Extreme ironing is an outdoor sport that combines the danger and excitement of an “extreme” sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.
It involves taking an iron and board to remote locations and ironing a few items of laundry.
This can involve ironing on a mountainside, preferably on a difficult climb, or taking an iron skiing, scooting, or canoeing.
When did extreme ironing become a thing?
Extreme ironing was an idea that started in Leicester, England, in 1997.
It combines an exciting and dangerous experience with the dull and boring, and it certainly does a good job of that!
In June 1999, there was a worldwide recruitment campaign that involved America, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, and Southern Africa.
This led to Extreme Ironing International, which was when it was first recognized as a sport.
In 2000 a team of enthusiastic Germans took extreme ironing back to Germany and set up a sister office.
This led to the development of Eso Ironing, a branch of EI that combines ironing with the principles of meditation, and a German extreme ironing research center, exploring the physics of the sport.
Extreme Ironing World Championships
In 2002 the German Extreme Ironing Section organized the highly successful World Championships in the village of Valley near Munich.
German ironist, Hot Pants, won the individual event and a British team won the team event.
The World Championships have lit the touch paper for the worldwide expansion of extreme ironing, with a number of other nations including Austria, Croatia, Chile and Australia demonstrating a flair for the sport.
How to participate in extreme ironing?
If you’re wondering “What would I need to do to start this?” Then look no further…
It’s quite simple really, all you need is an iron, a board, and some clothes, then it is suggested that you start off in your back yard before going more extreme, like mountainsides, woods or public places.
Remember, the more extreme you get, the more money you will have to spend on the equipment.
So go out in your yard and iron from your swings or shed roof…
The iron does have to be hot too, so it is a bit of a challenge for the underwater ironing, as plugging it in underwater may be a shock!
