Pictured: The incredible 'Stone Nudes' who rock climb completely naked
By
Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:04 AM on 14th July 2008
It is a breathtaking - and death-defying feat - which redefines the term extreme sport.
Battling both gravity and the elements, the climber claws her way up a granite boulder by just her fingertips.
For most, the lack of ropes and safety equipment would be a perilous step too far.
But this woman has gone even further and abandoned her clothes to take part in the new sport of naked rock climbing
Death defying: The Stone Nudes abandon equipment, clothes and shoes in a bid to capture the 'true essence of the climbing spirit'
The climber is one of a series of super-fit 'Stone Nudes' captured in action on the cliffs and mountains of America.
Without clothes, specialist shoes or other equipment, participants say the experience captures the 'true essence of the climbing spirit.'
It is the latest extreme sport craze to sweep the US, and is now tipped to become a popular pastime in the UK.
Incredible: One of the women attempts a tricky overhang, clinging on by just her fingertips and toes
And as these incredible pictures taken in America show, exercise has never been so attractive.
The 'Stone Nudes' idea is the brainchild of California-based photographer and rock climber Dean Fidelman.
His photographs have now been used to create a new 2009 'Stone Nudes' calendar, which he is selling on his website.
Fearless: The sport is a hit in America and is expected to take off in Britain
Dean said: 'This kind of climbing is the sport at its purest, and is intended to inspire and celebrate the human form.
'It requires no equipment which means climbers of all abilities can take part.
'Hundreds of people are now participating in a sport that captures the true essence of the climbing spirit.'
Unconventional: Naked rock climbers view their hobby as the purest form of the sport
Share this article:
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below?
Interesting that they are all slim young long haired females. What if you are short, aging and balding?
That rocks!
Add your comment
FEMAIL TODAY
- GMTV 's new girl Emma takes a cue from Kate for show debut She made her first appearance on GMTV with blonde locks just like Miss Garraway's
- Endless laughs: Ulrika Jonsson and Verne Troyer are Diana Ross and Lionel Richie The pair murder Endless Love for the Big Brother housemates
- Reader, I've thrown him out! The 37-year-old cheated wife who asked our readers for advice reveals the final bitter twist to her story
- Ronaldo gives the thumbs-up despite facing police quiz over £200k Ferrari crash The Man United playboy emerged grinning today in his Bentley
- Where's your pwide gone Wossy? Chat show host goes out and about in a drab tracksuit He usually prides himself on his sartorial elegance
- Who'll slip on the ice? Dancing on Ice's Nicky Slater gives his verdict on the contestants The judge reckons Melinda Messenger will get the mums' vote
- New year, same old low-fat diet for Geri as she shops for health food She is nearly as famous for dieting as she is for her days as a Spice Girl
- No hiding place on red carpet for ex-Corrie star Nikki Sanderson as she wears same pink River Island dress as another guest £49 and it's yours, too...
- Bun in the oven: Jools shows off her growing tummy on a day out with Jamie Oliver The chef's wife appears healthy with baby No.3 coming along nicely
- It's any day now for heavily pregnant Mel C's first spice baby The singer sported a huge bump as she arrived home in a co-ordinated outfit
- 'By day I'm a film star, by night my mum nags me to tidy my room,' says Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel The 18-year-old says he's living two lives
- Revealed: The eight-hour drinking session that put Zara's boyfriend over the limit The England rugby player was caught after a day at the races with the royal
- Sister of the groom: Britney Spears poses proudly with sons at family wedding The singer wore a tight dress to the nuptials of her older brother
- Sharon Stone and Harrison Ford lend their support to Anjelica Huston at her husband's funeral Robert Graham was given an A-list send-off
- The Lord accuses Cowell of 'torturing' wannabes as he unveils his Eurovision hopefuls Your Country Needs You starts with a blast from Lloyd Webber
icon below an article to save to your favourite stories file- Starved to death in an NHS hospital: Stroke patient was left without food for 26 days
- Savings income is cut to pennies: Bad news for your nest-egg as base rate drops to a record low
- Former trade minister Lord Digby Jones says VAT cut 'was never going to work'
- 1,200 jobs go as car giant Nissan starts cull
- Sainsbury's posts best ever Christmas as shoppers turn to the cut price 'Basics' range
- Fresh row after BBC radio station makes fun of M&S job cuts in spoof advert
- Strange lights in the sky then an ear-splitting boom ... did a UFO wreck wind turbine?
