climbing, the height isn’t usually as high as the ones you go with ropes.
The height can be a few feet on a rock, mountains, or building walls. This sport is easily one of the most performed by athletes because you can practice it anywhere.
In addition, there are often some indoor centres that replicate walls for climbing activities.
Zip-Lining
Zip-lining is slightly like highlining; the only difference is that you will be riding it on a protective belt or seat instead of walking on the line.
Although it might seem pretty safe riding on the secure line, zip-lining is dangerous and life-threatening. If anything happens to the line, the fall can be deadly.
You can create your zip-lining area with the slacklines and two high platforms to secure the lines. However, ensure that you create this area under supervision from a professional.
Conclusion
If you are an athlete looking for which extreme sport to try next, but you have limited resources, this article has ended your search.
I have highlighted my top ten extreme sports that you can perform anywhere. In addition, I added my favourite at number five to the list.
