John "Verm" Sherman once appeared in a famous poster where he looks like he's free-soloing. Sherman was actually clipped into a bolt with other climbers and belayers nearby. After the photo shoot, he was put on belay.

As one climber once said, "This poster is to us climbers like the poster of Michael Jordan dunking from the free throw line is to basketball fans. The man is as crazy as he looks in the poster. He pioneered bouldering techniques and is a constant fuck you reminder to the people that take this sport too seriously."

Excerpt from Chessler Books about the photo: "John ‘Verm’ Sherman climbing a 5.13 in Australia, in flip flops, while drinking a beer. This is a photo that was used in the Patagonia Catalog, and perfectly captures Verm’s anarchic style of climbing. The climb is called Lord of the Rings, 5.13, at Mount Arapiles in Australia, one of the world’s greatest rock climbing areas. Taken in 1987, Verm is drinking a Cooper’s Best Extra Stout."

Patagonia ad featuring John Sherman on Lord of the Rings (31), Mount Arapiles (1988):