- Is this the Beast of Exmoor? Body of mystery animal washes up on beach
- We're all going on a summer Aldi... Budget chain offers four-star holidays 'for 50% less'
- Mobile price checks: The text service that helps you find the best bargains
- Millions of broadband customers being 'ripped off' by snail's pace service, says watchdog
- Teenage lovers at £7,000-a-term mixed sex boarding school expelled after girl, 16, becomes pregnant
- Shopaholic pensioner dies after being buried under suitcases filled with unopened purchases
- Nasal spray that kills flu developed
- Two young mothers die of pneumonia after medical staff tell them they only had flu
- Winter's worst: Now there's freezing fog on horizon
- Parents forced to make 400-mile round trips to visit premature triplets after they are placed in THREE different hospitals
- Drugs prescribed to sedate Alzheimer's sufferers 'doubles risk of death'
- All I have left is grief, says victim's mother as child killer Mary Bell becomes a grandmother
- UN halts Gaza aid after two staff die
- 'Muslims and chavs annoy me most': Police officer quits over abusive internet blog
- High heels, low IQs: 'Dazzled' girls want to be WAGs instead of having careers
- Will snack lovers go nuts for Walkers' squirrel-flavoured crisps?
- Prison post goes from bad to worse, so convict sends complaint in verse
- London Mayor Boris admits: 'I got fined £60 after forgetting to pay the congestion charge'
- Three children hailed heroes for taking control of car on motorway after dad suffers seizure at wheel
- Come meet the family... all 69 members who live in the SAME street
- The Obamamobile: Presidential limo unveiled - and it can withstand rocket and chemical attacks
- Pictured: Amazing elephant paints from life
- MORE HEADLINES
- Starved to death in an NHS hospital: Damning inquiry highlights case of patient left without food for 26 days
- Strange lights in the sky followed by an ear-splitting boom ... so did a UFO wreck wind turbine?
- Teenage lovers at £7,000-a-term boarding school expelled after girl, 16, becomes pregnant
- Manchester United playboy Cristiano Ronaldo gives a thumbs up despite facing police quiz over £200,000 Ferrari crash
- Fresh row after BBC radio station makes fun of M&S job cuts in spoof advert
- Is this the Beast of Exmoor? Body of mystery animal washes up on beach
- Pictured: The teenage boy whose devoted mother overfed him until he ballooned to half a ton
- Shopaholic spinster found dead under 3ft of unopened goods
- Oh Bea! Princess's unlocked BMW stolen after she left keys in the ignition while out shopping
- We're all going on a summer Aldi... budget chain offers four-star holidays 'for 50% less'
- Winter's worst: Now there's freezing fog on the horizon
- 'Muslims and chavs annoy me most': Police officer quits over abusive blog
- Two young mothers die of pneumonia after medical staff tell them they only had flu
- Revealed: The eight-hour drinking session that tipped Zara's boyfriend over the limit
- Slowcoach broadband: Millions of customers receive less than half the speed they pay for, says watchdog
- Savings income is cut to pennies: Bad news for your nest-egg as the base rate drops to a record low
- Katie Price uses legal loophole to escape speeding charge
- Pictured: The vixen that outfoxed a fisherman and got away with a juicy catch
- We're outliving our eyeballs, says study
- Three children hailed as heroes for taking control of car on busy motorway after father suffers seizure at wheel
- Atheist bus adverts claiming 'There's probably no God' are reported to watchdog
- Walter Mitty martyrs? The dark, strange truth behind a couple of British missionaries in Africa
- Next launches the £99 laptop that fits in your handbag
- The traders who LOVE the credit crunch: Pawnbroker nets £200,000 of valuables in just THREE days
- MOST READ IN DETAIL
Advertorials
MONEY EXTRA:
EDITOR'S SIX OF THE BEST
-
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: How Mr Sheen's become an enemy of the State
-
JAN MOIR: I don't want our spies armed with jolly hockey sticks, yah!
-
TOM UTLEY: I know my little vice is vile and may be the death of me. All I ask is that the scientists stop pretending I'm a baby murderer, too
-
Why A.N WILSON believes fairytales should be scary ... and that's what children want
-
Give me back my KIDNEY! Man's divorce ultimatum to ex-wife
-
A17ft snowman and boats locked solid in ice ... now, that's what I call a big freeze! Memories of winter 1963 in pictures
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard & Metro Media Group
The first ascent of Everest by these people will be followed with great interest, mainly by people with bags collecting the frozen off bits.
- John Sizeland, Norfolk, 14/7/2008 08:18