Extreme Scrabble

A scrabble game usually conjures images of a quiet evening by the fireplace, where the most excitement is a heated argument about whether the word composed is legitimate. However, the pictures below will change your perception of the game forever. The participants are all avid scrabble fans, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of this popular word game, by playing it in unusual settings.

Nicole Angelides and Ramsey Kent decided to combine their love for scrabble and skydiving, by playing it 13,000ft above the ground. They constructed a special re-enforced wooden board and used adhesive glue to make their moves, in what was a short, but thoroughly enjoyable game.

These two scrabble enthusiasts are so engrossed in their game that they don't even notice the gator eyeing them hungrily. Actually, one of the players is Tim Williams, the owner of Gatorland Theme Park in Florida, where the game is being played. He is so comfortable with the gators, that he would even play with the scrabble board on their back.

African lion keepers Kevin Richard and Helga van Der Merwe played the game at The Lion Park in Lanseria, South Africa while inquisitive lioness Meg (7) and Amy (8) looked on to see if they could learn a word or two.

These hikers set up their scrabble table, 9,200ft above the ground atop Nuns Veil Peak in New Zealand. Scrabble lovers Nicole Graham and Bill Hargreaves got so engrossed in their match, that they had to take shelter in an ice cave, when the temperatures dropped - But it was well worth it!

Climbers, John Ratcliff and Steve Franklin set up a portaledge (a portable hanging-ledge system), 200 ft above the ground, on the sheer cliff edge of Castell Helen on the north coast of Anglesey in North Wales. With legs dangling over the edge, they settled down for a grueling game of scrabble over a cup of tea!

Swimming under the blue oceans of the Bahamas, Scuba divers Paul Noakes and Elizabeth Parkinson, didn't even notice the Caribbean Reef Sharks swarming around them. Settled on an old shipwreck, the two were too engrossed in their battle of the words.

The first set of Scrabble was created by an unemployed architect in 1931, and called Lexico. The game simply consisted of 100 tiles but no board. However, it was not until 1948, that the game evolved to its present form, thanks to the efforts of a Connecticut couple, who assembled the first sets in their living room. While it took a few years for it to become popular, there has been no looking back since then. Over the last 60 years, 150 million sets of scrabble, which is now available in 29 languages, have been sold all over the globe. There are currently more than 400 scrabble clubs established, and it is estimated that 30,000 games are started every hour of the day.

Source: mirror.co.uk, exupdates.wordpress.com