Extreme sports | Definition, Examples, & Facts (2024)

extreme sports, sporting events or pursuits characterized by high speeds and high risk. The sports most commonly placed in this group are skateboarding, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, in-line roller-skating, street lugeing, and BMX and mountain biking. Typically, extreme sports operate outside traditional mainstream sports and are celebrated for their adrenaline-pumping thrills. Racing and acrobatic competitions for motorcycles and snowmobiles are also often classified as “extreme,” and the term can be stretched to include such daring pursuits as rock climbing and skydiving.

(Read Tony Hawk’s Britannica entry on skateboarding.)

Britannica Quiz

Extreme Sports Quiz

The primary extreme sports—skateboarding, in-line roller-skating, and BMX, for example—often make use of half-pipes (U-shaped structures) and urban landscapes for performing a wide range of tricks. The sports also share a unique subculture that separates them from traditional team sports. It is a youth-oriented culture that has embraced punk music and fashion and emphasizes individual creativity.

The term extreme sports is generally attributed to the X Games, a made-for-television sports festival created by the cable network ESPN in 1995. The success of the X Games raised the profile and economic viability of these sports. The extreme sports of mountain biking and snowboarding debuted at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 1996 and 1998, respectively.