Rock climbing tends to appeal to those who are interested alternative sports. The sport is often practiced alone, or with a small team, giving climbers a sense of being one with the mountain. This exciting introduction to the world of rock climbing will draw readers in with descriptions of amazing feats of scaling the most challenging peaks. Readers will learn how to develop the physical and mental skills needed to get involved in the sport in a safe and responsible way, the different types of equipment and safety gear, and about some of the sport's most accomplished superstars.
This book offers the first in depth study of this one particular extreme sport, rock climbing, and uses it as a case study to examine at how men "do" masculinity in a sporting environment. The book offers a fresh and innovative perspective on issues surrounding masculine identity, and challenges traditional approaches to sport studies. It also presents new ways of conceptualizing the relationship between the everyday and the pursuit of the extraordinary through sport. Drawing on insights from sociology, gender, masculinity studies and sports studies, this book will be of interest to a broad range of students and researchers in these areas.
Rock climbing is one of today's most popular 'extreme sports.' Although many women are involved, the sport retains a particularly male image and culture. Everyday Masculinities and Extreme Sport presents the first in-depth study of rock climbing in the UK, analysing what it reveals about the contemporary construction and performance of masculinity through sport.One of the key concerns of the book is the relationship between everyday masculinity and the pursuit of the extraordinary through sport. Drawing on insights from sociology and gender studies, the book challenges traditional approaches to the analysis of sport.
In this elegant and exciting collection Andrew Todhunter, himself an extreme sportsman and the author of the critically acclaimed Fall of the Phantom Lord, takes readers along as men and women push themselves to their limits in the world’s riskiest sports. In several of these essays Todhunter writes from personal experience, joining his subjects as they free fall from cliffs, wriggle through narrow underground crevices, and dive deep beneath the ice of a frozen lake. In these adrenaline-laced accounts of extreme sportsmanship, Todhunter captures not only the thrill of conquest but the deep pleasure of being someplace few others have gone as well.
This technically oriented book on medicine as applied to extreme sports offers broad coverage of the field extending well beyond the usual focus on major trauma and acute injuries. In addition to the injuries and diseases associated with individual extreme sports, this book also addresses the topics of psychology, dermatology, ophthalmology, infectious diseases, physiology, nutrition, training, injury prevention strategies, rehabilitation, doping, treatment in hostile environments, and legal aspects. Innovative and less frequently considered topics are also discussed, such as recent advances in protective equipment and materials, the effects of exposure on whole-body vibration, and cold exposure risk management. More than 60 of the most authoritative experts from across the world have contributed to this book, drawing on their personal experiences and including practical examples whenever relevant. Both subject matter and illustrations have been selected with the utmost care, the latter including photographs of world-class athletes.The book’s multidisciplinary approach to the subject ensures that it will be relevant to a wide readership.
On February 20, 1963, a team of nineteen Americans embarked on the first expedition that would combine high-altitude climbing with scientific research. The primary objective of the six scientists on the team—who procured funding by appealing to the military and political applications of their work—was to study how severe stress at high altitudes affected human behavior. The expedition would land the first American on the summit of Mount Everest nearly three years after a successful (though widely disputed) Chinese ascent. At the height of the Cold War, this struggle for the Himalaya turned Everest into both a contested political space and a remote, unpredictable laboratory. The US expedition promised to resurrect American heroism, embodied in a show of physical strength and skill that, when combined with scientific expertise, would dominate international rivals on the frontiers of territorial exploration. It propelled mountaineers, scientists, and their test subjects 29,029 feet above sea level, the highest point of Chinese-occupied Tibet. There they faced hostile conditions that challenged and ultimately compromised standard research protocols, yielding results that were too exceptional to be generalized to other environments. With this book, Philip W. Clements offers a nuanced exploration of the impact of extremity on the production of scientific knowledge and the role of masculinity and nationalism in scientific inquiry.
* The book that launched a renaissance in climbing technique and remains relevant today * Techniques and mental skills needed to climb at a more challenging level * Illustrated with full-color photos throughout Big, high routes at the edge of a climber's ability are not the places for inventing technique or relying on old habits. Complacency can lead to fatal errors. So where does the hard-core aspirant or dreamer turn? The only master class in print, Extreme Alpinism delivers an expert dose of reality and practical techniques for advanced climbers. Focusing on how top alpine climbers approach the world's most difficult routes, Twight centers his instruction on the ethos of climbing the hardest routes with the least amount of gear and the most speed. Throughout, Twight makes it clear that the two things he refuses to compromise are safety and his climbing ethics. In addition to the extensive chapters on advanced techniques and skills, Twight also discusses mental preparedness and attitude; strength and cardiovascular training; good nutrition; and tips on equipment and clothing.
