Extreme by name, extreme by nature; Boater X (also called Extreme Slalom) is set to make its debut in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic games. It is known by enthusiasts to be one of the most brutal disciplines of kayaking, with stories of smashed faces and bruised ribs haunting many paddlers. But what even is it, and should it be known for its viciousness?

Extreme slalom can be described as being a combination of the most popular disciplines of canoeing. It combines the big plastic boats of river running or creeking, with the head-to-head competitiveness of canoe polo and the course layout of canoe slalom. The race itself consists of several buoys either floating in or hanging above a river or whitewater course, which paddlers need to navigate around in certain directions and in a set order, and also a set roll zone, where paddlers must capsize then flip back up completing a 360 rotation, all while being timed. To start the race, paddlers must launch themselves from a tall, up to 3-metre-high, metal ramp.  

During heats, the athletes compete individually in time trials, where they only have to complete the course while being timed. The infamous injuries only start occurring once athletes are through to the semi-finals and then finals. In these. Four athletes race simultaneously on the same course, competing head-to-head for first place.  

There are many rules in place to make Boater X the least dangerous it can be. These include that paddlers are not allowed to hit others in the head, body, or arms intentionally with their paddles, to touch each other's boats, to lean on another paddler or their boat, or to ram their own boat perpendicularly into another boat.  

Boater X (pronounced Boater Cross) differs from its nearest relative Canoe Slalom in that no penalties are added to the competitors times if they hit the gates. In Canoe Slalom, hitting or even slightly touching a gate, which consist of two wooden poles hanging about a metre apart, will cost you two seconds in penalties, which can easily be the difference between a first and second place. However, in Extreme Slalom, paddlers are allowed to hit the gates, which are just one buoy, as much as they want and even hit them around their heads so as to not miss them. A similarity between the two disciplines of canoeing is that missing a gate, which can be done if over half of your boat and your whole head does not pass through/around it in the correct direction, will earn you a 50 second penalty, meaning a definite game over. 

Jacob Lines is a Canoe Slalom athlete who is in the English National Talent Squad. Like many other Canoe Slalom athletes, he also trains in Extreme Slalom. He enjoys both disciplines, but “I personally think it is more fun with slalom, sometimes it almost feels like a bit of a team sport when you are racing with your friends and the side by side racing means it can get very intense, more so than just racing against a clock. Not to mention the massive start ramps which I think are a perfect way to start the run and spice things up a little bit more.” 

“What interests me about boater x is the side by side competitiveness that is the heart of the sport along with the higher level of freedom you get during the run compared to canoe slalom, it allows for more competitiveness without the run needing to be absolutely perfect. This also allows for it to be more fast paced and high adrenaline, which is perfect for someone like me.” 

In terms of the injuries, Jacob comments that “It can be dangerous due to accidents but accidents happen in every sport, I have received paddle blades to the face and boats to the ribs, but the judges are quite strict with contact and an abuse of power on the water can easily lead to a disqualification. I don’t know anyone who has been seriously injured or has received more than a couple bruises or a scrape.”  

The acceptance of Boater X as an Olympic discipline has been a very controversial decision. Some paddlers are of the opinion that it is not nearly as well-known or popular enough as other disciplines of canoeing, particularly freestyle, in which paddlers perform aerial somersaults in their boats on the water to win points. Also, some disagree with the decision that Canoe Slalom athletes selected for the GB Olympic Team are also automatically guaranteed a spot in the GB Extreme Slalom Olympic Team. Although the two disciplines are very much interlinked, most Boater X athletes are not from a Canoe Slalom origin, and vice versa, meaning that it is unfair to allow Boater X competitors that do not train in it all the time to compete in it automatically. 

However, Jacob does "agree with it becoming an Olympic sport because there is nothing in the description of the sport that means it shouldn’t be, along with many new sports it isn’t very large yet and it is mostly composed of ex or current slalom athletes, however this is a biased opinion as I compete in the sport and would like to do it in the Olympics one day.” 

Talking about his own future, potentially Olympic level, Extreme Slalom career, Jacob explains that “I am hoping to make the team this year as I missed out on the slalom team at the start if the month, and after the little test event on Friday the 29th I know I can make the percentages I just have to beat my opponents. I am also very excited to find out what the extreme slalom season entails.” 

Hannah Rhodes is also a Canoe Slalom athlete from the Regional Development Squad, who enjoys competing in Extreme Slalom. Although for the past few seasons she has been training predominantly in slalom, she has always kept her Boater X skills polished by practising several times a month and partaking in local friendly competitions such as the ones run by Lee Valley Paddlesports Club at the Lee valley Whitewater Centre, which is located in Waltham Cross, and was the Canoe Slalom venue built for the London 2012 Summer Olympics. 

“I think it's a really fun sport, you get to enjoy yourself and be really competitive. It's nice to be on the water with other people for a change.” 

Commenting on the considerable risk associated with it, Hannah recognises that “It can be dangerous but I've never been injured. There are possibilities for injury but I've never seen anything.” This corroborates with what Jacob mentioned; it seems that Boater X really isn't as blood-thirsty as is rumoured. 

For Hannah, the fact that she started paddling in a plastic boat, used for river running and Boater X as opposed to the carbon fibre ones used for Canoe Slalom, makes it hard for her to choose a favourite- “I think they both have fun aspects, but the foundation for boater X is more like a head to head race so it can be perceived as more enjoyable. But I view them equally.” 

She explains the differences between her two favourite kayaking disciplines: “It differs from canoe slalom in many ways. In boater X a large plastic boat is used where as in slalom a small carbon fibre boat is used. Boater X is often head to head racing where as slalom is time trialled racing where the best time wins. There are also different sets of rules and regulations” 

Like Jacob, Hannah is fully supportive of Boater X becoming an Olympic discipline. She points out that “I definitely agree with it becoming an Olympic sport as it finally puts plastic boating onto the global stage, it is also fun to watch so it would be an entertaining event to watch. It will also help to put canoe slalom onto the global stage and hopefully gain some recognition too” 

With the summer competition season coming up, Hannah states that “My future plans are the trials for GB selection in a few weeks and to just improve in my plastic boat overall.” Selections for a final spot in the Junior, Under 23 and Senior Extreme Slalom GB teams will be held on Saturday the 14th of May at the Lee Valley Whitewater centre, with winning athletes getting selected to compete alongside the 3 preselected Canoe Slalom athletes in the upcoming World and European Championships. 

Extreme Slalom is not the reckless adrenaline-junkies pastime that it is commonly thought to be. With surprisingly few injuries yet a thrilling, competitive element, it is well deserving of its Olympic inclusion.