The 10 best extreme sports competitions and events
Adventure lovers know that the craving for adrenaline is practically an addiction. Taking our life to the limit with extreme activities and sports has become a fundamental part of the adventurer's day to day.
For this reason, those who practice extreme sports enjoy the most extreme moments to the fullest, especially when they participate in competitions in which they can put their skills into practice and demonstrate their talents, regardless of the possible dangers along the way.
What are the most extreme sports competitions?
The competitions, festivals and events of extreme sports are the best! There are many adventure encounters in the world, from the most strange and original, even the most classic, legendary and "conventional".
In each one of them we are able to witness great athletes face to face with the forces of nature, the highest mountains, the most beastly waves, or the longest and most dangerous journeys, and also surpassing themselves every year.
Do you know any of them? Discover some of the best and most extreme adventure competitions from around the world!
THE X GAMES
If you are an inveterate lover of extreme sports and freestyle, you will surely love the X-Games as much as we do! This extreme sports event, which perfectly combines passion, action and music, brings together professionals from all over the world in various categories under the tutelage of the American media sports group ESPN, since this competition was created in 1995.
How do X Games work?
Competitors participate to win gold, silver and bronze medals, as well as cash prizes, but above all they compete for the prestige that comes with being among the top positions in this internationally renowned competition.
Just like we see in the Olympic Games, there are two versions of the X Games: summer and winter. Among the extreme sports disciplines that appear in the repertoire of the competition in summer we find Skate, BMX, freestyle motocross, roller, rally, skateboard (scootering) and surfing, and motor racing. For its part, in the winter version there is competition in snowboarding, skiing and snowcross.
The editions of this extreme sports competition do not always take place under the same scenario or the same place, so they can be based in different locations on the planet. In addition, the sports competition is combined with the famous "X Fest", a festival that offers live music, athlete autograph sessions and other interactive amenities for the enjoyment of spectators, fans and also that of the competitors themselves.
THE ABANCA GALICIA CLASSIC SURF PRO
What is the Pantin Classic?
Previously it was known as “Pantin classic” or also the “Galicia Surf Pro”. This great competition is held on the beach of Pantín, Valdoviño (in the province of A Coruña) as part of the World Surf League (WSL) circuit, where it meets live and on straight to the world surfing elite in an arduous double QS 10 test.000, which suggests being the most important championship on the European circuit.
The Abanca Galicia Classic Surf Pro brings the best of world surfing every year to compete in events for both female and male categories. The best surfers in the world meet annually at this location to compete and perform aerial, tube, reentry and stunt displays.
This contest of extreme sports has become an event that revolves around this extreme sport, hosting more than 100.000 people and offering an exemplary setting, clothing stores and surf items, food stalls, music, surf baptisms, among many other activities. In recent years, the event has been organized by the Praia de Pantín Club, with ABANCA as its main sponsor.
THE OR SEAFOOD
This is one of the most important urban culture and action sports festivals in Europe since its creation in 2001. It is a free and open-air festival in which more than 160.Over three days, 000 people live first-hand the ten best extreme sports competitions, exhibitions, a variety of gastronomic options, cultural events, break dance, graffiti exhibitions, concerts and more, in the Maritime Port of the city of Vigo, very close of historic neighborhood of this great city.
Where is the O Marisquiño celebrated?
O Marisquiño takes place in an area of more than 150.000 square meters in which the great tests of the festival are held, in front of and next to the sea, specifically in the Paseo de las Avenidas, the Trasatlánticos Dock, the Náutico and the Espigón, displaying the spaces of the various extreme sports and cultural disciplines that have become a flagship event of this location.
The festival presents three world cups, the World Cup Skateboarding Street, the World Cup Skateboarding Miniramp and the Dirt FMB World Tour, which are scored in global rankings, and where the best national and international riders meet. More recently, it has incorporated the FIBA 3x3 Basket and they have made the leap to the Dirt Jump Gold category.
