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Extreme ironing locations include a mountainside of a difficult climb; a forest; in a canoe; while skiing or snowboarding; on top of large bronze statues; in the middle of a street; even when free-diving, though this possibility defeats the purpose of ironing. The ironing itself has variations: either solo or in a group; ironing in existing formations or freestyle.
EI supposedly combines the excitement of an extreme sport with the satisfaction of freshly ironed clothes. Though it seems a parody or hoax, many extreme ironers take their sport quite seriously. The Guardian said of extreme ironing that it carries on a tradition of British eccentricity. Many organised EI events are now sponsored by the household appliance manufacturer Rowenta .
The sport was started in Leicester, East Midlands, England by resident Phil Shaw in his back yard. EI, however, is no longer localized to Great Britain. In June 1999, Shaw, who goes by the EI nickname "Steam", embarked on an international tour to promote the sport. The stops included the United States of AmericaThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in, FijiThe Republic of the Fiji Islands occupies an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. Republic of the Fiji Islands Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti ( In Detail) National motto:Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na, New ZealandFor alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A common Mori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa popularly translated as Land, AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count and Southern AfricaSouthern Africa refers to the southern part of the African continent. It is regarded as being part of Sub-Saharan Africa. Southern Africa (a region) should not be confused with the South Africa (a country within that region). Southern africa is a distinct. An encounter with German tourists in New Zealand led to the founding of Extreme Ironing International (now the Extreme Ironing Bureau), and the German Extreme Ironing Section or GEIS.
In September of 2002, the first World Championship for the sport took place in Valley, Germany , near Munich. Organized by the German Extreme Ironing Section, the 1st Extreme Ironing World ChampionshipsThe 1st Extreme Ironing World Championships was the inaugural championship for the quirky British sport of extreme ironing. This year's event, held in mid- September 2002 in Valley, a small village near Munich in the district Miesbach, was host to competi were considered a success, drawing international media attention. Competitors from AustriaAustria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, a federation of nine states. Austria is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the, AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count, Croatia, Chile, Germany, the UK and other countries participated. The competition included eighty different teams from ten different countries.
Since the sport's invention, there has been the formation of an alleged breakaway group, Urban Housework. This has been considered unethical by some Extreme Ironers, as it alters the environment, disrupting the natural decay of plant matter to help re-fertilize the earth.
A documentary, appropiately entitled Extreme Ironing, was filmed for Britain's Channel 4 in December 2002.
In 2003 the Rowenta Trophy was won by a group from South Africa by ironing across a gorge at the Wolfberg Cracks . Later that year, Phil Shaw brought out a book, also entitled Extreme Ironing (BooksEnthsiast.com).
In 2004, the EIB traveled to the US on the Rowenta Tour to recruit additional ironists and ironed at Mount Rushmore, New York, Boston and Devil's Tower.