Excerpt
May 12, 2011
The simplest definition of extreme skiing is skiing where the consequences of failure are high. This is a way of saying that if you fall, you die. In fact, extreme was so widely used--or overused--in skiing, that by the time the word started being applied to other sports, the mere whisper of it would cause skiers to wince. It is still, I think, a valid word. Extremes are the frontiers of both mind and body where monsters lurk behind the trees and trails end in sheer drops. Extreme sports are different from adventure sports because of the consequence factor. You can have a wonderful adventure, for example, mountain biking some of the trails in the North Carolina mountains, but your actual risk, versus your perceived risk, is very low. The consequences of your falling or being unable to complete the ride are small--bruises and road rash. Compare that to the Kamikaze or any extreme mountain-bike downhill. The bruises become broken bones; the road rash more like the flaying of skin.
