Top 10 Most Dangerous Extreme Sports To Try

Are you a thrill seeker? Then you must be experienced with activities such as paragliding, scuba diving, and so on.

But now is the time for you to step it up on the adrenaline thrill. People are drawn to extreme sports for the adrenaline rush and excitement.

However, for the most part, most of them may be completed safely. However, there are exceptions to everything. The more extreme you go, the more dangerous and unsafe it becomes, and the more fascinating it becomes for the athletes who participate.

So, which extreme sports are the most dangerous?

Here is the list of the top 10 most dangerous extreme sports to try:

10. Big Wave Surfing

It’s surprising that surfing made the list, given how popular it is. But I’m not talking about ordinary surfing. The wave must be at least 20 feet tall to be considered big wave surfing.

There are numerous dangers in this activity that you may not be aware of. To begin with, waves of this size are quite powerful. Surfers can be sent 20 to 50 feet (6.2 to 15.5 m) below the surface in a big wipeout.

Furthermore, it’s easy to become disoriented under water due to a large wave, so it’s critical that they regain their equilibrium fast – and reach the surface before the following wave arrives, which is usually less than 20 seconds later.

Surfers are most at risk from the waves because they are held down by them. Surviving one wave is difficult enough, but surviving three is nearly impossible.

Aside from drowning, there’s also the risk of falling into the ocean floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s sand, rocks, or coral; they can all be dangerous to a surfer.

When it comes to big wave surfing, any wave is powerful enough to turn a sandy ocean floor into concrete. It’s a no-brainer to use rocks. You will almost certainly be injured if you are slammed onto a rock surface.

Finally, the coral will slash your skin like razors, leaving broken parts in your flesh that could become infected later.

Big Wave Surfing World Record

Garrett McNamara surfed the world’s tallest wave, a 78-foot high wave in Portugal, in 2011.

9. Creeking

Creeking is similarly to canoeing and kayaking, with the exception that participants dive into whitewater and waterfalls.

Participants leap off steep waterfalls in specialized kayaks that can endure the environment in this extremely difficult activity.

The risk of colliding with the rocks or being dragged by the swift water current is always present. As a result, creeking is not a relaxing river experience.

8. Bull Riding

Bull riding is a rodeo sport in which the rider climbs a huge bull and strives to stay atop it as the bull tries to buck him off.

This sport is popular among extremely macho men who like to brag about their high testosterone levels and are willing to go through any discomfort only to prove it.

The bull, which can weigh up to 1800 pounds, may trample the fallen rider, causing serious injuries and concussions. But, for some, there is an art beyond suffering and anxiety.

Bull riding may be the most exhilarating 8 seconds of your life. It is without a doubt one of the most dangerous extreme sports to engage in.

Bull Riding World Record

In 2021, Jose Vitor Leme rode Woopaa for 98.75 points in the World Finals, breaking the record for highest scored ride in PBR history.

7. Ice Climbing

Ice climbing is a physically demanding sport that calls for agility, strength, and endurance. It’s not for the weak hearted people.

Ice climbing is one of the most hazardous types of climbing and requires extensive preparation. Climbing takes place on snow-capped slopes, icefalls, and frozen waterfalls.

Avalanche, falling ice or rock, and other unplanned events pose a threat to the climbers. As a result, when planning a climb, one must exercise extreme caution and pay close attention to the weather conditions.

Those who participate have a risk of falling down into deep crevasses, avalanches, getting stuck under layers of snow, and getting struck by sharp ice. In many cases, death is recorded more often than injuries.

6. Highlining

Tightrope walking at its most extreme is known as highlining. Highlining is frequently ranked as one of the world’s most dangerous extreme sports. It not only requires that the person be physically fit, but also that they be psychologically well.

Walking on a Highline that is fastened between two rocky formations or mountains is part of the sport. Because it takes place at a greater altitude, the participants are frequently frightened by sudden gusts of wind.

While highliners can tie themselves to a safety harness, getting back on the rope if they fall is difficult. To participate in this adventurous sport, you must have steel nerves.

Highlining World Record

Two brothers set a new world record for the longest highline walk. Yosemite Moises and Daniel Monterrubio built a nylon line across a massive gap in Yosemite National Park with the help of friends. They walked 2,800 feet across the 1,600-foot-high line.

5. Street Luging 

Do you have a desire for speed? Then you should check out street luging. But initially, there’s a lot that can go wrong in this simple sport.

When skateboarders realized they could travel faster by lying down on their boards, street luging was born. It has subsequently developed into its own sport, with more refined boards designed just for it – boards without breaks.

When Street Luging, your body is flat, thus there is little to no wind resistance, allowing you to go quicker down the road.

However, because the rider’s body is so close to the ground, even simple steering might cause body parts to collide with the surface.

Consider this: even brushing your elbow against the ground at 80 miles per hour might result in you being skinned to the bone, causing you to crash.

