They make it look so easy – zooming off a ramp, flying through the air, jumping off a cliff. Extreme sports in high definition on TV does look doable. You could do that if you didn’t have other important things to do like finish the cheese doodle dust collection on your shirt as you slouch on the couch.

While you may lack the 30 story structure or the intestinal fortitude to go base jumping, or a glacier in your backyard to go ice climbing there are plenty of activities that fall into the extreme sport category that you can try this weekend.

Although the exact definition of an extreme sport has shifted over the years due to marketing trends (thank you, Mountain Dew), there is one thing all the activities in this category have in common – adrenaline. Whether from speed, height or a high level of physical exertion these competitive and non-competitive activities have an inherent sense of danger to them. The also don’t fit the mold of traditional sports. These sports are more solitary. There are no sanctioned practices, no coaches. Plus, you’re not only competing against other athletes, but also against environmental obstacles and challenges.

So, if the average Joe or Jane were so inclined to peel themselves off the sofa and face some adventure which sports would be right for them? There are a number of activities you can try that allow you to rent the gear you will need, so you won’t have to commitment to anything you aren’t sure about by shelling out a lot of money. Here are some of the basic extreme sports.

Snowboarding

If you’ve ever gone skiing you have undoubtedly looked over at the halfpipe with some intrigued curiosity. Those kids are good. You can be too. Snowboarding combines the skills of skateboarding, surfing and skiing. You can pick up some heart pounding velocity on those slopes so protective gear is recommended.

Inline Skating

Yes, inline skating can be as benign as a walk in the park. But as your skills and confidence improve so will your extreme sports ability. Throw a variety of grinds, airs and slides into your repertoire and the adrenaline factor increases accordingly. You’ll never look at a metal handrail the same again.

Paintball

Invented as a way for some New England businessmen to stalk and hunt each other without the unfortunate side effect of death. If that doesn’t get your heart racing nothing will. Today paintball is played on natural and man-made battlefields where the objective is to eliminate opponents by shooting paint balls at them propelled from a CO2 powered paintball gun. It’s kill or be killed cutthroat action.

Wakeboarding

Combining water skiing, snow boarding and surfing, wakeboarding gives you the thrill of catching some air over those boat waves. Plus, a whole arsenal of tricks including 360 degree spins and front and back rolls add to the extreme factor.

The point to all this is to get out there and try something new. Be as extreme as you want to be and have fun. Who knows, within a year you may have become an adrenaline junky and moving on to the real extremes like skysurfing or wingsuit flying.

Author Bio: Layne regularly writes for ProlificPaintball.com, they carry such paintball equipment as Paintball Marker and the Tippmann A-5, as well as many other items from a variety of manufacturers.

Category: Sports
Keywords: Paintball Marker, Tippmann A-5