Two different approaches to documenting the growth in extreme or hazardous/adventurous sports. One, the latest edition of Anthropology Today, features a whole host of short papers on rock-climbing, windsurfing, adventure tourism and a commentary on hazardous sport:
Risk is inherent to all life, and societies all over the world develop technologies, institutions and practices to mitigate risk at both collective and individual levels. Perhaps because collective management of risk is so pervasive in modern society, in the West we also tend to seek risk out to gain personal experience of handling it. In recent years, hazardous sports have become a growth industry, especially among the young. These sports provide an opportunity to handle and confront risk personally in natural and urban environments.
The other, an awe-inspiring view from You-Tube.
Thanks to John Naughton / Memex 1.1for the link to this video.