I would insist on a parachute at least. Can you imagine the insurance cover these guys must have? You can't help but admire them (and others of their ilk who work at such crazy heights) and the job they do.
I'm surprised no one has invented a 'mini' parachute that would, at least, save their lives if they fell, leaving them with, at the most, a broken bone or two.
In my 20s I used to rock climb, and it always amazed me how you would 'stick' to the rock face, tiredness never being a factor - too much adrenalin and nervous energy carrying you through to the top. Biggest abseil I ever did was a 200+ feet, and that was an amazing buzz. We (a friend and I) would see how few contacts with the rock wall we could get to the bottom in: so literally kicking off from the wall, dropping, making contact with the rock wall, kicking off and dropping, until we landed. That was a real buzz.
Mind you, one summer I worked for PGL Adventure as an Outdoor Activity Instructor (Assault Course, Abseiling, Canoeing, Archery, .22 Rifle Shooting, and general fun) as Hillcrest farm in the Wye Valley - on one particular summer evening a group of us (staff) were having a lift down to Ross-on-Wye in one of the long wheel base Landrovers, to a local pub. One of the instructors suggested hedge surfing.
Hedge surfing? I was up for a laugh. Hedge surfing involved climbing out of the moving vehicle, holding onto to luggage rack on the roof and traversing around the outside of the vehicle until you returned to your starting point, and whislt on the sides of the Landrover, you'd stick your arse out and see how close you could skim the passing hedges of the country lane. Telegraph poles presented an added extra 'challenge' (usually to see who could pull their butt in closest to the telegraph pole. Mind you, it was a bit scary stepping over the wheel arches, especially when the vehicle is still doing about 20 - 30 mph down the lane.
Oh, the sheer stupidity and ignorance of youth... but what a laugh we had.
OMG! Watching that made my pulse race. The free climb is crazy. I kept thinking about unexpected gusts of wind that could throw off their balance. Crazy. It's interesting though, but I never used to be much afarid of hights until I became a mom. Now, I get shaky when I'm on the roof or climbing the old oak tree in our back yard.
7 comments:
Just watching this makes me queasy!
When he stands at the very top taking his time to clip on, I'm thinking, 'For Christ's sake, man, CLIP ON!'
I agree, certainly had me feeling giddy. Forget balls of steel - these guys have balls of 'The Wolverine'!
Free climbing. No. Just so wrong. I've had to have a lie down.
I would insist on a parachute at least. Can you imagine the insurance cover these guys must have? You can't help but admire them (and others of their ilk who work at such crazy heights) and the job they do.
Nerves of steel. But how is it allowed? Whatever happened to Health and Safety assessments? There could be a really good story in this!
I'm surprised no one has invented a 'mini' parachute that would, at least, save their lives if they fell, leaving them with, at the most, a broken bone or two.
In my 20s I used to rock climb, and it always amazed me how you would 'stick' to the rock face, tiredness never being a factor - too much adrenalin and nervous energy carrying you through to the top. Biggest abseil I ever did was a 200+ feet, and that was an amazing buzz. We (a friend and I) would see how few contacts with the rock wall we could get to the bottom in: so literally kicking off from the wall, dropping, making contact with the rock wall, kicking off and dropping, until we landed. That was a real buzz.
Mind you, one summer I worked for PGL Adventure as an Outdoor Activity Instructor (Assault Course, Abseiling, Canoeing, Archery, .22 Rifle Shooting, and general fun) as Hillcrest farm in the Wye Valley - on one particular summer evening a group of us (staff) were having a lift down to Ross-on-Wye in one of the long wheel base Landrovers, to a local pub. One of the instructors suggested hedge surfing.
Hedge surfing? I was up for a laugh. Hedge surfing involved climbing out of the moving vehicle, holding onto to luggage rack on the roof and traversing around the outside of the vehicle until you returned to your starting point, and whislt on the sides of the Landrover, you'd stick your arse out and see how close you could skim the passing hedges of the country lane. Telegraph poles presented an added extra 'challenge' (usually to see who could pull their butt in closest to the telegraph pole. Mind you, it was a bit scary stepping over the wheel arches, especially when the vehicle is still doing about 20 - 30 mph down the lane.
Oh, the sheer stupidity and ignorance of youth... but what a laugh we had.
OMG! Watching that made my pulse race. The free climb is crazy. I kept thinking about unexpected gusts of wind that could throw off their balance. Crazy. It's interesting though, but I never used to be much afarid of hights until I became a mom. Now, I get shaky when I'm on the roof or climbing the old oak tree in our back yard.
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