As you can probably tell, I like outdoor sports. A good old hike, rock climb, or trail run does the body good. There are people out there, however, who take adventuring to the next level and engage in extreme and dangerous sports. In fact, I found a couple lists of these seemingly horrifying experiences, and I thought I’d share a few that I think look the most interesting.

 

1.Base Jumping

This is exactly what it sounds like: climb to the top of a mountain or some sort of tall “base,” and jump off. There are different ways to do this; some do it in a skydiving fashion, where a parachute is pulled after a short period of free fall, carrying participants harmlessly to the ground, while others jump using a special body suits known as “wingsuits.”

Wingsuits have flaps of fabric under the arms and legs that increase drag in the vertical direction, lowering terminal velocity. This gives the suit properties much like a glider or airplane, allowing a jumper to fall slowly , yet accelerate very quickly horizontally. Here is a great video of a base jump recorded from the point of view of a jumper in Brazil:

Absolutely terrifying. These guys jump from pretty high up and hit high speeds; I don’t think I could ever do this.

 

2. Heli-Skiing

This sport is similar to base jumping in the sense that the objective is to start high and end low. Heli-skiing is essentially downhill skiing from some of the highest, steepest peaks, accessible only by helicopter. Speeds can get pretty high, and skiers without proper training or experience can easily lose control. Avalanches are one of the biggest safety concerns due to their ability to bury skiers under several feet of snow.

Is it something you’re interested in? There are several companies in Alaska and Canada that offer heli-skiing trips.  Start saving now, though; weekend trips can cost upwards of $5000!

 

3. White Water Kayaking

White water kayaking consists of kayaking at very high speeds in rough waters. It may not sound as thrilling as the last two – until you actually see it in action.

There are generally six classifications for river rapids that white water rafters use to judge their experience and the difficulty of the river. Classes 1-5 increase in difficulty, with class 5 being only for the most experienced rafters. Class 6 rapids are considered nearly impossible and too dangerous to attempt, even by experts.

 

4. Aerobatics

I was surprised to see this as #1 on one of the lists I linked; it does not really seem like an outdoor sport in the traditional sense. It still interested me, however, and I wanted to include it as one of my favorites.

Aerobatics consists of executing maneuvers with specially designed airplanes that are not typical for normal flight. These tricks usually consist of rolls, loops, spins, etc. Unfortunately, this sport is not as accessible to the common adventurer, as one needs a pilot’s license and extensive training with complicated aerobatic maneuvers. Regardless, the stunts are just as stunning to watch from the ground.

That concludes my favorites on the list. Although I love the thought of participating in these myself, I definitely think I like being on solid ground a little more. Perhaps I’ll just stick with trail running!