5 New Extreme Sports

Yep we’ve all seen it. It’s cool, it’s hip and it’s taking over everywhere from the hipsters of East London to the skinny jean brigade in San Francisco. Even the stunt-guy in the latest James Bond was one. Parkour is basically the art of running around, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, as if the person is in an emergency. I’d describe it as running gymnastics. Will it last? No. Here’s a video of Will Sutton doing some jumping about.

It’s not that new but it’s that good it’s being included. It refers to jumping from B-buildings, A-antennas, S-spans (bridge) and E-earth (cliffs) with a parachute. This is truly extreme and one for only a small, hardy group of people. It is not hard to find some truly incredible footage of Base jumpers but here’s a good video featuring National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2009, Dean Potter.

Crashed Ice is basically a mix of speed skating, ice hockey and Total Wipeout. Started in Germany, it has grown quite a following. The fact that Red Bull are sponsoring the main events means it could take off. It’s an intriguing spectacle. Watch this BBC video on Crashed Ice to find out more.

Only those who have completed 500 normal parachute dives are allowed to try the Bird Man Suit, which already hints that you may have to be slightly insane to try it. Essentially this extreme sport is skydiving with your parachute replaced by a ‘Bird Man Suit’ to stop you from certain death. Well, this is the aim as they still use a small parachute before hitting the floor – cowards! Here’s a Bird Man Suit video.

I suppose we don’t all have big Hawaii’n waves in our backyards. This device is simply a surfboard with motor, so you can have all the fun of surfing on any watery surface, at three times the speed. I guess it was always going to happen as it’s not the most inspired idea ever. Looks fun though.