Extreme Sports

[Dog--]

So about half a year or so ago a friend from work got me into kiting. I'm not talking about a little kid kite. I got a 5 meter land kite lets you just jump 10-15 feet in the air (depending on the wind), or skud across the ground, or if you got some kinda wheels (board, or roller blades, etc) it'll pull you, which is a blast. And I also got a 16 meter kitesurfing kite, which is awesome (the dude at work got me a sick deal from one of his kiting friends, only payed $200 for the kite and EVERYTHING, harness, board, bar, lines, etc). It's a lot of fun, but when there is too much wind it can be scary shit. I have quite a few scars that have accumulated since I started kiting, and have been gusted like 20 feet in the air and had to bail (let go of the handles on my land kite. Bailing while kite surfing isn't so bad because you land in water). No broken bones yet lol I think the main draw to it for me is the adrenaline. It's crazy how much power a bit of wind can actually have when your holding onto a kite, just gets your blood pumping and the risk of danger is just awesome. Only problem is you have to have the right amount of wind to even do it.. And also a nice field for land kiting - bigger the better. Which is hard to get to when you don't have a car. As far as kitesurfing goes - I'm lucky I live extremely close to the great lakes lol


I also started rock climbing. I go once a week to an indoor climbing place, and it's a ton of fun too. Today I finally did this one climb I've been trying to a while. It slants away from you straight from the ground, and when you get about 2/3 the way up, just just goes horizontally away from you, so you have to climb upside down, then you have to go vertical a bit after that to get to the mark (there are marks on every different climb, you finish the climb when you touch the mark. Usually it's on the roof of the building). Really really tough, I've been working on it for a while and finally did it today, feels good to work for something like that and finally do it. It's not as dangerous as the kites because you got a harness, but damn if it isn't fun as hell!


Anyone ever climb or kite? Or any other sort of extreme sports? I'd personally love to try street luging, but there are no hills around here that are big enough or smooth enough to do it




EDIT:

Here are a few of my land kite - One is just flying, one is just a little tiny jump (normally I go WAY high then that, photographer just can't take good pics at the right time :hmph

This is my kitesurfing kite unrolled in my house. Literally touches one side of my house and goes right to the other. It's big lol.

All wrapped up in a nice "little" package

 

[Dekstar]

Awesome stuff! There aren't really any rock climbing places near me, but I have gone bouldering, which is like a mini version without harnesses. Highest you go is about 3 meters, so it's all about difficult courses (lots of horizontal climbing like you said). Wish I could go again, but no one really wants to go with me, which is a shame. It's only something I'd really do with a partner.

You know you said you went like 20ft up and had to bail, why can't you just keep holding onto it? Won't it act like a parachute on the way down?

 

[Dog--]

You need a partner at the place I climb too, to control the harness/let you back down. If I can't find anyone I just bring my mom lol she likes to climb too so why not.

And that day was especially windy because there was a pretty big storm rolling in, I shouldn't have even been out in the first place, it was way too windy.. A HUGE random gust just came out of nowhere and caught me off guard, if I would've kept holding onto it I would've just gone even higher.. My knees hurt quite a bit a few days after because of the way I landed lol Normally it does act like a parachute and that's how you jump and land safely but like I said, it was just too windy to be out there. Plus you have to steer it a certain way, it's alot harder then it looks. You gotta learn to steer it right, learn where the power is in the wind window, where to drive it to jump and you gotta keep steering it while your in the air you land safely, etc.

 

[Dandan]

I tried para-sailing, cliff-jumping, tire swinging, car surfing, tubing at the max speed of my friends boat, I fell into the Devil's Hole when I was little (its at the rapids section of Niagara Falls in the Gorge) and many of stupid shit. I don't even snowboard anymore though, I want to live life not live life to the dumbest

 

[Ennui]

Back when I was in middle school I used to skateboard, was really into it and the culture and everything. I just kind of stopped skating at some point though, since most of my friends didn't skate anymore... plus I was tired of getting hurt never broke anything but nearly everyone I know who skated seriously did (wrist, ankles, etc) and I had quite a few scrapes and bruises from my time skating.

