5 Best Adventure Sports For Adrenaline Junkies

Bike polo

If you thought the world of polo was out of your reach, think again because all you need to take part in bike polo is a… bike, obviously. You may also need a fair bit of practice and a decent amount of courage too though, as this sport can get rough.

The game is played is as follows: two bike polo teams ride their bikes and attempt to score by hitting the ball into the goal of the opponent team using the end of their mallets. Better yet, for the hardcore there is the hardcourt variation, which is played on tarmac gravel instead of a field. Remember though, you can’t put your feet down – if you do you have to ‘tap’ out of the game by riding off the pitch. Although not the most extreme of extreme sports bike polo can get nasty, so if you fancy giving this urban pastime a go we suggest you work on your balance.

Volcano boarding

If you saw one of the world’s most active volcanoes (it’s erupted 23 times since it first formed back in 1850) your reaction would be to run away, wouldn’t it? Or for some of the more daring of you, you might want to take a few photos from a safe distance. Well, for some daredevils that safe distance just isn’t close enough. In fact, some volcano boarders actually choose to travel down the active volcano riding only a thin piece of wooden board and wearing a pair of goggles and some thin overalls.

The boarders reach speeds of up to 50mph (approx 80kph) as they race down the 500m (over 1600ft) slopes of Nicaragua’s mountain, Cerro Negro, which is found just outside León in Central America. Some novices choose to sit on their wooden boards and sledge down the steep sides of the volcano, whilst others stand and surf down. The volcano-boarding speed record, set by an Israeli woman, is 54mph (approx 86kph).

“The adrenaline rush of going down an active volcano is something that people crave,” said Anthony Alcalde, an expert volcano boarder and tour guide.

Jousting

We all thought that jousting had died a death along with knights, medieval banquets and fair maidens, but it seems that jousting still goes on today and believe us, it is not for the fainthearted. If you’re not entirely sure what jousting involves, basically you have two competitors on horseback and each competitor is covered from head to toe in thick heavy armor. Once ready, both competitors charge at one another on their horses whilst carrying an 11-foot long wooden lance. The competitors can reach speeds of up to 30 mph (approx 48 kph). The aim of the game is to try and knock their opponent off of their horse with their lance – we told you it was brutal.

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in jousting and events are being held throughout the world, from California to New Zealand. These jousting events get massive support and the Harcourt Park World Invitational Jousting Tournament, which is held in New Zealand, draws crowds of up to 10,000 people, and up to 4,500 in Florida.

What started in Europe 400 years ago as a sport to practice battlefield tactics in cavalry combat quickly became a popular entertainment piece for all to enjoy - including the nobility and aristocrats of the time in the UK. The most famous jousting loss was of King Henry II who was blinded in one eye, gruesome - we know. To this day it remains the official sport of the state of Maryland, USA, created in 1962.   

Stinging nettle eating contest

Fancy a challenge? Then why not consider entering a nettle-eating contest? There seems to only be one nettle-eating contest that takes place annually in Dorset, England. Those who enter the competition are given a two-foot pile of tasty stinging nettles to eat and the contestants have to try to eat as many as they can in an hour.

If you’re a male competitor then you will be in luck. Stinging nettles have anti-inflammatory properties and a few health benefits, especially for prostate health, but to everyone else, there is a trophy and some very big bragging rights if you manage to stuff the boric acid filled nettles down without drooling excessively or being sick.

Limbo skating

When people combine two already dangerous sports, you know that it’s going to make it onto our extreme sports list. Although limbo dancers compete in tournaments, limbo skating is still relatively new. The sport takes limbo dancing and adds skates. The world record holder for limbo skating is Rohan Ajit Kokane, from India, who is able to skate horizontally so that his entire body is only eight inches from the ground.

Rohan can skate under cars and holds the Guinness World Record for limbo skating under 20 cars and travelling 126 feet (38 metres), 11 inches in total. Rohan’s incredible flexibility is thought to be a natural gift, although he practices for four hours every day in order to stay limbo-skate ready.