8 Schools for Extreme Sports

1. Gisela Pulido Pro Center, Tarifa, Spain. World-champion freestyle kiteboarder’s school on the Iberian Peninsula boasts 11- to 17-knot winds more than 80 percent of the year.

2. Kitty Hawk Kites, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Located on the Outer Banks where the Wright Brothers first flew, the oldest hang-gliding school on the U.S. East Coast provides ratings certification under Hang Gliding Association accreditation.

3. Patty Wagstaff Aerobatic Instruction, St. Augustine, Florida. Three-time U.S. National Aerobatic Champion provides instruction in extreme aerobatics in the Extra EA 300L, the two-place version of the Extra monoplane she flies in air shows worldwide.

4. Trapeze School, New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico. Classes and personal instruction in aerial arts, including flying trapeze, static trapeze and silks for all levels.

5. Powder Extreme, Verbier, Switzerland. Ski or snowboard Verbier’s legendary big mountain steeps, couloirs, cliff drops and off-piste powder under the guidance of specialist coaches.

6. Nantahala Outdoor Center, Nantahala, North Carolina. A wide choice of whitewater-kayaking courses and workshops for all skill levels, and more than half a dozen challenging rivers to practice on.

7. Dreamride, Moab, Utah. One- to multi-day skills clinics and rough-terrain classes for mountain bikers, including the Moab Ultimate for advanced riders in the world’s most spectacular mountain-biking environment.

8. Skip Barber Racing School. One- and three-day courses at multiple locations combine classroom and on-the-track training in sports and formula cars.