One of the extreme outdoor sports that perfectly combines excitement with danger is extreme ironing. It is a sport that is so extreme it even impresses those who love a really-well pressed shirt. What extreme ironing involves is taking an ironing board and iron to the most remote locations as well as a backpack full of laundry that is in urgent need of ironing. The remote locations could include the most difficult to climb mountainsides, canoeing or even skiing ironing is part of the sport. As long as it is a remote area, that is difficult to reach, and it’s outdoors, its perfect for extreme ironing.
Extreme Ironing First in Leicester in 1997
The sports called extreme ironing is not new and became popular more than 12 years ago when it started in 1997 in the UK. The sport first heard off in Leicester combines a dull and boring task such as ironing the laundry with one of the most exciting and dangerous outdoor sports.
Extreme Ironing Becomes Popular in Africa, America and Australia
By mid-1999, extreme ironing became quite popular in many countries apart from the United Kingdom. The worldwide recruitment campaign got participants to form South Africa, New Zealand, Fiji, America and Australia interested in participating. That ultimately led to the start of extreme ironing as an international sport.
Extreme Ironing Enters Germany
A team of extreme sports enthusiasts took extreme ironing seriously. They set up a sister office in Germany in 2000, and it led to the forming of Eso ironing. This combines the activities of extreme ironing with the principles of meditation. The Extreme ironing German research centre also further explored the physics of the extreme outdoor sport. By 2002, Germany took Extreme ironing all the way to the World Championship held near Munich in the Village of the Valley. It saw Hot Pants, the German ironists winning the individual event and the team event was won by the British team.
Extreme Ironing World Championships
The first world championships fuelled the expansion of the sport worldwide. Shortly thereafter, several nations became interested with these including Chile, Croatia, Austria and Australia. That interest led to the second World Championship hosted by England.
Interested in Extreme Ironing?
Well if you an adventure seeker without any fear of heights, then it is only natural that you will be interested in extreme ironing. It is easy to start, and you’ll basically need an ironing board, iron and then some laundry that needs ironing. Most newbies start by practising in the backyard and from the garden they explore other venues like the woods or mountainsides.
If you are ready, you might want to start with more public places. The more adventurous you want to go with extreme ironing, the more expensive your equipment would be, especially if you choose high mountains that are challenging to climb. The iron does not need to be expensive, and it also is not required to be that hot. However, with it plugged in for underwater ironing, it might not be the price of the equipment that shocks you.
