h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What planet are you on? Have you actually tried wakeboarding?

Believe me, it is pretty extreme. Don't let the fact that you are travelling over water fool you, at high speeds, water is in fact as hard as concrete.

An example of this would be when I first started learning to jump the board off the water (not easy at first) I managed to "tomb-stone" the board (this is when the front edge dips into the water and flips you over the front). A minute or so later when I regained consciousness I found myself floating around in the water with a black eye, a banging headache and several other boarders heading towards me at high speeds. Dangerous? I think so.

I've seen people get into all sorts of problems with the actual cable itself (particularly when you are learning flips and rotations) which could result in asphyxiation.

Of course, kitesurfing is far more extreme as it is fully 3D with the capability of launching yourself in excess of 40 feet above sea level and there are far more lines to think about.

So in summary, risk of drowning, risk of being sliced up or having bits of your body broken by other boarders as well as the risk of being hung, on top of the usual torn ligaments, broken limbs and concussions surely makes this sport extreme.