Chiang Mai has a few noteworthy extreme sports venues. In fact, it's getting hard to go to a tourist area these days without seeing a big roadside crane and having your bravado challenged by poster and flyers around town offering a bungee jump; Chiang Mai is no exception and the crane is located north of town in Mae Rim. Just call tel. 05329-8442 if you have the guts, dude. Rock climbers will be happy to have a place to practice at The Peak (28/2 Changklan Rd.; tel. 05382-0776-8), a challenging man-made rock wall just at the back of the Chiang Inn Plaza near the Night Bazaar. Single climbs cost 150B ($3.65) and hourly rates are available. They also arrange trips for climbing the real rocks in the surrounding hills.
Ultra-light aircraft flights have come to Chiang Mai. A small but very organized and safe operation, Chiang Mai Sky Adventures, has a private airstrip north of the city in Doisaket. A 15-minute flight, more or less like a piggy-back ride on the pilot's shoulders, costs just 1500B ($37) and takes you on a great loop out over a large damn and reservoir and past a spectacular hilltop temple. Unforgettable! They also do flight instruction and certification. Contact Mr. Chaimongkol at tel. 05386-8460 (www.skyadventures.info).
