Challenging limits that are so often unthinkable, in extreme situations, it is at the cutting edge that radical athletes experience unique sensations and moments of rare beauty – privileges reserved to those who dare.
In the sky or in the sea, on vertical terrain, sinuous rivers or along steep or bumpy roads, the danger associated to the practice of a radical sport is reflected in intense physical and psychological experiences. Discipline, training and audacity define the profile of these athletes.
Flying while skimming over water, pulled along by a kite, is the objective of kitesurf. Extraordinary crossings thus become possible, such as covering the 300 kilometres that separate the Savage Islands from Funchal in 12 hours and a half, a recent feat of the Portuguese Francisco Lufinha.
The kite is fixed to the athlete’s waist and a board serves to support his feet. The equipment is completed with a system of lines and a control bar, which enables defining the route and speed, as well as taking incredible jumps.
Associated with the conquest of peaks, rock climbing is defined as a technique of progression using feet and hands and, in general, safety material, on terrain with extremely steep gradients. Although the act of climbing is ances- tral, the beginning of this activity is usually related to the first systematic mountain climbing in the Alps, in the early eighteenth century. Only decades later would the transition occur from climbing on snow or ice to include rocky itineraries.
Rafting is a form of navigation in rough water, carried out in inflatable rafts manoeuvred by a team which paddles under the command of an instructor. Apart from their technical ability and physical dexterity, these athletes require strong team spirit and sense of leadership.
Rafting exists as a sport since the creation of a self-flowing water system which has made the rafts more manoeuvrable in the descent of long and continuous rapids. In Portugal, the River Paiva, due to the wild nature of its course, has truly excellent conditions for this sport.
BMX, which stands for Bicycle Motocross, is a sport that was born in the Netherlands in 1957, when young people, fascinated with motocross tried to imitate the feats of their idols on bicycles.
The competitions were organised into two types: BMX Race, which is an olympic sport since 2008, and BMX Freestyle. The first takes place on tracks with obstacles, the second consists in the execution of several manoeuvres, jumps and figures.
From the very beginning of time Man has pursued the dream of flying. The most daring exploits coming close is wingsuit, a true explosion of adrenalin only within the reach of experienced parachutists.
To jump, and then glide, the athlete wears a suit inspired by the physiology of flying squirrels and structured according to the laws of Physical, as a whole those applied in aeronautics. An average free fall speed between 80 and 97 km/h is the normal parameter of wingsuit flight – the impressive sport of bird-men.
