Adrenaline Junkies.

Mankind has always had a need for thrills and danger. It amazes me how many new things people come up with in an effort to satisfy their inner adrenaline junkie. Sociologists compare it to a modern day rite of passage. It has become the new form of shamanic vision quest; the ultimate attempt to reflectively search for that inner peace, it’s become a journey of discovery, an attempt to discover true knowledge about one’s own limits.

The history of extreme sport begins in the murky mists of time on a sunlit Hawaiian beach. Surfing is believed to have been a central part of ancient Polynesian culture. Tribal chieftains were thought to have displayed their prowess amongst the population by riding the biggest waves and by being the most skilled at it. When the Polynesians migrated to Hawaii they bought this aspect of their culture with them. Captain Cook was the first European to discover the art of surfing and it was later described at length by Lieutenant James King when he completed Cpt Cook’s journals.

Hawaii remains the traditional home of surfing, but its influence rapidly spread and it still remains too many as the ultimate expression of freedom and naturalistic spirituality. The art of surfing also became the inspiration for many other forms of extreme sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding.

Skating originated in California in the 50’s due to unhappy surfers become discontent by the lack of sufficient waves. Skating went through several slumps, but was revived in the 70’s thanks to Frank Nasworthy who developed a skateboard wheel made of polyurethane which led to much better traction control. Skateboarding continued to grow and in 1999 it hit the mainstream after Tony Hawks Pro Skater was released by software giants Activision.

Extreme sports have now become a global multi-billion dollar industry, with hundreds of companies around the world trying to cash in from adrenaline junkies who love to face-grind themselves into hospital. With so much money at stake many companies are now trying to develop the next and newest extreme sport.

One I came across recently is the crazy world of extreme bed jumping. All you need is a couple of beds and a camera. The idea is make the most dramatic dive from bed to bed, whilst someone takes a few action shots. Check out Bedjump.com and a have a flick through some of their action shots, the Bruce Lee Vegas shot rocks hardcore. Another particularly alarming extreme sport is downhill sofa racing. As the comments state check out these muppets and their spectacular sofa wipeout, it’s not for the feint-hearted.

Adrenaline junkies, we salute you!

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