Legal Issues Related to Adventure Racing

'Adventure' is a term that has come to be associated with high risk recreational or sporting activities. Though it is difficult to identify a beginning point for adventure recreation, van der Smissen (1990) identified it as a movement developed in the 1970s associated with the organizations such as Outward Bound. This movement involved not only risk taking but physical and psychological challenge for educational or therapeutic reasons. Today, 'adventure sports' is a term applied to a variety of outdoor activities. Many of these activities are pursued for recreational purposes rather than for education or therapy. An exploration of websites devoted to adventure sports, such as www.adventuresports.com, garner a number of activities including, among others: road and mountain biking, diving, hiking, paddling, climbing, skiing and mountaineering. (Adventure Sports Online, 2003). Some people use the terms 'extreme sports' and 'adventure sports' interchangeably including hang gliding, snowboarding, and wakeboarding in the mix of adventure sports. One of the major similarities of all of the previously mentioned activities is that they include an element of risk.