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Sports Then and Now



Off-Road Adventure: How Jeep Climbing Became a New Sport 1

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Brooke Chaplan

jeep-climbingGoing off-road is a feeling unlike any other. You have to have the skill and technique to maneuver without damaging you or the other passengers. It is a thrill ride of adrenaline rush and has been picked up by many enthusiasts. Jeep climbing as a sport in the dunes and deserts is a phenomenon that has surprised many. But how did this sport get its start?

The Jeep: Military Beginnings
The Jeep has always been an off-road vehicle. Starting as a military vehicle, this vehicle saw major use during the Second World War. The original jeeps were designed by a company called Bantam before the design was picked up by Ford in order to produce the number of vehicles that the army needed. The army continued to push for more terrain defying designs, even going so far as to develop one that could go underwater. Militarized jeeps were even used in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

The Jeep Comes to the Homefront
Willys produced the first civilian Jeep in 1945, and it was the first manufacturer to own the rights to the Jeep name. Since then, the vehicle style has gone through a variety of different owners and manufacturers. In the 1970’s through into the 1980’s, the Jeep name brand was losing money. Finally the Chrysler Company ended up with the Jeep in 1987 and a renamed brand of that company still owns the Jeep today.
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