THE GRANDVALIRA TOTAL FIGHT
What is the Grandvalira Total Fight about?
The Grandvalira Total Fight is today one of the most recognized snowboarding and freestyle competitions nationally and internationally! This extreme competition is one of the most interesting because the talent, tricks and original style of the competitors are put into dispute, as well as their skills as snowboarders in female and male categories.
This snowboard and freeski slopestyle competition was born in 2005 and by its second edition it had already achieved three stars on the TTR (Ticket To Ride Tour) calendar, an international snowboard benchmark circuit.
But in 2009, the TTR circuit awards one more star to the competition! Its 4 stars generate an international boom that coincides with the arrival of higher level riders to this great competition, which takes place in El Tarter Snowpark: one of the pioneering Parks on the Peninsula.
The Grandvalira Total Fig, the biggest freestyle competition in southern Europe, receives finally (in 2013) its 5 stars on the TTR circuit in snowboard and enters the to Gold category in the AFP circuit, an international benchmark in freeski.
THE DAKAR RALLY
Dakar Rally route: How is it?
Win or survive? The Dakar Rally has been crowned as one of the most dangerous and extreme automobile competitions in recent times. Previously known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, it is an annual rally raid competition organized by the ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) since December 26, 1978, the year it was founded.
Originally, the race used to start in Paris and finish 10.000 kilometers further on, in the capital of Senegal, in West Africa. Later the competition started in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but since 2019 it was announced that it would take place in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East with 12 stages, 5,000 timed kilometers and more than 7,800 km of travel in total, where their competitors leave everything his drive, courage and sporting talent among the most difficult terrain in the world for this competition.
For years it has been recognized as one of the most demanding and challenging car races in the world, and it doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping!
The UTMB TRAIL RUNNING (ULTRA-TRAIL DE MONT-BLANC)
Not much introduction can be given to the famous Ulta-Trail of Mont-Blanc! This renowned mountain ultramarathon takes place annually in the Alps, crossing France, Italy and Switzerland, in which its more than 10.000 competitors cover a distance of about 172 km and a positive difference of about 10.000 meters Every year, the world elite of the trail meets in Chamonix together with the rest of the amateur runners, with the expectation of competing in the 7 races of the event.
How is the UTMB Ultra Trail of Montblanc?
Today it is considered the most demanding and most prestigious Trail Running race on the planet. It is a mythical race that suggests a unique experience for both runners and its humble spectators, which leaves more than one breathless.
Venturing in this race around Mont-Blanc supposes above all an overcoming from within, where the effort, dedication and impetus originate from within the competitors, which ultimately leads them to cross and overcome the most beautiful peaks and reach the final goal.
Montblac Ultra Trail Record
The Montblac ultratrail record is held by Pau Capell who was the winner of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in 20 hours, 19 minutes and seven seconds. He is the first non-French winner since Spaniard Kilian Jornet won in 2011.
THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EXTREME SPORTS (FISE)
The International Festival of Extreme Sports (FISE) is the most important freestyle sports competition in Europe! In it, athletes are presented in the categories of Bmx, skate, roller, skateboard, freestyle motocross, wakeboard, mountain bike slopestyle, slackline and mountain bike, in the center of the city of Montpellier, Rives du Lez neighborhood (France).
The festive and adrenaline-charged atmosphere of this competition reaches 550.000 spectators in a 5-day celebration that combines extreme sports, parties, gastronomy, workshops, concerts and lots of fun, specially designed for fans of freestyle extreme sports.
Since when has FISE existed?
FISE was born in 1997 in Montpellier in the south of France, and starting in 2014 the FISE World Series began, with whose events It has been possible to transfer the best of this championship to various spots on the planet. Another advantage is that it is a free event designed for lovers of the most extreme adventures and extreme sports!
THE JUNGLE MARATHON (JUNGLE MARATHON)
What is the Jungle Marathon about?
