Seven extreme sports on the rise

Mary Youlden
Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 5:33pm

Thrill seekers are always looking for new ways to get their adrenaline fix. Innovative extreme sports are created as people experiment with activities and gear, and some of their creations catch on and spread. Some of these sports have a sense of humor, and all of them entail both physical skill and risk. Here are seven extreme sports which are on the rise.

1. Xpogo

You may remember pogo sticks from your childhood. Modern pogo sticks took that concept, and turned it into something that can bounce a rider up to 10 feet in the air, letting them perform acrobatic maneuvers during the jump. Today, there are a few thousand people in the international Xpogo community, and they even have an annual event, Pogopalooza.

2. Street Luge

You’ve seen the luge at the Winter Olympics, where participants rocket down an icy track at tremendous speeds. Now people do this on land, flying down a road at amazing speeds, with their body stretched out just inches above the pavement. Today there are tens of thousands of people who participate, and even training schools for newcomers to the sport.

3. Skishing

This unique sport is basically fishing where you give the fish a bigger advantage. Normally, the fisherman stays safely on a boat or on land, while the fish has all the risk. With skishing, the person is swimming while they’re fishing, putting them in the fish’s home element. If you hook a sizable fish, it could easily drag you a substantial distance through the water, making the fight more thrilling than ever.

4. Mountain Unicycling

When mountain biking isn’t enough of a challenge, you can move on to mountain unicycling. Powering your unicycle up and down steep rocky tracks takes incredible lower body strength, and a sense of balance and agility that are almost superhuman. The mountain unicycle (also called a MUni) takes a lot of time and effort to master, but once you do, you’ll be able to show off your skills bouncing over tree roots and boulders.

5. Parkour

Parkour is like making up an impromptu obstacle course out of whatever is around you, and using only your own body to move you over and around all of the objects in your surroundings. Participants run, roll, jump, climb, and vault themselves over obstacles, all in continuous motion. There’s no equipment required besides decent shoes, and the sport has gained an enthusiastic international following.

6. Kite Skating

Similar to kite surfing, this extreme sport involves participants flying a large parafoil kite, which powers them forward at high speeds. In kite skating, the person is wearing a set of inline skates designed for off-road use, and they sail over fields, beaches, or parking lots at speeds as high as 60 miles per hour.

7. Extreme Ironing

Participants in this sport carry their ironing gear to incredible places… so they can set it up and iron some clothes! The official site says this sport combines the thrills of an extreme activity, with the satisfaction of having a well pressed shirt. Today, you can find people who iron on top of a mountain, while floating down river, or even while water skiing. It’s crazy, but true.

Courtesy of http://www.uncoverdiscover.com/

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