There was a time when sport was just sport — no mild or extreme in it. But with time, things have changed so much that everything has gone extreme, whether technology, science, music, dance or sport.

Every field has advanced to a stage few could have imagined even 50 years ago. Thrill seekers mixed play into race, into energy, into adventure, into whatever thrilled them and created ‘extreme sports’ (also called action or adventure sports).

Extreme sports are very risky, as they involve high risk and speed, often heights, high level of physical exertion and always need specialised gear for performing the particular sport. These sports are not yet commonly performed so the places to go for such sports are usually far and beyond an ordinary man’s imagination!

How did it start, you may ask. The simple answer is that extreme sports gained fame in the 1990s when marketing companies started promoting the X-Games. The X-Games is an annual sports event, controlled and arranged by American sports broadcaster ESPN, with coverage also shown on its sister network ABC, focusing on extreme sports.

promoting the X-Games, an annual sports event, controlled and arranged by American sports broadcaster ESPN.

There are many sports that come in the extreme category, but not considered to be sport. For instance, bungee jumping may not qualify as a sport because it doesn’t need skill or physical ability to execute a good jump. Here is a selection of a few ‘extreme sports’ that are too dangerous for anyone to even attempt with all the right gear and equipment!

Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, get inspired and attempt anything remotely like what is being featured here. This is just for informational purpose.

BASE jumping

BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth — four categories of objects from which BASE jumper can jump. A extremely perilous activity, this includes a parachute (the jumper can use both parachute and wingsuit) to jump from fixed objects, with unopened parachute like skydiving, parachutes are then deployed for a safe landing.

This is thought to be the most dangerous recreational sport in the world, with one death recorded for every 2,317 jumps. Similar to skydiving, but one has even shorter time of reacting in case a parachute fails. If the parachute does fail, death is almost a certainty.

Ice climbing

It involves scaling formations of vertical ice, like frozen waterfalls and cliffs covered with ice. The old method used for the sport is step cutting, which entails chipping out ice with an ice-pick to create your own foothold.

The British were able to invent, in the early 20th century, a device called the cramp-on, which allowed the fastening of toothed claw to the climbing boots. This has since been the basis of all advancements made in the sport. Of course, the aim is to speed up the climbing time and minimise the chance of getting numb because of the cold.

Cave diving

Yes, it’s about diving into underwater caves and that is where the danger lies! With so many unpredictable perils for instance, if the diver’s equipment fails, the cave makes it hard to make a quick ascent to the surface. Also, currents in underwater caves are notoriously unpredictable. Visibility is also a problem because any wrong move will stir up sediments and cloud the view.

Apart from that, diving itself is fairly dangerous. Since the 1960s, over 500 people have died from cave diving in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Bodyboarding/ tow-in surfing

We have seen many movies in which a surfer bends down inside beautifully curved waves and slips out smoothly or sometimes falls in. The scenes are beautiful, yet mesmerising.

Similar to wave surfing, body boarding uses a rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam. The shape of board depends on riding style and rider himself. Surfers love to drop off from the highest of waves, but the problem is how to get and latch onto the waves in time, as the waves move so quickly that it is extremely difficult to paddle into them.

Free soloing

Rock climbing in itself is a difficult sport. Imagine removing all the safety ropes, harnesses and other equipment that can aid you in case you slip — that is what free soloing is all about. They need to be able to support their entire weight using just their fingertips and toe tips, while maintaining intense concentration lest they fall off. One tiny mistake and that’s it.

Rock climbing with a partner, proper gear and proper instruction can be a relatively safer affair — all things considered. But free soloing takes rock climbing to the next level. Only the most experienced climbers attempt this, and they usually limit their climbs to well-known routes.

Volcano surfing

How on earth can one think of surfing on an active volcano? This can only be answered by daredevils or thrill seekers with a better understanding and thirst of letting themselves lose after climbing up a volcano, then surfing down its side by sliding on plywood boards. The boards are reinforced by steel, metal or formica.

One does it while sitting down, though veterans of the sport do it upright. It sounds easy enough, until you start hitting sharp volcano rocks.

Canoeing/kayaking

Racing in rocky waterways and trying not to get hit cliffs and big rocks is definitely not my cup of tea. Extreme canoeing (white-water canoeing or white-water racing) are the names given to this particular water sport. Specialised canoes and kayaks are made to go through dangerous white-water rivers.

There is also such a class like extreme canoe racing that includes much more complicated rapids, but this is only for real pros. In the 1980s, as more durable kayaks were built, extreme kayakers thought of using their ride to plunge off high waterfalls. The adrenalin rush brought about by the plunge is further increased by the thought of hitting into jagged rocks or being sucked down below the water.

High lining

Most of us have seen tightrope acts in a circus or on TV, where daredevils cross a high and tightly taut wire while using a balancing pole with a net below to catch them in case they misstep.

In high-lining, the wire is also located high up in the air, but this is the only similarity with the one in circus and the high-lining. There are no balancing pole, no net to catch you in case you fall, and the wire is not stabilised and taut. Crossing a slack wire is infinitely more difficult than a tightly wound one, and combining that with the thought of the absence of a safety net, this is extremely high-risk.

Wingsuit flying

Some thrill seekers probably wanted to fly like the superheroes, so they made wingsuits. The flying entails jumping off a perch and gliding down to the ground while wearing wings. These suits have an estimated glide ratio of 2.5 metres for every metre of descent. Only those with at least 200 skydives are allowed to try this sport.

Like base jumping, the dangers associated with this sport involves chutes not opening, hitting something on the way down, or being caught in an unpredictable wind blast.

Zorbing ball

This bizarre sport is called ‘zorbing’ and is one of the latest extreme sport craze to sweep the world. It was invented in 2000, and involves a giant plastic ball, which has two skins, one inside the other. The person zorbing is in the area between the skins, which is pumped up with air. The middle ball effectively suspends them on a cushion of air 700mm off the ground and the ball is then rolled down a hill. Like a number of other extreme sports, such as bungee jumping, zorbing originated in New Zealand.

Street luging

Street luge is an extreme gravity-powered activity that involves riding a street luge board (sometimes referred to as a sled) down a paved road or course. Street luge is also known as land luge or road luge.

In this sport, riders are subject to high levels of injury and even the pros admit that this is an extremely dangerous sport because the body is so close to the road. Some of the most common injuries are those that occur when body parts hit the road surface. Simple steering can cause the elbows or shoulders to hit the road surface, resulting in bumps and bruises, broken elbows or dislocated shoulders.

Because street luge participants reach great speeds, they’re also subject to frequent crashes and wipeouts. This can occur if the rider loses control around a curve, collides with another rider during a race, or encounters obstacles in the road. When the rider falls off a street luge at high speed, there is likely to be serious injury, which may include broken bones or even head and neck injuries. Like all extreme sports, this should not even be tried by untrained and ill-equipped people.