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Most Popular Extreme Sports
Extreme sports differ from run of the mill sports in that they usually include some common denominators and although many fit the bill, the debate about which sports qualify as such. In general however, for a sport to be considered extreme it should quantitatively fall into the category of being dangerous or having a heightened level of danger, be physically demanding or exerting, require some type of specialized gear or equipment and usually encompass elements of high action, speed or height.
Today more than ever, sports enthusiasts and novices crave the adrenaline rush that can only be obtained from these competitive and heart-pounding activities and these are among the most popular extreme sports for this year.
Surfing
Photo by amira_a on Flickr, licensed under CC.
Surfing has been around for a long time and is particularly popular on the west coast where the weather is amazing year round and the water is more formidable. Today there are sub-categories of surfing which have propelled it to be one of the leading extreme sports.
Not only is generic surfing growing in popularity but its counterparts, body boarding, kite surfing and long and short boarding are also enjoyed by many. What makes surfing special is that it is competitive and evolving, but it is also an entire culture unto itself and those that partake in the sport consider it to be a way of life, not just a hobby.
People travel far and wide to catch their next wave including leaving the continent and seeking out some of the world's most coveted waves in places like Ireland where some of the waves reach hundreds of feet.
Skateboarding
Photo by Marcos Guevara Rivera on Flickr, licensed under CC.
California is known as being a forward thinking state and many of the trends we enjoy today originated from there. Thus is the case with skateboarding which originally began in the mid-1940s. In those days, sports lovers who found themselves in a depressed state during low tides eventually needed to look elsewhere to get their thrills and so skateboarding was born.
Today it is one of the most popular extreme sports, packed with action and danger. Kids and teenagers are buying their first board at younger ages by the year and it too is a culture especially since the invention and start of the X-Games. Skateboarding now consists of sub-trends and styling such as free styling, street boarding, downhill skating and off-road skating which allows for different skill levels to be mastered and a heightened sense and reality of danger.
Climbing
Photo by Mikey Bean on Flickr, licensed under CC.
A sure way to get the blood flowing and the heart pounding is to take a mountain or other surface and challenge oneself to climb it. When movies such as Vertical and Cliffhanger hit the big screen it piqued the interest of thrill seekers and that interest is growing, not waning, today. 
This extreme sport has all the necessary elements: it is challenging, dangerous, requires sp