People craving adrenaline are fueling a 'major increase' in demand for extreme sports after a year at home
Sydney Dunham, a 20-year-old student at Colorado College, embarked on her first rock-climbing trek this January as she and her friends drove to the limestone cliffs on Shelf Road, CO.
"I fell halfway through, I really didn't think I could go any further," Dunham told Insider. "But I decided to muster all my remaining strength and give it one final go ... finishing that climb was one of the most intensely satisfying experiences of my life."
Dunham, like many others, decided to pick up a new hobby during the pandemic. Searching for a thrill beyond bread baking or crochet, she joined a bouldering gym close to her college.
"Throwing myself into climbing became a way of releasing all the built-up tension from being cooped up during the pandemic," she said. "I felt an extreme sense of excitement at just being able to try something new, especially something that pushed me as a person."
Rock climbing is just one sport fueling the adventure economy, an industry with an estimated 490 million participants. The most popular activities include ziplining, rafting, rock climbing, hot air ballooning, and sky diving.
