Extreme sports are another indicators of the youth culture. They require athletic skills, imply certain risks, and are extremely entertaining, to put it short, they are everything youngsters need. Nearly 50 years ago, extreme activities like mountain biking and skating were no more than reckless games, but today they have grown into fully-fledged sporting activity. The X Games are annually arranged under the guidance of a sports broadcaster.
Extreme sports became increasingly popular in the twentieth century as a response to the increased safety of the everyday life. Their philosophy is built around the denial of fear and the appreciation of taking risks. Besides, extreme sports are close to arts as they encourage creativity and style in the athlete’s performance. The most popular sports which involve risk are snowboarding, in-line skating, mountain biking, and kayaking.
The history of such extreme sport as skating dates back to the 1950s. A group of surfers decided to create sidewalk surfing by equipping a wooden box with clay wheels. The wheels were difficult to control so that the danger was inevitable. Boxes gradually transformed into wooden boards. Till the 1990s, skating transformed from street entertaining to professional extreme sports. X Games made it more appealing to the spectators and promoted further growth of the skate culture.
Snowboarding developed due to skateboarding and surfing. An engineer devoted to skateboarding created a surfboard for the snow which was a gift to his daughter. An uncontrollable toy became popular as the boards called “snurfers” came out of mass manufacturing. In the 1980s, the first national snowboarding race was organized in the US. Today, this extreme sport continues to gain popularity.