Windsport

Windsports refers to wind powered recreation, usually including any sporting use of a nonrigid airfoil, such as a power kite or parafoil.

The activities can be...

... landborne:

• Kite flying - flight of a small airfoil by a standing ground operator using 1, 2 or 4 strings
• Kite buggy and Mountain board - a medium power kite over a wheeled seated or standing (respectively) land vehicle
• Landsailing - a masted sail attached to a land vehicle
• Ice boat - a masted sail attached to a vessel with skates

...waterborne:

• Sailing - a large masted sail attached to a boat
• Kite boating - kite powered boat in displacement or planing mode
• Windsurfing - a smaller masted sail attached via gymbal to a surfboard
• Kiteboarding - use of a large (and frequently inflated) power kite with surfboard underneath (Kitesurfing)

...or airborne:

• Paragliding - soaring with a very large flexible canopy
• Hang_gliding - soaring with a rigid frame, fabric covered aircraft
• Parachuting and base jumping - controlled descent of the operator under a flexible canopy

Similar sports that exploit aerodynamics are frequently included in the category:

• Soaring - use of vertically moving air to keep an aircraft aloft
• microlight - a hang glider with a powered prop (also see ultralight aircraft)
• Parasailing - a paraglider towed by a vehicle (boat, car, or snowmobile) in order to ascend (usually over water)

The list very roughly correlates to increasing skill level and extremety, although parasailing requires little or no rider skill. Windsport activity may be regulated in some countries by aviation/maritime authority. Local authority may regulate activity in certain areas, especially crowded beaches and parks.