ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the history and philosophical underpinnings of the sport bum lifestyle in skiing, climbing, and surfing. In the years just after the Second World War, nature sports athletes began to devote themselves to lifestyles that allowed them to completely devote themselves to their sports. It is argued that the alternative lifestyles adopted by sports bums shared commonalities with Thoreau’s move to Walden Pond and that nature sport bums were responding to dissatisfaction with capitalist consumer culture as well as to existential concerns. Ultimately, the chapter addresses the question of whether living as a ski bum, climbing bum, or surf bum is a justifiable life choice.
