Water Sports

Extreme Sports Across North Carolina

Sports enthusiasts are flocking to the varied terrains of North Carolina during the summer to try their hand at some adrenalin-charged trends – extreme sports.

North Carolina is one of the few states that offer such a variety of activities due to the extreme differences in landscape, nature and beauty. For those who want to experience a range of challenges, one can travel the state from one end to the other and receive the workout of a lifetime.

Along the coast, kite boarding is the latest rage. Combining windsurfing, wakeboarding and kite flying, kite boarding consists of maneuvering a kite in the wind to glide the board over waves, wakes and currents.

Participants have a choice of various kites and boards depending upon their physical fitness and level of experience while often able to catch up to 20-40 feet of air, even on their first try.

Kite Boarding shops and schools along the North Carolina coast include the following:

• Action Surf Shop – Atlantic Beach
• Blowing in the Wind – Wilmington
• Fox Water Sports – Buxton
• Hatteras Surf & Sail – Waves
• Kites Unlimited – Atlantic Beach
• Kitty Hawk Sports – Nags Head
• Kitty Hawk Kites – Kill Devils Hills
• Real Kiteboarding – Cape Hatteras
• Ride Hatteras – Avon
• Sail World Cape Hatteras – Avon
• Windsurfing Hatteras – Avon

Additional extreme sports along the North Carolina coast include Hang Gliding, Sand Boarding and Ultimate Frisbee.

Throughout the Piedmont, more and more visitors are gearing up to jump out – out of a plane that is. Sky Diving is perhaps the most extreme of these high-energy sports.

First-time participants are given a 20-minute training class and then most often ascend to a height of 10,500 feet in the air where they jump from the plane tandem, attached to an instructor, then land in a safe area. After gaining more hours of training, jumpers are allowed to leap solo. All schools provide gear and training with qualified instructors.

Among the Piedmont Skydiving Centers are:

• Carolina Sky Sports – Louisburg
• Airanch Skydivers – Fayetteville
• The Skydiving Place, LLC – Fayetteville

Additional adventure sports in the Piedmont include canoeing, hot air ballooning and rock climbing.

In the mountains, hard-core kayakers simply cannot miss the racing waters of the rapids. In fact, North Carolina offers up to Class IV rapids that offer challenge that is not for the faint of heart.

Kayaks rip their way through rapids, rocks and whirlpools to reach their ultimate destination. Often, the fiercest of their challenges is that of staying balanced among all of natures’ turmoil.

While there are many places to enjoy the experience of kayaking, below are some of the more advanced locations:

• Carolina Outfitters Whitewater Rafting – Bryson City
• Nantahala Outdoor Center – Bryson City
• Rolling Thunder River Co. – Almond
• Wildwater, Ltd. – Bryson City

Other extreme sports in the mountain region include hang gliding, white water rafting and mountain biking.

added: December 23, 2008

updated: December 26, 2008