Do you love rock climbing? The only obstacle between you and some rock to climb is a pile of laundry that waits for ironing.

No problem. Take your gear - climbing stuff along with an iron and a board - and go extreme ironing.

Yes, extreme ironing a sport that adds adrenaline rush to a fairly boring but fundamentally necessary activity.

Do you think that this is a joke? No, I am completely serious. Here are some proofs that ironing is not so boring as we usually think:

Source

Source

Source

Phil Shaw Started Pressing His Shirts On The Rocks

The inventor of this adrenaline filled sport is Phil Shaw. As he explains:

It all started in the city of Leicester in the UK, in the summer of 1997. I returned home after a long day in the knitwear factory, and the last thing I wanted to do was start on a pile of ironing. The sun was shining and I preferred the idea of an evening out pursuing my (somewhat unsuccessful) hobby of rock climbing. Then it occurred to me to combine these activities into an extreme sport — the result: extreme ironing.

From there it was taken all over the country, and when the website was launched EI was taken up all over the world.

The Book

In 2003 Phillip also published a book about his invention. According to the comments, it is well worth reading:

This book is amazing. Informative and amazingly interesting, yet also hilarious. Guaranteed to cheer up anyone struggling through the weekend ironing mountain - if you think your ironing is difficult, it's nothing compared to what these guys go through with theirs! Suitable for anyone and everyone, a book full of stunning achievements and sheer wonder.

Official Disciplines

There are five official disciplines where you can shine with your technique and a neatly pressed shirt:

• Urban: Ironing in/on/around a broken down car or any other urban environment.
• Water: Anything watery counts. A fast flowing river or sea dive could be the location for this Discipline. Competitors could use surfboards, canoes or rubber rings to help them.
• Forest: Ironing in nature that is difficult like at the top of a tree.
• Rocky: The original discipline which involves climbing rocks, walls, conquering mountain tops and do the ironing.
• Freestyle: Anything counts. Use your imagination.

The Equipment

Quality built and light ironing board is essential. As for the iron at the beginning very long cords were used. Now battery powered irons are the norm.

The rest of the equipment depends on your discipline and location. It could involve planes and parachutes, zip lines, scuba gear, ...

The Safety

Extreme ironing is a demanding sport carried out in demanding environment and weather conditions. Use your head, never underestimate the dangers, never do it alone.

Safety is your number one priority. A close second is a well-pressed shirt done in style.

Have Fun

Remember, it's about having fun. And well-pressed shirts.

Extreme Ironing In The Olympics?

There are some rumors that extreme ironing could be included as a demonstration sport in the next summer and winter Olympic games. This way it would make history as a first sport to be in both Olympic editions.

No Commercialization Yet

The sport succeeded in retaining its amateur basis. There are no professionals. No major ironing equipment companies are sponsoring athletes and paying them obscene amounts of money to press ad plagued shirts.

Which is good. Let the sport stay fun and clean. We don't need big corporations involved. We don't want them. All we want is a nice walk up the hill and a well-pressed shirt on top of it.