I’m absolutely convinced that one can make absolutely anything into an “extreme sports craze” and someone will buy into it. This time, we take an ordinary outdoor activity that’s already somewhat dangerous to begin with, like rock climbing, remove the safety equipment — hell, remove all the clothing while we’re at it — and we have “Stone Nudes”, the brainchild of a California rock climber.
According to the UK’s DAILY MAIL (NSFW due to photos), climber and photographer Dean Fidelman has been taking photos of the climbers, and is now selling them in a 2009 calendar on his website (again, NSFW).
Fidelman told the paper:
“This kind of climbing is the sport at its purest, and is intended to inspire and celebrate the human form. It requires no equipment which means climbers of all abilities can take part. Hundreds of people are now participating in a sport that captures the true essence of the climbing spirit.”
Climbers of all abilities can take part? Really? Given the jagged edges of the rock walls in some of the photos, I’d hazard a guess that quite a few climbers wouldn’t attempt some of these climbs without the necessary ropes and back-up equipment, never mind a bit of clothing. But I will give Fidelman this — it certainly inspires and celebrates the human form, calling us all to, um, full attention.
8:16 pm on December 9th, 2010
rock climbing is not an extrema sport. extrema sports are all about pushing to the point of loosing control. rock climbing is a sport of full body control.
7:18 pm on January 6th, 2011
Whoever the twit is who says rock climbing is not an extreme sport is NOT a climber! Has he/she ever heard of free-soloing, climbing extreme routes sans rope or any protection, insuring certain death in the event of a fall?
Sorry, Bozo-Brain, but climbing is the MOST EXTREME sport of all, no debate!!
But to get to the real point I wish to make, as a former veteran rock climber who used to do a lot of nude climbing back in the day (I still nude hike in the wilds at age 61) along with a coterie of male and female climbers, I say that this guy who puts out the Stone Nudes calendars is a fraud because he says it’s not about anything erotic, that it is only about the pursuit, yet he only has nude women climbers in his photos. His motives are transparent, and he’s not fooling anyone who has a complete brain!