Nowadays, extreme sports no longer mean just skateboarding or paragliding, it’s grown and evolved to include any sport or activity that offers an adrenaline rush. So, if you’re a daredevil that loves to feel your heart thumping, Shanghai has many activities to offer be them in the air, on water, by motor or in the woods.

Source: Eli Christman

We have compiled some of the latest and greatest places to try a range of extreme sports in Shanghai:

1) Mountain Biking with Prodigy OutdoorView In Map
Prodigy Outdoor is an outdoors activity club and perfect for those who want to leave the dirt and grime of Shanghai behind and reconnect with nature. They organize outdoor trips both in China and abroad and their activities include mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, horse riding, rock climbing and many more. In addition to this, they organize corporate team building exercises at their fantastic indoor and outdoor centres all around Shanghai.

Their annual membership fee is 1,000 RMB which includes: a club T-shirt, a jersey, discount on every trip, free instructions and tips on bikes and riding as well as free bicycle maintenance 3 times a year.

Add: 3D, Building 1, 833 Huaihai Zhonglu, near Maoming Nanlu, Huangpu District, Shanghai
地址：上海市黄浦区淮海中路833号1号楼3D室
Tel: 138 0166 2710
Opening Hours: Wednesday evenings and weekends
Website: http://www.mtb.com.cn/?lang=en

2) Windsurfing with the Shanghai Windsurfing Club
Said by many to be one of the most exciting water sports, windsurfing is a great way to get out on the water and feel the exhilaration of wind power. Although they rely on favorable weather conditions, the club makes roughly two trips a month during the summer.

The Shanghai Windsurfing Club normally goes to Dishui Lake which is in the south west of Pudong, approximately 70km from Lujiazui. It's an artificial lake but its close proximity to the sea means that the wind is fairly dependable. You can rent the necessary gear here for 300 RMB an hour and crowds are rare. The club organizes a car share scheme which costs 50 RMB per trip and they monitor wind conditions and send out alerts a couple days prior to trips via their mailing list.

Although the club only offers lessons in Chinese, windsurfing is said to be one of the most accessible water sports and not difficult to learn, although it is a vigorous work out and may leave your arms stiff and sore after the first couple times.

Website: http://www.stramarkcapital.com/windsurfing.htm

3) Parkour with Link ParkourView In Map
First developed in France and originating from military obstacle training, parkour is a holistic training activity in which practitioners use their bodies and surroundings to get from one point to another as quickly as possible. This includes running, jumping, climbing, swinging, vaulting, flips and acrobatics.

Staffed by Parkour athletes and gymnastic coaches from China, Canada, Russia, Australia, the US, and the Czech Republic, Link Parkour is a gymnastics facility in Minghang that offers instruction so anyone can learn how to climb walls and recreate their favorite scenes from Spiderman or District 13. It has especially designed padded obstacles so that you can practice your moves in a safe environment.

They organize indoor classes every Saturday afternoon at 14:00 at a gymnastics training facility in the inner city. They organize outdoor classes every Sunday afternoon at 14:45, which last 90-120 minutes. You can have a trial class for free. After this, classes are 100 RMB each or 800 RMB for a block of 10.

Add: B1 Floor, Yoga Club No. 91 Lane 268 Pingji Lu, near Gumei Lu, Minhang District, Shanghai
地址：上海市闵行区平吉路268弄91号会所B1层, 近古美路
Tel: 186 2133 7903
Opening hours: 10:30-22:30
Website: www.linkparkour.com

4) White Water Rafting with Dragon AdventuresView In Map
Run by Jerry Wang, a professional tour guide from Anhui, Dragon Adventures organizes weekend trips to several beauty spots just a few hours from Shanghai. Some of these include the head stream of Xinan Jiang near Huangshan, Da Xia Xia near Tonglu and Bairma Tan in Anqin.

This gives thrill seekers a chance to see parts of the countryside they might not ever get to see otherwise. Dragon Adventure’s courses include class 3 and class 4 rapids (the classification system for rapids goes from 1, easiest, to 6, hardest). However, there are still plenty of opportunities to relax and take in the great outdoors.

Add: Room 18F, Zhongxi Mansion 121-123 Jiangsu Lu near Wuding Xi Lu, Changning District, Shanghai
地址：上海市长宁区江苏路121-123号中西大厦18楼F座
Tel: 400 637 2466
Open Monday-Friday; 10:00-18:00
Website: http://www.dragonadventureschina.com/

5) Indoor Skateboarding at IconxView In Map
Not to be confused with Iconx, the popular skateboard shop near Suzhou Creek, the Iconx Indoor Skatepark is Shanghai’s first indoor skate park to be built and open to the public. Being indoors, it’s ideal for Shanghai’s frequent rainy days. The park is equipped with a perfect 5′ mini ramp, a 2-flat-2 double set, two handrails (round & square), a steep bank feature, various 5′ quarter pipes and many more obstacles. Admission is 30 RMB but to enter during the last hour only costs 15 RMB. Helmets are mandatory.

Add:  1415 Suzhou Nan Lu, near Chengdu Bei Lu, Jingan District, Shanghai
地址：上海市静安区南苏州路1415号4F, 近成都北路
Tel: 021 6215 2991
Opening Hours: Thursdays & Saturdays; 17:00-21:00
Website: http://iconx.com/

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Keywords: Mountain Biking Outdoor Activities Adrenaline extreme sports Shanghai