Adventure and extreme sports are increasing in popularity and it is not surprising that commercial adventure tourism and the accompanying life style and fashion, have become increasingly important to world economy. These unique sports involve not only major physical endurance and mental challenges but interaction and bonding with nature. They also tend to attract and excite audiences, both at the event and in the media. They are exciting to watch and redraw the boundaries of human achievement with the accompanying risks of injury and death. Adventure sports are usually performed in beautiful, exciting and remote locations or in extreme environments far away from medical assistance. Extreme sports usually involve an element of increased risk. These risks are highlighted by the media, usually after a reported accident or fatality but may vary according to the involvement of the participant; the weekend recreational adventure sports athlete or the experienced professional. A wide variety of sports fall into the category of adventure and extreme sports and with an increasing number of disciplines, this field is ever expanding. Sports are performed in contact with the “ground”; mountain running and biking, rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering. In the air: skydiving and base jumping. On water: surfing, white water kayaking and rafting, board sailing and diving. And also involve mechanical vehicles and animals! Some sports may be performed as a combination of few disciplines, such as water and air, e.g. kite surfing, and as so involve very unique mechanisms of injury. Sports events can also be merged to form a multi-sport race comprising many disciplines lastly from single to multi day races. Sports may involve competition with others, against the environment or with oneself, frequently the most ferocious adversary. Adventure sports are becoming increasingly popular in the general public and a few take these sports to an extreme level with the accompanying risks. Those that do, bring such time and dedication that they become professional in terms of training, preparation and finance. More and more people are enjoying adventure sports and unfortunately increased numbers are becoming injured as a result. Future research is progressing alongside the sport development, to allow the sport mechanisms, injury patterns and predisposing factors to be better understood. It is the hope of all researchers to make the sports safer without detracting from their adventurous nature. The aim and scope of our book would be to bring the sports medicine involved ineach of these sports into one volume. We would explain each sport including subtle similarities and differences, the common injury mechanisms, patterns of injury and treatment options. Additional chapters would include the mental characteristics of adventure racers and extreme sports athletes, together with the complexities of competing in hot and cold extreme environments. The book will present chapters focussing on the sports listed below, concentrating on published literature and newly formed studies by experts in the fields of injury epidemiology, prevention, management and rehabilitation.
Extreme sports, those activities that lie on the outermost edges of independent adventurous leisure activities, where a mismanaged mistake or accident would most likely result in death, have developed into a significant worldwide phenomenon (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2017a). Extreme sport activities are continually evolving, typical examples include BASE (an acronym for Buildings, Antennae, Span, Earth) jumping and related activities such as proximity flying, extreme skiing, big wave surfing, waterfall kayaking, rope free solo climbing and high-level mountaineering. While participant numbers in many traditional team and individual sports such as golf, basketball and racket sports have declined over the last decade or so, participant numbers in so called extreme sports have surged. Although extreme sports are still assumed to be a Western pastime, there has been considerable Global uptake. Equally, the idea that adventure sports are only for the young is also changing as participation rates across the generations are growing. For example, baby boomers are enthusiastic participants of adventure sports more generally (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2017b; Patterson, 2002) and Generation Z turn to extreme sports because they are popular and linked to escapism (Giannoulakis & Pursglove, 2017). Arguably, extreme sports now support a multi-billion dollar industry and the momentum seems to be intensifying. Traditional explanations for why extreme sports have become so popular are varied. For some, the popularity is explained as the desire to rebel against a society that is becoming too risk averse, for others it is about the spectacle and the merchandise that is associated with organised activities and athletes. For others it is just that there are a lot of people attracted by risk and danger or just want to show off. For others still it is about the desire to belong to sub-cultures and the glamour that goes with extreme sports. Some seek mastery in their chosen activity and in situations of significant challenges. This confusion is unfortunate as despite their popularity there is still a negative perception about extreme sports participation. There is a pressing need for clarity. The dominant research perspective has focused on positivist theory-driven perspectives that attempt to match extreme sports against predetermined characteristics. For the most part empirical research has conformed to predetermined societal perspectives. Other ways of knowing might reveal more nuanced perspectives of the human dimension of extreme sport participation. This special edition brings together cutting-edge research and thought examining psychology and extreme sports, with particular attention payed to the examination of motivations for initial participation, continued participation, effective performance, and outcomes from participation. References Brymer, E. & Schweitzer, R. (2017a) Phenomenology and the extreme sports experience, NY, Routledge. Brymer, E, & Schweitzer, R, D. (2017b) Evoking the Ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports, Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice 4(1):63-74 Giannoulakis, C., & Pursglove, L., K., (2017) Evolution of the Action Sport Setting. In S.E. Klein Ed. Defining Sport: Conceptions and Borderlines. Lexington Books, London. 128-146 Patterson, I. (2002) Baby Boomers and Adventure Tourism: The Importance of Marketing the Leisure Experience, World Leisure Journal, 44:2, 4-10, DOI: 10.1080/04419057.2002.9674265
