Advertising agencies just LOVE climbers. They seem to use people climbing up things as shorthand for, among other things:stamina, teamwork, elite performance, challenges, risk, health and youth.
But all too often, as in the great outdoors, things go wrong. Terribly wrong. Here’s my little collection. Have you got other examples? Send them to me or post them on twitter with the hashtag #bullshitclimbing. No hand- or footholds barred.
This is my all time favorite: FOLLOW THE LEADER. Erm, yeah, if you are dumb or suicidal. This ad was paid for by Raiffeisen Bank. It illustrates, more or less, what happened to the banking system in 2008.
These are the runners-up so far on this ascent of Mount Bullshit.
Here’s a gallery of the more conventional ones. They are not outright silly, but they provide insights into the public perception of mountain sports. Security and elitism seem to be quite prominent. Channelling Aby Warburg. What would the great Image Whisperer from Hamburg have to say about these icons of, literally, upward mobility?
Hilmar Schmundt 