Is It Extreme?

As the one of the largest extreme sports events in the world, we wondered: what makes an activity "extreme"?

The word "extreme" is a trendy way to describe almost anything these days. We\'re not sure it gets much more intense than parachuting off a bridge, but other Bridge Day participants like Team Xpogo are redefining what it means to go big.

The best part is that with a little creativity and guts, you can tweak any activity to make it more extreme.

So, let\'s take a look at some of the ways you can extreme-ize your action sport:

Higher

At a daring 876 feet above the Bridge, BASE jumpers, rappellers and highliners on Bridge Day are definitely taking it to the top. And Team Xpogo found a way to turn a bouncing toy into a gravity-defying stunt device, proving height is relative. Big strides are made with anything from a few feet of pogo leap to hundreds of feet of a cliffside climb. We\'d say the sky\'s the limit, but we\'re certain t doesn\'t have to be.

But an interesting thing about many BASE jumps is that they are often just the opposite of "higher" than their tamer sister sport of skydiving.

More Challenging

Because many BASE jumps, including Bridge Day\'s leap, are actually lower to the ground than an airplane parachute jump, they require much more technical skill. There\'s less time to coast and judge your fall, so you have to be on the ball and know exactly when to pull that chute. It\'s all about timing.

Faster

Speaking of timing, what about the obvious thrill— upping the speed? Certainly, extreme enthusiasts love pushing the pedal to the metal on everything from cars to snowmobiles. If you miss out on highlining on Bridge Day, the longest Zipline on the East Coast is not too far away, and it boasts swift speeds of 45 miles per hour. Finding a new way to move more quickly ups your level of extremity exponentially.

Bigger

Boosting size is another extreme addition. When you whitewater raft the New River (where you can get a great view of the Bridge Day jumpers), you know you\'re crossing your fingers for big water. Even the tiniest ripples in the riverbed can rage into extreme waves. And bigger rapids mean a wilder ride!

More

It\'s one thing to do a backflip on a pogo stick, but it\'s a whole different level of "Woah" to keep the flips going in succession. (The record is 16 straight.) Riding a wave is a blast, but an onslaught of waves for a quarter of a mile is more of one (ex: Lost Paddle rapid on the Gauley, one of the river\'s famous "Big 5.") Endurance can be an asset when you\'re going extreme.

More Thrilling

Sometimes it\'s as simple as making it just a little more scary. Getting the adrenaline up is the goal, so while you\'re looking over the edge or sitting at the starting line, anything that might make you hesitate just a bit longer will probably get your heart racing faster if you\'ve got the guts to go for it.

And it can be anything. Anything. Like household chores. "Extreme ironing" is becoming a popular sport (mostly because there\'s an argument raging of whether or not you can call it a "sport.") It just takes the everyday, mundane task of ironing into daring locales.

It seems "extreme" is beyond definition, because innovators are always finding new and unexpected ways to challenge the norms and raise adrenaline levels.

The bottom line is really that extreme is what you make it. But feel free to use these as a starting point to explore the world of extreme fun.

How do you make you add extremity to your life?