THE OUTER LIMITS If your preferred recreational activity involves speed, height and a high degree of risk, then there’s a high probability that you’re an extreme sports enthusiast. There are about 100 recognized extreme sports throughout the world, each one as thrilling as the next. Here are FRANK’s top five choices to get the heart pumping and adrenaline rushing. Words Julia Zaltzman
WINGSUIT FLYING
In a direct copy of flying squirrels, the risky sport of wingsuit flying involves wearing a webbed suit with “wings” to create drag and glide through the air. Unlike squirrels, wingsuits have air pockets that also provide lift. This means those brave enough to try it are able to fall slower with a surprising amount of precision. It typically takes place from mountainsides in a controlled free fall through ravines. The longest wingsuit flight ever recorded is nine minutes, six seconds by Colombian Jhonathan Florez in 2012 (who tragically died in a BASE jumping accident on Mount Titlis, Switzerland, in 2015). The first electric powered wingsuit flight was achieved by BMW Designworks and air sports expert Peter Salzmann in December 2020. Salzmann was dropped by helicopter at 10,000-feet over the Austrian mountains clocking speeds of up to 186 mph. 124 — 125