These days the only thing I do that could be considered "extreme" is pretty much whitewater rafting which is a blast and I do whenever I have the opportunity.

 

[KiplingsCat]

I kept reading "kiting" as 'knitting" which made your story sound really funny.

 

[Raziaar]

I play the extreme sport of not caring about the major sports.

That's DANGEROUS my friend! Never know what kind of psychos you might meet who want to rough you up because you don't care about FOOTBALL!

 

[Dog--]

Back when I was in middle school I used to skateboard, was really into it and the culture and everything. I just kind of stopped skating at some point though, since most of my friends didn't skate anymore... plus I was tired of getting hurt never broke anything but nearly everyone I know who skated seriously did (wrist, ankles, etc) and I had quite a few scrapes and bruises from my time skating.

These days the only thing I do that could be considered "extreme" is pretty much whitewater rafting which is a blast and I do whenever I have the opportunity.

I would love to whitewater raft, it looks like so much fun.. I live like a 15 minute drive from Niagara Falls, I should really look around for a rafting expedition!

 

[Maestro]

I did rock climbing for a while, but college has seriously reduced my options in the vein of extreme sports. Serious injuries equate to serious grade damage. Right now all I'm doing is Crew, since it's varsity and costs me nothing in terms of money or risk.

 

[Vegeta897]

Right now all I'm doing is Crew, since it's varsity and costs me nothing in terms of money or risk.

You risk getting your website stolen by an underclassman.

 

[Escaep]

I ride my bike, with no handlebars.

 

[mechanicallizard]

Ive done rock climbing, kayaking and whitewater rafting. Also a bit of skydiving. Is motocross classed as extreme?

 

[Raziaar]

I ride my bike, with no handlebars.

I can tie a knot in a cherry stem.

 

[Remus]

I play the extreme sport of not caring about the major sports.

Does taking the stairs instead of the elevator count as an extreme sport?

 

[Ennui]

I would love to whitewater raft, it looks like so much fun.. I live like a 15 minute drive from Niagara Falls, I should really look around for a rafting expedition!

Rafting is a ****ing blast. I really like "extreme" activities that have to do with nature and the wild rather than stuff like bungie jumping or skydiving (although that's also because heights are one of the two things I have a serious debilitating fear of). It just seems more real to me I guess, with more potential consequences and therefore more fun. I really enjoy bouldering and technical hiking as well although I don't get much into real rock climbing because of the aforementioned heights issue.

Rafting is great though, everyone should do it. There's nothing like seeing massive rapids with 8 foot waves ahead and knowing that you are about to plunge right into the thick of it, paddling furiously and doing all you can to stay in the raft by wedging your feet under the seat in front of you as huge waves batter you all over the place.

 

[Raziaar]

Does taking the stairs instead of the elevator count as an extreme sport?

I'd say yeah. It's a hell of a lot more vigorous, and the only safeties are hand rails, whereas in an elevator you have brakes that will almost assuredly prevent any catastrophic crash. The elevator has a lot larger memory element to it though, so it's a bit more challenging of a mental sport.

 

[Escaep]

rafting.

I agree that rafting is amazing. Only been once on like a level 1 or 2 (or whatever the lower difficulties are) and had a blast. I wish there were more whitewater rafting rivers in Florida. All we have are boring, slow rivers.

Other stuff I'd like to try:

Parachuting
Wing-suiting
Rock climbing
Kayaking
More whitewater rafting
Canyoning

 

[Dog--]

Canyoning is that like riding a mountain bike through, for example, Utah's canyon lands? If so that'd be the tits.

 

[Maestro]

You risk getting your website stolen by an underclassman.

It's hosted on the school website of an engineering school.

 

[Raziaar]

I agree that rafting is amazing. Only been once on like a level 1 or 2 (or whatever the lower difficulties are) and had a blast. I wish there were more whitewater rafting rivers in Florida. All we have are boring, slow rivers.

Other stuff I'd like to try:

Parachuting
Wing-suiting
Rock climbing
Kayaking
More whitewater rafting
Canyoning

Ever since I almost drowned water tubing in rougher waters a long time ago... I've been terrified of riding on rivers.