Incredibly Dangerous And Extreme Sports That Can Get You Killed

When we experience an extremely stressful situation, our bodies trigger their fight or flight response system, flooding us with adrenaline and other chemicals intended to help us be alert, focused, and full of energy for the coming danger. Many people can become addicted, in a sense, to these feelings and so purposefully put themselves in dangerous situations to chase that high. These adrenaline junkies who are also athletically inclined are more likely to seek out the most dangerous and extreme sports in the world, even though they can get you killed. Here are ten of those sports.

10. Volcano Surfing

Just as its name suggests, volcano surfing is a hot new extreme sport that involves boarding down the side of a volcano on a big piece of specially-shaped wood. This extreme sport has captured the hearts of adventurers and has revitalized at least one town in Nicaragua whose active volcano destroyed the landscape nearly two decades ago. According to volcano surfing guides, most people are conservative in their runs, ending with only minor cuts and scrapes. But some folks love the rush, and it can quickly become dangerous, leading to much more serious injuries and potentially death. Keep reading for more dangerous sports!

9. Cave Diving

There are several great reasons to want to go cave diving. If you're already an experienced diver, venturing into breathtakingly beautiful caves filled with strange, otherworldly creatures and plant life is undoubtedly alluring. But there are untold dangers involved with the activity. For one, if divers experience any issues with their equipment, they cannot simply surface to catch their breath. Caves are also notoriously labyrinthine, which, coupled with the effects of low oxygen levels and stirred up silt and other debris can lead to confusion and the inability to escape before death.

Keep discovering more amazing but dangerous sports!

8. Skydiving

At the opposite end of the spectrum from cave diving, height-wise, is skydiving. As everyone knows, this sport involves people voluntarily jumping out of planes with nothing but a parachute to keep them from smashing into the ground thousands of feet below. Though fatality rates have steadily declined since the 1970s, an average of twenty-one people still perish every year due to skydiving. These deaths are usually the result of faulty parachutes, but other risks, such as being blown into large structures (like a mountain), colliding with a bird, or just plain user error, also account for some fatalities. Here are more for the brave only.

7. Heli-Skiing

As anyone familiar with such infamous skiing deaths as Sonny Bono and Liam Neeson's wife Natasha Richardson knows, the sport is notoriously unpredictable, even on clearly demarcated and maintained trails. For some, that’s not enough of a challenge. These folks have helicopters drop them off on the tops of raw mountainsides to ski down a slope nobody has ever skied before. As expected, skiing in these conditions puts one at risk for avalanches, hidden obstacles, and other unpredictable weather patterns that can lead to very horrific deaths. Continue unveiling more unique dangerous sports now.

6. Kite Skiing

Again, it should be apparent that snow skiing is a dangerous sport in itself: Over 41 people die every year from the tame version of skiing alone. But inventive people are always coming up with new ways to do it. Enter kite skiing, a sport that involves letting a paragliding kite drag a skier along a frozen lake or tundra, often catching air and doing tricks in the process. That in itself isn’t so dangerous, but recently, people have begun kite skiing down actual mountains, which is not only incredibly dangerous but just plain dumb. Don't miss the next dangerous sport on our list.

5. Creeking

Creeking is kayaking's even more extreme brother. When the thrill of whitewater rapids has lost its edge, serious kayakers sometimes begin launching themselves down steep waterfalls into the frothing water below. This sport carries so many risks that death is not uncommon. If one manages to make it all the way down the waterfall without capsizing or hitting any unseen rocks, the punishing current at the bottom, coupled with sharp rocks and other debris, makes for a perilous ride. Creekers can easily be caught in a pocket of unforgiving water, never to resurface. Take a look at our next dangerous sport. For daredevils only!

4. Wingsuit Flying

Like creaking for kayakers, wingsuit flying is for those skydivers who feel that just falling aimlessly out of a plane isn't enough for them anymore. The wingsuit invention allows people to turn their freefall into a guided flight before deploying the chute. Since the inception of the sport, about 50 people have died while wingsuiting. What makes this thrilling sport so dangerous is the high number of possibilities for error that can lead to death, such as being blown off-course and striking an object like a mountain or building. Do you like extreme sports? Then don't miss the next one!

3. Free Climbing

Rock climbing is a very physically demanding sport, and to do it safely, one must use an array of safety equipment, such as a harness, carabiners, ropes, specialized anchors to drive into the rock face, and, perhaps most importantly, a second person to spot and help guide. Free climbing, also known as solo climbing, means that a second person's added safety is taken away, and many of the safety precautions are thrown to the wind. Though no specific statistics are kept, hundreds of deaths have been attributed to otherwise strong climbers making a mistake or simply losing their grips. If you love extreme sports, the next one will blow your mind.

2. Highlining

Highlining is what circus performers of the past called tightrope walking (which was a bit of a misnomer, as a slightly slackened line is actually much easier to stay atop). Instead of being performed in a circus tent, modern-day highlining is done across ravines, between buildings, and at other incredible outdoor heights. Many people wear a harness connected to their line in case of a fall, but some intrepid (and overly confident) highliners are doing it with no safety equipment whatsoever. Needless to say, it's a very deadly sport.

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1. BASE Jumping

BASE jumping, an acronym that stands for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth jumping, involves launching oneself from an incredible height with no safety equipment except a parachute or sometimes a wingsuit. Unlike other sports that are becoming safer, fatalities from BASE jumping are increasing every year, with 36 deaths attributed to 2016.

There are so many things that can go wrong when BASE jumping, from equipment malfunction to striking objects, is likely the most dangerous extreme sport.