There are two types of people who are interested in extreme sports: those who actually participate in extreme sports, and those who watch to see if someone gets injured. Whether you're an extreme athlete or an extreme spectator, you know that these sports actually bring in quite a bit of money, and some of these sports have made their way into our Olympic games because they require quite a bit of talent, a whole lot of training and a touch of artistry. When you consider our history of athletic events, extreme sports are a relatively new thing.Â
The Dangerous Sports Club of Oxford University first showed up in 1979. The X-Games wasn't founded until 1995, and that's when we learned that people could actually control bikes on ramps (along with other things). Snowboarding didn't become a legitimate Olympic sport until the Winter Olympics in 1998. Many of us grew with these sports and they became a part of our lifestyles, while others grew up watching these sports and started to learn the rules as they received national and worldwide attention.
You don't have to be an extreme athlete to pass this quiz, you just have to know your extreme sports. If you think you have what it takes to identify the extreme sports of the world, take this quiz to see just how much of an extreme spectator you can be.
Wiki Commons by Jack van Tricht jack1van
This water sport is dangerous but fun and only requires a single platform for your feet. Can you name it?
Vintaging
Kiting
Skydiving
Wakeboarding
What started off as water skiing has turned into an extreme sport with a single board as a platform for your feet. The maneuvers that people can do on wakeboards is impressive, even if it isn't considered a "real" sport, it takes talent, balance and stamina.
What is this sport that helps you travel with waves?
Wave boarding
Surfing
Surfing has been around since the 12th century (cave paintings tell us), and it is still a very popular extreme sport. It requires a lot of balance and strength as well the ability to swim.
White water rafting is an extreme sport that requires you to work with a team to ensure that everyone stays in the raft and the raft itself doesn't capsize. This sport has been around for a while, and can be very dangerous, depending on water levels.
Do you know the name of this dangerous sport that tethers you to a boat?
Parasailing
Parasailing is less of a sport and more of an extreme activity, as you don't necessarily require a lot of athletic ability to do it. However, it is required to get over your fear of heights before you begin.
Do you recognize this extreme sport that allows you to do a lot of bike tricks?
Biking
BMX racing
BMX is the brand name of a bike that has long been known to pull off some intense stunts with ease. These bikes have made their way into the X Games and changed the way we look at what a bike is actually capable of.
Do you know what it's called to jump off of a high platform with a rubber band around your waist?
White water rafting
Skydiving
Bungee jumping
If you have a rope tied to you, is there really any danger? Yes, yes there is. However, people still love to bungee jump, even getting married and taking the plunge in these situations. Talk about an extreme situation.
Which water sport includes a board on each of your feet?
Planking
Boarding
Water kiting
Water skiing
Water skiing came out way before wakeboarding, and it has actually been used as a form of entertainment for quite some time. People can do flips, jumps and even synchronized water skiing, just for funsies.
If you want to water ski without skis, you'll be participating in which sport?
Water hiking
Wakeboarding
Barefooting
Whoever discovered that it was cool to go water skiing without skis was a pretty intense person. Calloused feet would help you in this situation, as you'll be travelling at about 40 miles per hour and doing all sorts of flips and tricks.
This is one of the original X Games. Can you name it?
Fieleding
Land surfing
Tubing
Skateboarding
Freestyle skateboarding came around when board California teens wanted to surf when there were no waves to hit. They took to abandoned pools in their neighborhoods and that is how the half-pipe was born.
What extreme sport is all about climbing waterfalls?
Ice climbing
If you ever wanted to climb a frozen waterfall, you're probably way into extreme sports in the first place. While it is rare to find a frozen waterfall these days, if you're willing to take the risk, you're probably willing to find a place to do so.
What is the name of the sport in which people jump from airplanes?
BMX freestyle
Skydiving
When planes were invented, do you think they considered that people would eventually jump out of them? Probably not, but it didn't take long for someone to decide to fall from a plane and land safely.
Do you know the name of the sport that allows you to jump into large pools of water?
