New sporting practices are emerging in Pays de Retz, taking advantage of extreme weather events.

Fragments of f·r·iction

In 2050, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, and the consequences of a climate crisis that humanity has failed to control have led the stakeholders in Pays de Retz (in Loire-Atlantique) to propose new forms of extreme sports. The challenge: pushing limits to take on a wild and untamed nature.

Constantly battered by gusts of wind, regularly flooded in winter, and parched in summer, the region first collapsed, only to bounce back unexpectedly by developing a unique meteorological heritage in France. The relentless climatic conditions that torment the area have inspired new extreme sports, attracting an increasing number of enthusiasts eager to “strengthen their resistance and resilience”.

The stakeholders in Pays de Retz drew inspiration from the Meteorological Games, which first appeared in Florida in 2042, to introduce new practices that call for both physical and mental endurance in the face of unleashed elements. Among these new extreme-weather sports are:

• Human kite flying, where the athlete is securely harnessed to the ground before being lifted by strong gusts, performing highly acrobatic aerial stunts by taking advantage of the wind currents.
• Flood swimming and its variant flood apnoea (practised by holding one’s breath during rising waters), which resembles an orienteering race across a submerged landscape.
• Storm kiting, a variation of kitesurfing, where the most daring athletes ride crashing waves between sea and sky.
• Against the wind, where teams must progress against strong winds over a given distance (e.g. a gusty 5 km race). Its amphibious variant, the combined “against wind and tide”, involves battling on land against sea winds until reaching the coast and the rising tide.
• Heatwave trekking, where participants must cover as many kilometres as possible before succumbing to heat exhaustion.

Once, Pays de Retz attracted residents and visitors for its favourable conditions for relaxation and leisure. Today, its appeal rests on the exact opposite: its hostile character and turbulent landscape, shaped by nature’s harsh blows. However, one constant remains: seasonality; the region’s weather conditions and the sporting practices vary according to the severity of winter or the intensity of summer.