Safety Tips for Extreme Sports

If you’ve ever thought about doing extreme sports, you know that while there is an adrenaline rush in seeking ‌the riskiest adventures, you have to consider safety too. Scaling up a building without a harness isn’t the way to go. Instead, wisdom calls for caution and equipment to keep you from injury or death.

When abseiling off roofs of buildings, for instance, you might choose to use roof anchor point installation for connecting rappelling lines. And the following tips should be considered by anyone ready for high adrenaline moments.

Abseiling

When slithering down rocks or down buildings, it’s advisable to use ropes, with pulleys and harnesses, attached to some form of anchor point. You also need a helmet in case you bump your head. Furthermore, you need appropriate gear. The correct shoes and clothing are essential.

Also consider dressing warmer than usual. If you are at the top of a high building, for instance, it is likely to be much colder than on the ground, even on a warm day.

Parkour

Parkour is an extreme kind of running, jumping and manoeuvring over obstacles in a city in order to get from point A to point B. You will see people running up walls, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and performing impossible-seeming feats of acrobatics mid-air.

The reality is people can injure themselves very badly. Although this form of athletics eschews any high degree of protective gear, it’s still advisable to wear a helmet, and knee and elbow guards as far as you can.

Mountain Bike Riding

This sport is not for the faint-hearted. Flying down rocky paths at high speeds, twisting and turning your way amongst debris that might send you and your bike high into the air, is a skill. Once again, a helmet is a must, but you may also consider a mouth-guard, knee and elbow guards.

Add sunglasses that will protect your eyes against bits and pieces of dirt or rock, and you’ll have at least a small degree of safety. In fact, it’s advisable to wear a full-face helmet to protect your entire face.

Free Climbing

Here, you only use ropes to prevent your fall, not to assist progress. This means the ropes are a form of safety protection. You may also have a few tools in order to assist you in case of emergency, but once again, not for progress.

Skydiving

Those who skydive can’t just freefall into nowhere. They need to be equipped with a parachute strapped to the body, and an emergency chute just in case. Also, you normally do the dive with another person, who can assist you if you should get into trouble with your harness.

Wearing the correct clothing will prevent you from freezing: a jumpsuit is essential. You’ll need an altimeter to assess when to pop the parachute, and an AAD to pop your parachute at a set altitude should you fail to release it yourself.

Paragliding

The idea of floating through the air, rather than hurtling downwards in a dive, is something that appeals to many. You can watch the world as an eagle would. But what will keep you safe up there?

• The first thing is an accurate reading of weather conditions, especially the wind.
• Wearing clothing that will keep you warm—gloves, jacket, trousers.
• Pick out the right shoes. They assist you in your landing, so they have to be very sturdy.
• Next, you need a compass so that you can tell where you’re going.
• You also need a helmet with a face guard to protect the jaw and the nose.
• Of course your harness is one of the most essential. It will act as a seat during gliding, and keep you attached to the wing. It has an emergency parachute underneath that can be triggered by a red loop to the side.
• It comes fitted with airbag.
• The next item is the GPS and variometer. The variometer tracks your speed and altitude, as well as the air temperature.
• The final safety feature is the radio. This keeps you in touch with other pilots, who can let you know about upcoming weather changes, the emergencies and clearances to land.

Big Mountain Skiing or Snowboarding

This is where you wing your way down a high mountain without official paths. You get dropped off at the top by helicopter, and then you have to work your way down, often jumping down drops of sheer cliff face several metres high. The reality is that you need to keep a few emergency items with you.

• Airbag: You can deploy this when you face an avalanche. The bag will fill with air and prevent you from being buried in the snow. 
• Avalanche beacon: Activate the beacon if buried under snow. It emits a signal which others can use to locate you.

[Conclusion]

There are many exciting sports out there to try. If you want to try them out, it’s best to take some precautions to prevent loss of life. Often it doesn’t take much effort to make yourself safer, so rather take a few minutes and assess your plans for safety’s sake.