Among the most extreme and hardest races that exist we find the Jungle Marathon or Jungle Marathon, reserved only for the bravest and most adventurous runners, because it is not an ordinary marathon. It is held annually in the Brazilian Amazon and beyond, where the true dangers of the jungle lie.
During the course, the 75 competitors face high temperatures, ranging from 40º with 99% humidity, rivers infested with alligators and piranhas, and also very lush vegetation with little light, which hides minstrel fauna that ranges from snakes to jaguars.
The Jungle Marathon, which was officially born in 2003, is held in 3 distance modalities. The shortest edition is 42.2km, although you can also cover a distance of 127km divided into 4 stages. Its longer version involves a battle that covers a total of 254 km, which are disputed in six stages.
This is a competition in which physical, psychological and orientation skills merge with the spirit of survival and love for extreme adventure in one of the most splendid natural settings of all. There is no definitive course, but 6 arduous days of juggling challenges await the competitors to reach the finish line, procuring their own food and water, building their own shelters and facing all possible obstacles. Would you dare to participate in this intense extreme sports competition?
THE SEA OTTER CLASSIC
What is the Sea Otter Classic?
The Sea Otter Classic is a large and renowned cycling and outdoor adventure sports festival, held since 1991, in the old Fort Ord in Monterey County, California (United States). In its first edition it welcomed 350 athletes and another 150 spectators. Today it receives more than 9,600 athletes and exceeds 72.500 fans coming together to see the best of cycling for 4 days packed with great adventures at the world's leading cycling festival.
The event is named in honor of the sea otter, a mammal native to the area. From 1991 to 2002 the Sea Otter Classic took place in March, and in 2003 moved its date to April to take advantage of milder weather off the California coast.
What is Sea Otter Europe Bike Show Giron?
In Europe there has been the Sea Otter Europe Bike Show in Girona – Costa Brava since 2017, which has its origin and inspiration in the Sea Otter Classic. Sea Otter Europe is perhaps the best and most important bike festival in Europe for young talents and established professionals in this sport! Have you ever participated?
THE BARKLEY MARATHON (BARKLEY MARATHON)
What is the Barkley Marathon?
You may not have heard much about this curious adventure competition, but the Barkley Marathon is perhaps one of the most extreme, demanding and mysterious sporting events around! In its history, only 15 people have been able to complete its arduous journey successfully, since it began in 1986 by its creator Gary "Laz" Cantrell, known simply as "Lazarus Lake". It is an ultra-distance race that escapes a bit from the typical canons, becoming the toughest and most extreme endurance test in the world.
It is not a conventional race, and in fact it is quite strange, starting with its registration process being secret and difficult; only through an email at an exact time and date to its creator (explaining your motivations and your aptitude curriculum) you can receive or not the opportunity to be one of the 40 privileged runners to participate in the strange Barkley Marathon
Why is the Barkley Marathon so difficult?
The objective is to travel 160 kilometers with a difference in level of plus 20.000 meters in a time limit of 60 hours. It consists of 5 laps of free navigation, where the distance is really the least of it. The most extreme part comes from the unevenness, the need for optimal navigation and the unknown conditions to which the competitors venture.
The appeal of this competition lies in the symbolism of the matter. As you walk the path, you must collect pages from 14 hidden books, which the competitors must tear out and hand in as proof that they have made the journey. Interesting isn't it?
Without prior provisioning, assistance of any kind, or checkpoints, the forty runners venture out into nature with their bib number, compass and watch without GPS , which is the only thing they receive from the organization before they start.
Barkley Marathon Netflix Documentary
Their popularity has multiplied in recent years, especially after the release in 2014 of The Race That Eats Its Young (The Race That Eats the Youth) , the Netflix documentary that explores this strange and extreme competition. Would you dare to send an email to “Lazarus Lake”?
Do you love competitions and adventure events and extreme sports as much as we do? Tell us which are some of your favorites!