Burhopping
Cliff diving
Cliff diving is an incredibly dangerous sport that requires leg muscles and deep enough water. Some people dive off of cliffs that are nearly 60 feet above the water, and if the water isn't deep enough, it can spell disaster.
Do you know the name of this extreme sport on a bike?
BMX
Bipedals
Downhill mountain biking
Mountain biking can be intense enough. Now consider going as fast as you can downhill. Sure, it doesn't seem that intense, until you consider what would happen if you hit a tree root at 60 miles per hour.
The inventor of the pogo stick would be proud of this extreme sport. What is it?
Hopping
Hop mopping
Jumpering
Xpogo
Never heard of Xpogo? That's probably because most people think that pogo sticks are just for children. However, this extreme sport requires a lot of athletic ability. Most people can't even balance on a pogo stick with basic hopping.
Do you know the name of the extreme sport that makes the city your obstacle course?
Hardcore
Staring
Hipping
Parkour
Parkour received a lot of attention in the early to mid 2010s, and it still has a little bit of steam these days. When doing parkour, you simply use the tools around you to get from Point A to Point B in an interesting way.
Do you know which extreme sport forces you to run for your life?
The running of the bulls
You see, the bulls don't necessarily want to hurt you, they just want you to get out of the way. This entertaining past time (can you sense our sarcasm?) often results in a few trips to the hospital or worse.
Wiki Commons by U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Lee
Can you name this extreme sport that is equivalent to skateboarding in rough terrains?
Skatering
Parkour
Mountain boarding
What would happen if you took your average skateboard off the paved roads? You'd definitely need a new kind of wheel. Mountain boarding consists of skating in various types of rough terrain. It's like mountain biking, but without handles ... or pedals.
Can you name the extreme sport that makes you jump off flat platforms?
Freeing
Base jumping
Base jumping is one of the most extreme sports you can partake in. This is because people generally like to find the most creative places to jump from, and they have to be high. These creative places include the tops of buildings.
This extreme sport is extremely terrifying. What is it?
Bungee jumping
Paragliding
Canyon swinging
First, you need a canyon, then you need a giant rope, then you need to jump. That's all there is to it, if you aren't afraid of heights, dying, falling or pretty much anything. This extremely dangerous sport is all about free falling.
Which extreme sport gets athletes up to 80 miles per hour while laying down?
Bobsledding
Water skating
Road skating
Luge
Luge is a sport that is all about physics and aerodynamics. The more aerodynamic you are, the faster you will go, and the fast you go, the more dangerous the sport it. Oh, and you have to steer while you're lying down and being aerodynamic.
Drifting was made popular by one of the "Fast and the Furious" movies that had this extreme sport in the title. If you don't consider this dangerous, understand that over steering a vehicle can lead to disaster pretty quickly.
What is the name of this sport that can be compared to BMX biking?
Fluting
Scootering
If you were curious what it's like to do tricks on a razor scooter, check out some of the YouTube videos that show off just what these little things are capable of. We aren't sure why they called it scootering and not Razoring, but who are we to judge?
Do you know the name of this extreme sport on motorcycles?
Motocross
Motocross takes motorbikes to the next level (yes, we know they aren't technically motorcycles). Athletes can race, do tricks and awesome jumps all at the same time in motocross, and people love to watch this sport.
This winter sport requires a lot of strength, stamina and teamwork. What is it?
Ice canoeing
While generations of natives have done this as a means of getting from one point to another, ice canoeing is actually a competitive sport these days. As the title hints, this sport requires the team to push the canoe over ice and row the canoe through cold waters.
Can you name the extreme sport that gives people wings?
Parasailing
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is nothing new. As a matter of fact, when the Wright brothers were attempting to create an airplane, their original designs were very much like the hang glider. If you think you can control where you're going, you might be just fine with this sport.
If you want your skateboard to go faster, play this extreme sport. What is it?
Skatering
Downhill skateboarding
Downhill skateboarding might not seem like a big deal until you learn that these boarders can reach speeds of over 50 miles per hour during the race. This makes the sport incredibly dangerous as well as interesting.