While riders can wear protective gear such as suits and helmets, many riders believe that the added weight slows them down.

Bruises, broken bones, and dislocated joints are the most common injuries in street luging, while there are no reliable figures on deaths.

If you’re not playing this wild sport on a closed road, there’s also the risk of colliding with other vehicles, which is tough to avoid.

It’s that the simplicity of street luge is what attracts so many people in — is it enough to spark your interest?

Street Luging World Record

Mike McIntyre set a new world speed record of 101 mph (164 km/h) in Quebec, Canada in 2016.

4. Free Solo Climbing

Climbing has been increasingly popular in recent years. Most traditional rock climbers, on the other hand, utilize a rope. That’s where free solo climbing gets a little crazy.

Climbing without any protective gear is known as free solo climbing. It’s all about skill and crossing your fingers (figuratively, of course).

As one might expect, the most common cause of injury or death is falling. However, there are other factors to consider when determining the cause of a fall.

Even the finest climber won’t be able to account for changes in weather, shaky grips, or falling rocks.

Most of the time, it’s not a question of if you’ll fall, but when. What’s the point of skill if it can’t even defend you?

Many climbers who engage in this dangerous style claim that it is the purest form of climbing because there is only the climber and the rock. Even if it is safer, the nuisance of gear, they argue, might get in the way.

Despite this, many free solo climbers acknowledge the dangers of what they’re doing and advise others not to follow in their footsteps.

Free Solo Climbing World Record

Alex Honnold set a new record by climbing 3,000 feet up El Capitan in Yosemite in 2017.

3. Cave Diving

Cave diving isn’t an adrenaline-pumping activity, but it is one of the most dangerous.

Consider this: you’re 100 feet below the surface of the ocean and inside a cave. You can’t merely swim to the surface if you make a mistake; you have to escape the same way you entered.

When cave diving, you must contend with challenges such as becoming lost, running out of air, enclosed areas, being stranded in the dark, and coping with problems caused by underwater currents.

The margin of error is extremely small, yet despite the evident dangers, people continue to make mistakes.

The quantity of equipment cave divers require demonstrates the measures they must take.

Cave divers require nearly twice as much equipment as open water divers, including two tanks, computers, lights, safety lines, and more. The figures suggest that some divers do not take the threats as seriously as they should.

People who weren’t adequately trained and went beyond their limits accounted for 95% of all cave diving deaths; the rest were professionals who knew what they were doing.

Every year, roughly ten cave divers die. While this may not appear to be a large number, consider that there are only a few thousand cave divers worldwide.

Cave Diving World Record

Cave Diver Nuno Gomes set the world record for the deepest cave dive of 927 feet (282 meters) in 1996 in South Africa.

2. Heli Skiing

Heli-skiing, as the name implies, is a sport that involves helicopters. Off-trail, downhill snowboarding or skiing is the sport, and it is only accessible by helicopter.

Some people are such die-hard fans of this high risk sport that they book a year in advance because they get such a rush from leaping onto the snow on peaks far from civilization and then skiing down, plus prior booking allows them to obtain a better deal on the package.

The price is frequently determined by the number of days. There are a defined number of descents in each outing. There are a number of US-certified Heli-Ski operations.

They entirely disregard the potential of becoming trapped due to weather changes or being killed by an avalanche. Even helicopter rides have the potential to be hazardous.

1. Base Jumping

If skydiving isn’t extreme enough for you, Base jumping is the next best thing, and possibly the most dangerous extreme sport on the planet.

Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges), and Earth (cliffs) are the acronyms for the structures you jump out of.

This extreme sport involves jumping off a fixed structure and either parachuting or wingsuit flying to reach the ground, as the name implies.

While you won’t be falling as far as you would if you skydived, you’ll have far less time to release your parachute and a practically negligible margin for error.

Despite its high death risk of 1 in 60, BASE jumping has grown in popularity since 1978.

With a few exceptions, this sport is prohibited in most parts of the world because of its deadly nature.

Perrine Bridge in Idaho is the only man-made location in the United States where BASE jumping is permitted year-round. Jumpers will almost certainly be arrested wherever else.

Because of the legality, many professional Base jumpers keep their jumps hidden to avoid being caught by officials.

Base Jumping World Record

Base jumper Valery Rozov set the world record for the highest Base jump at 25,262 feet (7,700 meters) in the Himalayas in 2016.

Final Words

Just looking at some of the photographs makes my forehead and hands sweat.  Some people will go to extraordinary lengths to experience thrills and highs unlike any other.

Extreme Sports are very different from traditional sports because extreme sports athletes must be very careful as with slightest mistake of theirs, they might have to pay heavy consequences.

Most people can try some of the extreme sports on this list while others require years of training and dedication.

Extreme sports are one-of-a-kind, and despite the dangers, they may introduce many people to a world of thrills, community, and purpose.

If you’re already shivering, tell us in the comments which of the above mentioned extreme sports you find most dangerous?

FAQs