The very end of summer is no less exciting than its hottest days, when the temperatures peak. Fans of sensational adrenalin challenges know this very well.
Among the multitude of synonyms for summer, activity, adventure and adrenalin certainly make the top ten, along with entertainment and hedonism. Because this is exactly what summer is, a time spent mostly outdoors, with many pleasures and great expectations, out under the sky, even in unbearable temperatures. For many, this is the time of athletic challenges, a perfect time to achieve their goals, but also to break the records they have achieved before. For adrenalin addicts, regardless of whether they are chasing the waves or are in love with vertigo-inducing heights, no other time of year provides this wealth of opportunities for true excitement, for conquering the unconquerable. From setting your personal record, to quenching your thirst for once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
For extreme athletes, late summer, thanks to more moderate conditions, means they are polishing up their gear and jumping straight into adventures. In September, the temperatures come down just enough to make extreme pleasure a little more achievable, regardless of the dangers it comes with. One of the most popular sports of this type, especially frequent in the final days of summer and the first days of autumn, is wingsuit flight. In addition to its extreme character, it truly is a symbolic attempt to fulfil an ancient human ambition. The idea of flying like a bird is one of the technical and artistic ambitions that have lasted throughout human history.
The sport truly requires fearlessness. According to the most recent data, competitors start their flight from a height of about 800 meters, they fly at the speed of 160 kilometres per hour and open their parachutes a mere 30 meters above ground. As such, wingsuit flight is one of the currently most dangerous and lethal sports in the world; the fact that new, aggravating rules keep being invented testifies to the fact that the thirst for adrenalin is unquenchable.
Compared to this, bungee jumping is not as scary as it seemed at the height of its popularity. It should be kept in mind that it was launched in 1979 and, regardless of its deep historic roots, was considered a dangerous adventure – and, among the conservative, a spectacular folly. Jumping from a great height strapped in a special cord that stops your fall at the last moment has been available in Belgrade for 21 years now, in Ada Ciganlija. The jump requires special equipment in the form of a leather harness around the jumper’s waist and ankles. Popularity of the “Sava bungee”, as the Belgradians call it, is evidenced by the large number of foreign tourists who are also fans of extreme sports.
September is also a very good month to go cave diving. Here, we are treading the territory of a special discipline with very old roots, combining an adrenalin rush with the spirit of exploration. Speleo-diving is performed as a freedive, which is certainly the more extreme option, or by using oxygen bottles. The most popular destinations in Serbia for this type of sports adventure are Krupanjsko Vrelo in Eastern Serbia, at the foot of the mountain Beljanica, Jelovačko Vrelo at the slopes of Stara Planina as well as the spring of the river Crni Timok.
Sky, water, earth – it all depends on the desires, tastes and ambitions of extreme athletes, on what they find to be the challenge they can’t resist. This is why the list of extreme sports is so long, it goes on endlessly. Because you can always make it better, make it different, make it more exciting.