World's Largest Rope Swing

[Darren Dirt]

at first I was like "neat idea"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B36Lr0Unp4

and then I was like I WANT!




I guess adrenaline-junkies' high free-jumping records are made to be broken


(anything is possible with these amazing humans bodies, plus strong belief, training, practice ... and fearlessness! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7V-8v8tOJQ )

(there's fearlessness... and then there's just unparalleled stupidity     )

...or maybe not unparalled: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gMztVVIn_U (at 0:49 I almost threw up)

[Mr. Analog]

That looks like a lot of fun heh.

Weird editing though and lots of coloured filters, if it looks bright to me it must be neon to you guys lol

[Darren Dirt]

I think I suddenly really like my job... no death-defying gravity-ignoring required.


View From Working On Top Of The Burj Khalifa -- just another day on the jorb for a friendly maintenance engineer guy with a helmet on (for safety!) and tons of ropes attached to his harness, needs to do some work at the very top (only 2400 feet up, no biggie). 


if you're impatient, the place in the video where he finally climbs over the edge (and you see the view down!) is starting around 3:10. My stomach is presently in knots from watching -- especially around the 7 minute mark! (I was imagining I'm right next to him, enjoying the wind and the view).

*eep, there's a separate video clip where the guy behind the camera practically climbs down too -- nice camera angle! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuAoTD037Mc

[Mr. Analog]

Not a place if you don't like heights heh

[Darren Dirt]

guess what? I found a WORSE (more butthole-tightening) video of someone "just doing their job"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A_h2AjJaMw
^ 1700 foot communication tower... includes "FREE CLIMBING" a simple ladder. Without nothing outside the ladder rungs to protect him. No, I'm not joking. :eep:

(serious cringing begins around 1:20) (and at 2:40 I actually started pulling at my hair out of stress. YIKES!)



(in case the above goes dead, here's another copy of this 8 minutes of "Why Am I Still Watching This!?" insanity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a411J1PoD5g )




here's my totally favorite part:

[Thorin]

That last one, where the guy is free-climbing with no safety line, that is something I could never do.  Even with my irrational fear of heights and usual vertigo when looking over the edge, I can abseil / rappel down if I have the ropes and harness.  But free-climbing hand pegs at a third of a mile up?  WTF!!

[Darren Dirt]

But free-climbing hand pegs at a third of a mile up?  WTF!!

I just love the casual "oh, my leg is itchy, let's look down while scratching it to REALLY mess with the viewers of this video!"

[Mr. Analog]

Oh man, that's nuts. I hope they get decent pay for that

[Thorin]

But free-climbing hand pegs at a third of a mile up?  WTF!!

I just love the casual "oh, my leg is itchy, let's look down while scratching it to REALLY mess with the viewers of this video!"

Re-watch that part - he'd totally tied off by clipping onto the hand peg / bolt-that-his-clip-could-easily-tie-off-on.  The part that gets me is when he gets to the top, ends up standing right next to the big light, and LETS GO WITH BOTH HANDS.  I mean, hey, you're standing on a good two square feet with both hands, why bother holding on anymore?

[Mr. Analog]

Actually I'm kinda surprised about how he was "tying off" anyway, using an open ended hand grip doesn't seem all that smart actually.

It would make more sense to use the grip as a tie off point /after/ wrapping the rope around the central beam (or using the tie holes on the central discs he passed a couple of times).

[Thorin]

"doesn't seem all that smart", "would make more sense"

the guy is friggin' free-climbing on the outside of a metal structure at 1,700 feet (500+ meters!) in the air.  I would suggest he's not using common sense or being smart, but rather that he's over-confident and cock-sure.  Of course, maybe it's the fact that he's got the stones do free-climb up there that makes him actually less likely to fall, I dunno.  All I know is I would put up with the inconvenience of a safety rope.

[Darren Dirt]

"doesn't seem all that smart", "would make more sense"

the guy is friggin' free-climbing on the outside of a metal structure at 1,700 feet (500+ meters!) in the air.  I would suggest he's not using common sense or being smart, but rather that he's over-confident and cock-sure.  Of course, maybe it's the fact that he's got the stones do free-climb up there that makes him actually less likely to fall, I dunno.  All I know is I would put up with the inconvenience of a safety rope.

Apparently that's pretty much the only way to do maintenance on the antenna in these kind of situations -- the more "safety" stuff you build into the very top, the stronger and thus wider the base would have to be, and it's no longer just a mast, pretty soon it's a TOWER.


And yeah I noticed he is clipped in various times (though it seems more for show than actual safety, I mean a moderate sideways motion and that "clip" is sliding off and he's on his way down), including the leg scratch -- it's just the fact that he looked DIRECTLY DOWN during the leg scratch, that's the worst vertigo moment of the video up to that point (until he gets to the very top and has practically nothing to "hold onto", I was totally squirming in my chair, just hoping an unexpected gust of strong wind doesn't suddenly hit...)



HEY COMM TOWER CLIMBER GUY Y U NO WEAR PARACHUTE?

[Darren Dirt]

But free-climbing hand pegs at a third of a mile up?  WTF!!

I just love the casual "oh, my leg is itchy, let's look down while scratching it to REALLY mess with the viewers of this video!"

more vertigo video fun to share!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxBJfwAM7fg
600 feet up, Russian climbing some skyscrapers including statues etc. at the top of some of them. helmet cam again. yeehaw!