Hikers in the Alps will now have to be clothed or face fines, a Swiss court ruled Thursday. ((Reuters)) A Swiss man who was fined for hiking naked in the Alps has lost his appeal at Switzerland's highest court.

The court ruled against the man Thursday, saying local authorities were within their rights to fine him for hiking nude past a family cooking area.

The court acknowledged that hiking naked, in and of itself, is not a crime under the Swiss penal code. But it said canton officials do have the right to uphold laws regarding public decency.

The case started when the man, hiking naked in the eastern canton, or township, of Appenzell on Sunday afternoon, passed a family with small children using a public barbecue. He also passed a Christian centre for recovering drug addicts.

Appenzell authorities fined the man, who is not named, 100 Swiss francs ($112 Cdn).

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In his appeal, the man tried to argue he could not have known that his nudity was illegal; the court rejected this.

It also found the fine did not impinge on the man's fundamental right of personal freedom.

Although Switzerland does not have a law against public nudity it does have one against public indecency, the BBC reports.

Geneva-based reporter Imogen Foulkes said naked hiking had become a popular pastime in Switzerland. But Appenzell is a deeply devout and conservative canton and many locals were offended by an influx of unclothed adventurers, Foulkes added. It voted to ban naked hiking in a public vote in 2009.

Canada has its own laws against public nudity. The criminal code states that it is "an offence punishable on summary conviction" to appear nude in a public place, or be nude and exposed to public view while on private property. The law does not apply to those with "lawful excuse."

Do you support a ban on public nudity? Why or why not? Are there some public spaces where you feel nudity is more acceptable than others?