Going On An Extreme Sports Trip? Consider These 5 Important Things
An extreme sports trip can be more than just an outlet for thrill seekers. In fact, there’s a growing interest in such activities around the world. The number of athletes who take part in extreme sports events are surging and sports like kitesurfing, rock climbing or skateboarding are gaining popularity. Especially now that they’re being included in the Olympics programme.
This extreme sports trend is spreading into educational institutions with universities like the University of Colorado Boulder and the Boise State University offering extreme sports programmes. So, more athletes can earn a degree in exercise science and turn their passion for extreme sports into a career.
What to consider before an extreme sports trip
A large part of the appeal of extreme sports is the thrill, which is why athletes are on the constant lookout for opportunities that can help them practice their skill. After all, there’s excitement in testing your abilities in new places— especially those with higher slopes or more challenging obstacles. If you’re one of those adventurous souls and are planning an extreme sports trip, below are a few vital things to consider to help you get prepared.
#1 Get into the right mindset for your trip
Extreme sports trip is not an everyday journey. And to make the most of it, you have to prepare your mindset accordingly.
Build up your motivation by creating a strong vision of what you want to achieve and how you want to do it. Perhaps you want to refine your precision in paragliding to master your skills in thermal flying. Or maybe accomplish the alley-oop by practicing a backward aerial rotation with your surfboard. Write down a realistic goal and focus on it during your trip.
The Resilient Athlete
A Self-Coaching Guide to Next Level Performance in Sports & Life
Are you aiming to become a resilient athlete who is able to withstand any pressure? Be able to jump on any opportunity? Take any challenge life throws at you head on?
Then this book is for you.
Learn more#2 Work with a strength and conditioning specialist ahead of time
Now that you’ve conditioned your mindset, it’s time to prepare your body. A good idea is to hire a strength and conditioning coach to address any muscle imbalances and improve base and core strength prior to the trip.
Such professionals can help you prepare and train for any adventure you have in mind. Working with a coach can help you identify areas of improvements, as well as help minimize injury during the extreme sports trip itself.
#3 Prepare the right gear for your sport
Before you leave, purchase extra luggage space for such essential safety equipment like helmets, knee pads or wrist guards. Your sports shoes, helmets, and pads will likely take up a lot of luggage space, but since these are safety essentials, you need to make sure that they’re well packed and that their structural integrity isn’t damaged during travel.
Otherwise, consider renting this gear at your destination if you want to save up luggage space. Make sure you’re renting quality equipment, though.
#4 Invest in health insurance
Your preparation is crucial to the success of your extreme sports trip. Such an adventure can bring significant dangers, so besides athletic goals do prioritize your safety before and during the trip. Extreme sports are called so because of the high risks they involve. Since your health is on the line, it’s best to invest in a health insurance package before going on a trip.
You can opt for extreme sports insurance or other local sports insurance policies to cover any potential hospital costs. Just be sure to read between the lines when choosing the best policy for your sport.
Rian Jesslyn
Rian is an aspiring writer and mom-preneur. She loves running marathons, going on trail runs or occasional fitness jogs with her family. During her down time you can find her sipping her favorite black coffee while tapping away at her laptop.
Have an opinion? Share via links below and tag @theathleteblog
Tags In
GET A FREE TRAINING PLAN
Subscribe to my email list and get access to a free 4-week “back in shape” training plan
You’ll also get two full-body strength sessions and some other goodies!
How did I get here?
Hey there! My name is Andrejs and I am here to inspire, entertain and get you fit for any adventure.
I went from being an over trained pro athlete to an endurance coach sharing how to listen to your body and live life to the fullest.
Traveling, new sports & activities brought new meaning to my training and made it much more effective, fun and enjoyable. And I'm here to help you do the same.