Maybe they figure it's an improvement over going over the falls in a barrel.

Like racing motorcycles or cars, climbing mountains or skiing, if you don't understand you never will.

Not just no, but f no. I dont care if you want to risk your life doing whatever; dont expect the rest of us to rescue you, and those of us who avoid such things are just smart.

Yes, like motorcycles, especially dirt bikes. When I was young, smacking the ground at speed didn't hurt so much. It really is fun. Half the fun is crashing, getting up, and saying to whoever is with you, "Did you see that?" Now with ubiquitous video, it's, "Did you get that?"

When I was young I wanted to prove that I was tougher than life. I was, but not, as it turns out, as relentless.

It's all about the Rush, the Flush, and then the CRUSH.

Or as they say in the South, "Hold my beer and watch this." More testosterone than brains.

If some young men are so addicted to adrenaline rush that they actively seek to risk life and limb to achieve it why don't they do something extremely risky that garners some benefit to, if not themselves, others in need? Like traveling to Kurdistan and volunteering to fight against ISIS. They can work off all that energy and desire for danger and do the world a favor by offing those lunatic "violent extremists" (not Islamic) who so enjoy rape, torture and murder of innocents.

It's always surprising how many people (even in this thread) feel the need to analyze and disapprove of this sort of behavior.

No, I don't wanna go out and do it again. On the other hand, I'll be 70 years old in a little while, and I still haven't outlawed the possibility. Why do people do it? I don't know about the rest of 'em, but I did it to clear out the cholesterol by confronting my greatest fears; I expect that most guys would, on honest reflection, come to the same conclusion. I don't mean to exclude girls, either. I've known a many mad zanies in pigtails and cotton panties. Nothing's sexier than somebody who refuses to cave in to her own demons.

Nothing.

When folks start up with all that "why don't they do something useful with it," and "I hope they don't expect me to rescue 'em when they get hurt," what I hear is people who've never had to confront their own fears, and resent the shit outta those who do it for their own reasons.

This will never be for me, but yesterday my son gifted me with a certificate from the Mario Andretti racing school that includes classroom instruction followed by solo driving of a real, sure-'nough Indy race car on the track at Atlanta. Oh, Lord yes, you betcha!

You haven't lived until you've almost died, saved only by your skill and your equipment. I stopped jumping out of perfectly good airplanes by the time I was 20 and probably never will again, unless the bitch is getting ready to blow. Thing is, you have to KNOW you're not going to die....until you do. For everyone else, fear is their master.

I've lived in the world of "adventure sports" as a professional whitewater guide and ski patroller and also served in the US Navy. I have found that very few of those "extreme" participants have military experience, nor the desire to have it. I think that in today's age the rush from throwing yourself off a waterfall or skiing a no-fall zone fills the void that combat would have. To be fair though, a lot of veterans are very enthusiastic participants in these activities.

As far as being rescued by others (Dave)... If you watch carefully, you'll notice that these guys always have their buddies standing close-by, ready to throw a rope or jump in in an instant. Those of us who do these things for a living, or who are experienced enough to operate at the levels seen in the video, are also the best, most experienced rescuers and life-savers there are for those situations. Rescue and evacuation are always planned ahead and anticipated.

I didn't guide my first rapid until after becoming Whitewater Rescue qualified. It's one of the things I love most about that community--the planning and insistence on safety in unsafe situations. We trust each other with our lives.

That's probably the most exciting "fail" video I have seen in a long time.

Great video. Risk? Except for the occasional face plant to granite or the like, most survive the experience. The people who choose to sit in a big safe chair in front of the TV with a bag of cookies do not.

I am near 70 years of age. I raced automobiles for much of my life.

This "sport" seems akin to climbing into a race car that intentionally has loose lug nuts on the wheels and the driver knows this but drives off anyway not knowing where or when he will lose control and at which turn.

Far too many of those seemed like dice rolls rather than rapid runs, there not even being one reliable line to follow.

When every entrance becomes an unrecoverable event it is no longer kayaking, merely tempting fate.