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THRILL-SEEKERS UNITE – GIFTS TO GET YOUR PULSE RACING

  Does it seem that everything is X-rated these days – particularly when it comes to X-treme sports?.   In fact, if we’re to believe what we read, tends of thousands of people are skydiving out of planes, dangling from bridges, cleaving virgin snow or risking leaving a trail of skin on rough tar should they fall from their perilous perch on a skateboard. 

The extreme sports industry is worth billions of dollars – and getting bigger.  For example, the US surfing industry posted retail sales of over $7b in 2008, while snowboarding grew by 30%.  Another big flyer is paintballing which grew by 63% between 1998 and 2004.  Other extreme sports such as skydiving, snowboarding, skateboarding, mountainbiking, bungee jumping and base jumping are also reportedly attracting more and more followers.

What’s behind the industry growth?  Are our lifestyles becoming increasingly regulated and stifling and people need to break free from that or is it just that these extreme activities are simply becoming more accessible to ordinary people?.   These adrenalin-fuelled activities seem to offer a respite from officialdom, an escape from reality and a level of achievement and self-actualisation that outstrips that of more conventional pursuits.  

A different perspective is that the television networks have created the industry – packaging the events into lucrative and compelling viewing – which in turn drives participation.  Whatever the perspective, the industry is big.  There are universities offering degrees in extreme sports management, dedicated television channels, BMX at the Olympics and multimillion dollar extreme sports complexes being built around the world.

What drives someone to plummet from a high bridge or leap from an aeroplane?  For many participants, it’s all about pushing boundaries and overcoming their personal limitations. 

Australian research suggests that extreme sportsmen and women weren’t pursuing the adrenalin rush, but were careful to minimize risk, they loved doing the sport and they found a real sense of peace, a closeness to nature and had sense of humility. 

If flying across the waves at 40 knots an hour or plunging from a plane at 200 kilometres an hour fires you up, then best you trade your chess board for a surf board.  If it doesn’t fire you up but you know someone who’s itching to push the envelope, read on to find out how you can get their heart racing.

The growth of extreme sports has spawned the emergence of another industry – experiential gift vouchers which enable recipients to get their own adrenalin rush thanks to cool gifts ideas.  Presenting someone with a piece of paper which is their key to their lifelong dream, be it a joy flight, jet boating or kayaking could enable them to unlock a whole new perspective on life.

 A leading online experiential gift retailer in Perth, Australia, BigThanks.com says their range of heart-stopping activities such as skydiving, stunt driving gifts, snowboarding and surfing is hugely popular for gifts for a variety of occasions from wedding present ideas, birthdays, anniversaries, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day as well as for company incentives, team building and staff motivation    

Extreme sports aren’t for everyone, but in the words of Henry Ford, ‘whether you think you can or you think you can’t – either way, you’re right’.

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