5 Crazy Ideas For an Extreme Activity Holiday

W hen most people think         sure you prepare thoroughly        of going on an activity       before you try any of them!        holiday, they may think                                          of playing tennis in Tuscany or       Bull Running                       maybe a few rounds of golf in the                                        south of France. But for some         This extreme holiday is a long     people, these kinds of activities     time favourite for adrenaline      are as adventurous as a Sunday        junkies – taking part in the       tea party – even the usual            Running of the Bulls is either     extreme activities, like              the ultimate display of courage    snowboarding, rock climbing and       or of idiocy, depending on who     bungee jumping, are not dangerous     you talk to. The festival of San   enough. A new breed of extreme        Fermin in Pamplona, Spain, has     sport holidays has grown              been going on for centuries, a     increasingly popular in recent        nine day fiesta held each year     years, as thrill seekers go           from the 6th to the 14th of July.  abroad in search of new ways to       Every morning during the fiesta,   achieve the ultimate adrenaline       the bulls that will be killed in   rush.                                 that evening’s bull fights are                                           let loose to run through a half    I’ve put together a list of the       mile stretch of the street, and    five strangest, daftest and most      ordinary members of the public     dangerous things to do on an          run in front of them, dressed in   extreme activity holiday. Some of     white with red handkerchiefs tied  these require training, equipment     around their necks. If you decide  and experience, some of them just     to take part in this unique and    require the courage to go and do      dangerous activity on a holiday    it! Of course, be aware that all      in Pamplona, make sure you listen  of the activities listed below        out for the rockets – the first    can be highly dangerous, so make      firework is set off when the       bulls are loosed, the second when     the world to find the best points  they are all on the streets. When     to jump from – not your usual      you hear the rockets, run!            activity holiday by any means!                                                                              BASE jumping                          Wingsuit flying                                                                                             BASE jumping is a form of             You have to be an experienced      parachuting from fixed objects        skydiver with over 200 jumps       rather than aeroplanes. BASE          beneath your belt to go wingsuit   stands for the four locations         flying, but if jumping out of a    from with a jump can be attempted     plane just doesn’t thrill you the  – buildings, antenna, spans           way it used to, soaring through    (bridges), and earth (mountains       the air in a wingsuit may be the   and other natural features.)          thing to do next time you are on   Those who jump from one of all        holiday. This activity taps into   four types of location are given      man’s desire to fly in a very      a coveted BASE number – Phil          direct way, using a specially      Smith was awarded BASE #1 in          designed jumpsuit that allows you  1981, and BASE #1000 was recently     to glide through the air – a high  given in 2005.                        tech evolution of the “birdmen”    The thrill of BASE jumping comes      of the early 20th century who      the fact that you typically jump      built wings out of wood and        at much lower altitudes than on a     canvas. Wingsuit flyers exit       normal parachute jump – at many       either from a plane or from a      BASE jumping locations, you are       BASE jumping location, glide for   only a few seconds from the           as long as they can, then deploy   ground, so it requires rapid          a parachute. Not for the faint     parachute deployment and leaves       hearted!                           little margin for error.                                                 Experienced jumpers travel around     Tombstoning                                                              surfing across the water at high   Its very name gives a fair            speed may not appeal to everyone,  indication of the dangers             but this new method of surfing is  involved in tombstoning, so named     an increasingly popular extreme    by coastguards as being an easy       sports holiday. Kitesurfers use a  way to an early grave. The            combination of a kite and small    concept is simple enough – find a     surfboard for their sport, and     cliff above some water, and jump      once you’ve mastered the basics,   into it! Tombstoning can be very      a range of jumps and stunts can    dangerous – due to changing tides     be performed and larger waves and  and hidden rocks, what looks like     winds can be tackled. Be warned –  deep water beneath a cliff can be     kitesurfing can be very dangerous  very hazardous, so do your            if you lose control or the winds   research if you intend to take        grow too strong (leading to a      part in this activity.                so-called “kitemare”) but there                                          are plenty of places around the    Kitesurfing                           world where you can learn the                                            sport in safe and controlled way.  Harnessing yourself to a kite and      About the Author Kieron Sellens is the marketing manager of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). With AITO’s cultural breaks you can choose from tailor-made activity holidays, historical tours, musical trips and many more. The independent tour operators that AITO represent specialise in worldwide holidays tailored to their customers’ requirements. Published At: www.Isnare.com