According to SGMA, extreme sports are always ‘in-season.’ Whether it’s warm and sunny; cool and windy; or cold and dry, at least one, two or more extreme sports are on the recreational calendars of active-minded Americans. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s (SGMA) analysis of the Superstudy® of Sports Participation (2006 edition), extreme sports are an appealing recreational option for millions of Americans.

  • Inline skating. 34.5% of all inline skaters have been participating for six or more years.
  • Skateboarding. 81% of all skateboarders are age 6-17 years of age.
  • Paintball. The average paintball participant is male, age 12-24, resides in a city of at least 500,000 people, and lives in either the South or the West.
  • Artificial Wall Climbing. 54% of these climbers are female and the average age of an artificial wall climber is 16.9 years of age.
  • Snowboarding. Nearly 75% of all snowboarders are under the age of 24.
  • Mountain Biking. Nearly 40% of mountain bikers have at least a college degree.
  • Trail Running. Roughly 55% of all trail runners live in either the South or the West.
  • BMX Bicycling. The Northeast is the most popular region for BMX cyclists.
  • Wakeboarding. The average annual household income of a wakeboarder in 2003 was $73,200.
  • Roller Hockey. 82.5% of all roller hockey players live in population centers of at least 2,000,000 people.
  • Mountain/Rock Climbing. Overall participation has risen by 21% since 2000.
  • Boardsailing/Windsurfing. The gender split on participation is 50/50.