What is the name of this Olympic sport where people seemingly fly?
Ski shooting
Ski jumping
The ski jump isn't necessarily about jumping high; it's all about distance. The longest ski jump ever recorded was in 2017, when Stefan Kraft went an amazing 832 feet without touching the ground.
This extreme sport comes with its own wind. What is it?
Hang gliding
Smalling
Falling with style
Paragliding
When it comes to paragliding, many of the parachutes involved have their own propeller to help the athlete ensure that their parachute stays deployed and air stays in there. Otherwise, this can be a very dangerous activity.
If you can barefoot and wakeboard, you can probably do this extreme sport. What is it?
Sitboarding
Sit skiing
Fallboarding
Kneeboarding
Kneeboarding is exactly what it sounds like. You are dragged behind a boat, you hold on to a handle or rope and you sit on your knees and try not to die, fall or get injured in anyway. Oh, and you can also do some cool tricks on a kneeboard.
This sport is both violent and extreme. What is it?
Icerollers
Ice bowling
Roller bowl
Roller derby
Roller derby athletes are generally women who have some great aggro energy and are incredible on skates. This sport is all about making sure your opponents don't win, by any means necessary.
Can you name this sport that is like snowboarding in the desert?
Sandboarding
All sports that happen in the desert can be considered extreme, because the desert is so extreme. However, when someone sees a dune and they miss snowboarding, they can always go sandboarding.
This winter extreme sport can get intense. What is it?
Hockey
Football
Speed skating
Ice cross downhill
What happens when you want to make speed skating more interesting? Take away the rules. When it comes to ice cross downhill, the only thing you have to do is get to the bottom of the hill first, and you can make sure your opponents don't win by making them crash.
This water sport requires walking or swimming when you should have a boat?
Jumping
Climbing
Coasteering
Coastering is basically hiking ... if you like to hike on the boulders that separate tall cliffs from deep oceans. It's not terrifying at all, as long as you're not afraid of sharks, drowning or falling.
It's not a parachute, but you can glide with it. What is this extreme sport?
Wingsuit flying
Someone saw a flying squirrel and thought they could make some kind of human hybrid with its ingenious structure. That's where we got the wingsuit from. Could you imagine the beta testing for this?
Which winter sport requires you to jump from a helicopter?
Jump skiing
Ride jumping
Heliskiing
If skiing isn't extreme enough for you, consider taking a helicopter to an unused slope and jumping out of it to find your way down safely. Sure, it sounds easy, but it requires expert level skiing.
Created by MaryAnne Nelson / Moment Open / Getty Images
What is the name of this extreme sport that requires wind?
Hang gliding
Kiting
Kiting mixes snowboarding with parachuting. If the wind is right, you'll be able to go faster than you would with a snowboard alone, but you'll need to practice controlling it before you do any dangerous slopes.
Can you name this extreme sport that requires balance ... a lot of balance?
Highlining
If you have a fear of heights and an inner ear infection, we don't recommend even attempting this one. Highlining requires you to place a rope (or cable) between two different high platforms and then walking across it. If you think this doesn't take athletic ability, you've never tried it.
Can you name one of the original extreme Olympic sports?
Luge
Bobsledding
If you don't think that bobsledding is an extreme sport, consider the fact that these vehicles can react up to 90 miles per hour, and one wrong move can spell complete disaster for the athletes.
Do you know what it's called to roll down a hill in a big bubble ball?
Zorbing
If you think this isn't an extreme sport, you have another think coming. It requires an iron stomach and a lot of stamina (as well as the ability to let go of control) while you roll down a hill in a giant ball.
Strap these on your feet and you will be able to jump higher than you ever thought. What is the sport that uses these jumping stilts?
Jumpering
Powerbocking
Powerbocking is only dangerous if you're trying to do it for the first time and you aren't an acrobat. This extreme sport allows you to jump ridiculously high and gives you the ability to do flips your average little legs wouldn't even dream of.