ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on extreme sports and shows why extreme sports are an important area of study. It introduces phenomenology as an appropriate methodology for investigating extreme sports. The chapter outlines how phenomenology is different from other seemingly similar research methodologies. It summarises the phases of extreme sport activity such as: preparation, approach, active, immediate post-activity and post-activity. The intention is to introduce phenomenology as a research 2methodology, explicate the extreme sport experiences and use the process as a means to exemplifying the phenomenological process. While statistics that focus purely on extreme sports are difficult to separate from related sport activities, the popularity and impact of extreme sports can be approximated through an appreciation of the broader outdoor and adventure scene. The impact of adventure and extreme sports on the international market is perhaps most obviously appreciated through its economic impact.
