DENVER — A new, heavily interactive exhibit at a Denver museum takes an in-depth look at the minds and bodies of extreme athletes who participate in some of the riskiest sports in the world.
The immersive and hands-on exhibit, titled “Extreme Sports: Beyond Human Limits” opens Friday at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. It’s free to explore with a general admission ticket until it closes on April 12, 2020.
Visitors are welcome to explore the psychology and science behind these athletes’ motivations to participate in sports like wingsuit flying, ice and rock climbing, parkour, free diving and more.
The exhibit aims to dispel the common misconception that these athletes are only adrenaline junkies, and instead helps visitors understand the high level of skill, decision-making, gear comprehension, and physical and mental exertion needed to partake in those sports. It showcases the science, creativity and innovation behind these athletes’ feats, all while inspiring guests to learn more about their own personal limits with the following challenges:
· An American Ninja Warriors course created by Colorado-based Ninja Nation
· A virtual race on backcountry slopes
· A sense of balancing along a highline
· A sense of piloting a wingsuit
· Stepping into the Immersion Room to feel what it’s like to ride a mountain bike and whitewater kayak
· Taking a virtual leap off a clip
· Traversing a kid-friendly climbing wall to test grip and flexibility
· Snuggling into a portaledge hanging tent
· Tracing the steps of a parkour athlete to get into an upside-down halfpipe photo op
Several extreme athletes from Colorado are highlighted in this new exhibit.
Garth Spellman, the museum’s curator of ornithology and curatorial adviser for “Extreme Sports,” said Colorado is the perfect state to debut this kind of exhibit.
“Our mountains, snow, skies, and waterways provide the perfect playground for extreme activities that have born world-renowned athletes,” he said.
He said the “Extreme Sports” exhibit pulls back the curtain on the athletes’ artistry, skill and training.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is located at 2001 Colorado Boulevard.
