The Lure & Privilege of Extreme Sports

On a recent flight, I watched the documentary Free Solo, a film about Alex Honnold’s solo climb up El Capitan, a 3,000 foot wall in Yosemite National Park. Honnold climbed the wall without any equipment, broaching the very valid question: why? What entices people to throw caution to the wind and engage in life threatening extreme sports? Like many people, I’ve long assumed that extreme athletes continuously seek thrills purely for the adrenaline rush. However, researchers have found that this is objectively not true. Honnold says his motivation extends far beyond adrenaline, “I typically define it as deep satisfaction. A sense of well-being. I’m searching more for that feeling of having done something well and being deeply content — it’s more than the quick hit of adrenaline. It’s personal.”

New research out of Queensland University of Technology found that those who participate in extreme sports are often searching for a life-changing experience. They want to prove to themselves that they can do something seemingly impossible. The adrenaline that accompanies extreme sports may very well be enticing, but there are many ways to spike adrenaline (vigorous non-life-threatening exercise, falling in love, performing in front of an audience, riding a roller coaster, watching a horror film).