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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | April 2005 
Thrillseekers Go For Extreme Sports In Mexico
 Mauricio Hernández - El Universal
| | There is still a lot of misconception about what constitutes an extreme sport and what constitutes an ecotourism activity. |
"Extreme sports in Mexico are not just a different way of looking at sports, they're just as much a way of life," says Víctor Hugo Galán, an aficionado who has been involved in extreme sports.
"We are risk-takers, who like living on the edge," he adds. "We don't fear danger, and in fact, we cherish the taste of conquering fear. It's an incomparable sensation."
Extreme sports arrived in Mexico about 10 years ago to an enthusiastic reception among the nation's youth. And perhaps just as much as the exhilarating rush of adrenaline that they provide, their popularity with the nation's youth may be based just as much on the fact that the sports are largely parent-free.
And this is one of the important distinctions that can be made between extreme sports and activities that fall under the "ecotourism" umbrella. While extreme sports are largely for teenagers and young adults, ecotourism activities are much more appropriate for all ages.
Rodolfo Olmedo is one of the owners of Ecco Sports, an outdoor adventure agency offering a variety of tours in the state of Veracruz. He says that there is still a lot of misconception about what constitutes an extreme sport and what constitutes an ecotourism activity.
"People, due to misinformation, will think that just going to the mountains and going hiking means practicing an extreme sport."
Olmedo says that ecotourism is much more about direct contact with nature than pure adrenaline rush.
"It is freeing yourself totally from the chaos of urban life," he says. "All of your daily preoccupations disappear, and you forget work, traffic and the smog. You cleanse yourself, at least momentarily, of your daily routine." |
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