Weirdsporten

It has long bugged me that there are few information sources for what I call “green sports.”  By this I mean not just environmental friendliness, but physical activity with the following qualities:

  1. Powered by human or renewable energy.
  2. Aesthetics, exploration and adventure — not “winning.”
  3. Controllable risks.
  4. Minimalism, punctuated by cool specialized gadgetry.

Examples of such weirdsporten include sea kayaking, mountain bike touring, sailboat cruising, etc.  Warning to enviro-fundamentalists:  I gleefully catch and eat fish, though I do stick to abundant varieties.

Game on.

| Uncategorized | wemitchell on 01.7.2009 | Comments Off

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  1. montmike

    I’d love to say that rock climbing should be on the list. risks are largely controllable (like your bicycle and motorbike examples) and the joy (for me) is about the aesthetics, exploration and adventure. And, if you ever want to see someone figure out how to shave an ounce off your gear weight – a rock climber is probably your best bet.

  2. wemitchell

    Good point. I would contrast normal rock climbing with free climbing, which deliberately avoids the most obvious risk controls.

    One guy I know lost most of his hair in a single summer of free climbing — his doctor said it was the constant adrenaline. That stuff’ll kill ya.

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