Popular Extreme Sports
In this article, we’ll introduce some popular extreme sports!
Are you familiar with extreme sports?
“Extreme sports” are activities that involve performing daring feats using various gear or your own body, often incorporating intense elements, or competing in height and speed.
In recent years, activities like slacklining and bouldering have become especially popular.
For those who’ve thought, “I want to try at least once!”, we’ve put together a list of popular extreme sports this time.
Some can be dangerous, so don’t push yourself!
Know your limits and enjoy them to the fullest!
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Popular Extreme Sports (11–20)
caving
Caves often bring to mind academic surveys, sightseeing, or even explorers entering them.
Enjoying that cave experience as a sport is called caving.
In Japan, it’s still a relatively unfamiliar term, isn’t it? Like explorers, participants wear easy-to-move-in clothing, put on a headlamp, and venture into the cave, progressing deeper inside.
As you watch, they squeeze through extremely tight passages—so narrow you wonder, “Can a person really get through there?”—sometimes just barely wide enough for one person.
It’s quite thrilling even for onlookers.
Zorb
Zorbing is an activity where you get inside a large rubber sphere and roll down a slope.
There are variations such as hydro zorbing, which involves adding water inside, and harness zorbing, where you wear a harness.
At first glance it looks like a fun attraction for kids, but the speed you reach rolling down a slope is far beyond mere play.
Its popularity is slowly rising in Japan as well, and it seems that more facilities are offering the experience.
skis (short skis) / snowboard-like short skis
Speaking of skiing, it’s a sport where you glide down snowy mountain slopes, but skiboarding involves wearing boards under 100 centimeters and performing various acrobatic tricks while descending.
It’s also known as fun skiing or short skiing.
Like snowboarding, there are numerous tricks such as spinning in the air while riding at speed, jumping, and sliding backward.
Paraglider
Paragliding is a popular sky sport that even beginners can enjoy and easily get started with.
Experiences and schools are held in nature-rich locations.
Paragliding is also enjoyed as a competitive sport, with events like acrobatics, speed races, and endurance races.
Seeing gliders flying not only over mountains but also above towns and event venues makes it look wonderfully freeing—almost like being a bird.
Extreme Bike
Extreme bike stunt riding on large motorcycles.
It’s impressive to see one trick after another performed on such massive bikes—so big that just lifting them upright from a tipped-over position is tough! Beyond wheelies and drifts, the rider even stands up on the seat while moving, serving up a series of nail-biting moments.
It’s impossible to look away, and the exhilarating action is the real draw.
Rock climbing
Competitive rock climbing involves ascending natural rock faces and cliffs.
In recent years, bouldering has become well-known as a form of sport climbing, and many people enjoy it as a way to get moving.
Rock climbing, however, is one of the more demanding disciplines within sport climbing.
Because you’re climbing on natural rock, you have to find your own handholds and footholds.
The view after you reach the top is likely breathtaking, but it’s definitely a sport that requires courage.
Popular Extreme Sports (21–30)
Aggressive inline skating
Inline skating involves sliding with shoes that have a single row of small, thin wheels.
Aggressive inline skating is inline skating combined with acrobatic tricks.
Like skateboarding, there are courses such as street, park, and half-pipe, where skaters perform tricks like grinds and airs.
It looks exhilarating to watch, but it’s a fast sport that requires experience and technique.