Extreme Sports Trivia

Extreme sports trade a controlled environment for speed, height, or exposure — and the athletes who compete in them have pushed the boundaries of what the human body can survive doing on a board, a bike, or a rope.

This quiz covers the history, terminology, and record-holders across skateboarding, snowboarding, BASE jumping, and more.

Built for Risk

Every extreme sport has its own gear and vocabulary shaped by the risks involved.

• BASE jumping gets its name from the four categories of fixed objects jumpers leap from: Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth.
• Skateboarding's "ollie," a jump performed without hands, was invented in the late 1970s.
• Freeriding, common in snowboarding and mountain biking, means riding natural, ungroomed terrain rather than a set course.
• A "kickflip" is a skateboarding trick where the board flips a full rotation along its long axis.

Pushing the Limits

A few names and moments defined how far extreme sports have gone.

• Tony Hawk landed the first documented "900" — two and a half aerial spins — in skateboarding in 1999.
• The X Games, first held in 1995, became the biggest annual showcase for action sports.
• Free solo climbing means climbing without ropes, harnesses, or any other protective equipment.