Nude mountaineering... it's real! And I thought I had made it up. When I mentioned nude mountaineering on the introduction page of this website, it was intended to embody the concept of extreme risk in a light-hearted way. But now I must apologize to the Strippers with Altitude of the Nude Mountaineering Society, who like to enjoy their on-top-of-the-world experiences wearing only hat, boots and rucksack.

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I was exposed to the reality of nude mountaineering earlier this week when a visitor arrived at the Cool Risk website having searched for nude mountaineering in Google. Gone are the days when I scrutinized every Google hit with great excitement, but I was scanning the list and this one kind of leaped out at me. When I stopped laughing, I dived into Google and explored the world of trouserless peaking.

High-altitude nudity seems to be associated mainly with hill-walking rather than mountaineering. But the really high peaks do see some thin-air frolics... high-altitude exposure with a difference. Nudity on Everest became a controversial subject when a Sherpa climber stripped off on the summit in temperatures of -10°C. This was regarded as obscene by some Nepalese, for whom the mountain is divine.

Why do they do it... the nudity thing? A bit strange, yes, but then so is mountain climbing! Personally, I can more easily see the attraction of al fresco nudity than risking death and brain damage up a freezing-cold mountain. But both at the same time? You've got to be crazy!