| Author | Message | ||
     Hootowl |
Http://WWW.liveleak.Com/e/07b_1284580365 I'd have a coronary half way up. | ||
| Sayitaintso |
My son got me to watch that a couple months ago. I had to look away a few times, like when the dude switched to the pegs from the ladder and when he disconnected the clip from the tower to move around. 99% of the time heights dont bother me and its usually worse for me to be watching someone else rather than doing the climbing myself. I bet base jumpers would go nuts over something like that. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I'd LOVE to have that job. I can't imagine a more serene workplace and this is just a guess, but the pay probably isn't too shabby. The helmets have me a little confused though. At 1700 feet, why bother? | ||
| Hootowl |
The view might be nice, but you have to climb up the tower. Next time you visit the Empire State Building, take the stairs to the top floor. Now think about doing it on a ladder. I'd have a coronary half way up. | ||
| Glitch |
Here ya go Hoot, another coronary... | ||
| Aesquire |
I have a few base jumping friends. I never saw a cliff or building I was willing to try... but I've never been to angel falls or the late, lamented Twin towers. Takes more cojones than I have I believe. I have been busted by security trying to get a Hang Glider to the top of the Xerox Tower. http://rocwiki.org/Xerox_Tower Recon had been successful, but getting a 12 ft bundle into the freight elevator twigged the guards... darn it. I had the landing area scoped out ( nearby park ) retrieve crew was ready... and were nice enough to pick me up after 5 hours of very polite talking with some very "nice" security folk. ( hey, no criminal record for that, that's NICE ) Ah, well. One of my base jumping buds worked his way through college painting antennas. Where possible, after he finished, he'd jump it. He's crazy, of course. The helmets have me a little confused though... Lot's of sticking out bits to bang your head on on a tower. A lid turns a stunned/slip/fall to doom, into a oops, I'm fine. Only takes a split second to let go, and a scalp cut can run into your eyes and temporarily blind you. I've been to the top of a 750 footer. They move. A lot. | ||
| Iamike |
They've removed the video. The helmet protects you from something dropped by someone above you. We had 2 tower crew guys fired because they weren't wearing theirs when the top guy dropped a crescent wrench from about 30' higher. The lower guy was lucky he was belted when he was hit. It would have been a long fall down. | ||
| Augustus74 |
Video worked for me. Completely effin' crazy. Wonder what the oxygen is like up there(at what elev. does it thin out)?? | ||
| Kc10_fe |
I prefer high altitude fundrums with seat belts. Theres only so much which can go horribly wrong in so little time.  | ||
| Skinstains |
I make my way working up high building towers and taking them down. It ain't all it's cracked up to be. Cold and windy even when it's nice on the ground. Stinging insect hives. Bird nests (some birds are big and mean), bird turd. I don't think the tower in the vid is in the US, I think there are only two of them like 1,700 ft. tall in the world. But that might be an old stat so don't hold me to it. Maybe they don't do it on those towers because they are exceptionally tall but with a little rigging and a "hot-hoist" or a "philly" on the ground you can run all the workers up in a minute or two. Way easier than climbing. The thing that I didn't like was that those doods were wearing gloves !!! Maybe it's just me but I hate gloves all of the time and I don't think I ever climbed steel wearing gloves. That's spooky. | ||
| J2blue |
There is a TV tower in downtown Atlanta I climbed with a friend late one Friday night back in 1988. The tower is still there, I think. No elevator on it, just 800 feet of ladder before reaching the top platform, then another ladder mounted to the guide tube for another 200 feet. We decided not to push our luck any higher and began our descent. It took about 2 hours of climbing up, and about 45 minutes down. We were mostly sober when we finally touched ground. The video posted above makes me edgy now. Something about getting older, perhaps wiser that makes such activities more frightening than thrilling. Oh well. At least those guys are getting paid for it. | ||
| Ducbsa |
How is the top installed? Is the tower designed for a special crane that climbs and then sets the top? | ||
| Glitch |
Closest I've ever been to base jumping was jumping off a 150 foot crane with a big rubber band tied to my ankles. | ||
| Hootowl |
Did that out of a hot air balloon. My brain shut off. I don't remember jumping, just falling. | ||
| 86129squids |
Aint this a repost? Still kooky to watch- don't think I'd put that vid on full-screen to watch...  | ||
| Cityxslicker |
the worlds highest suspension bridge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD4nqiCldFo&feature =related it is a wood slate construction and sways in the wind when a car is on it.... I lost my lunch half way through and by the end was in dry heave spasms. I will never be an X gamer. | ||
| Skinstains |
I would think that a climbing crane or gin-pole wasn't used building this as it would cost a lot more than having a helo-lift bring it up. Those towers just aren't designed for any running gear. | ||
| Skinstains |
Kc, that there aero-plane gig you got is some crazy sh*t ! You have to trust others and that's nuts ! Keep on keepin' on... | ||
| Luftkoph |
you know skinstains I worked erecting electrical transmission towers and all most always wore gloves,a lot of sharp edges and galvanizing flash,and tall boots with steel shanks in them,because that 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide steel lacing would hurt my arches. You are so wright its not a barrel of fun always, winter in western nebraska were the wind could peel your frozen skin off or ice cover steel in virginia that you had to bang the steel with hammers before you could climb,oh the good old days, not} | ||
| Court |
I spent years climbing wood poles and steel towers. . . steel is always 10o colder in the winter and 10o hotter in the summer. In Western Nebraska or Kansas you can about double that. I've got some fun photos of when I used to put aviation balls on electrical transmission lines over little obstacles line the Mississippi River. The disclaimer I employ, when presenting to my safety classes, is that I was doing it 3 years prior to the creation of OSHA. Fortunately electric transmission towers get special treatment under Sub-Part V. Last year I had the opportunity to go up to do some mid-span repairs on some conductors that none of the folks wanted to have anything to do with . . . I also, a couple years ago, decided to climb a smoke stack we'd erected that day. I found I don't have the tolerance for heights I used to. . . and I never got anywhere over 400' so that radio tower is many orders of magnitude beyond what I can even imagine. . . it does make my palms sweat.  | ||
| Iamike |
The thing that I like about these videos is that it makes people realize that someone has to do those jobs that most wouldn't I concur with Court. I don't think I could ever climb a 500' tower anymore. | ||
| Court |
Old timers will recall MikeyP's pics of working atop the World Trade Center. Somewhere I've got pics from when we put the emergency generators on the roof. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Court, I distinctly remember those pictures.. Scared the crap out of me.. The Royal Gorge bridge is cool.... talk about pucker factor..... | ||
| F_skinner |
Well Brad, that reminds me of one of the S2 Gatherings you missed. I cannot remember which one it was, wait.... The Royal Gorge has free entry for fathers on Fathers Day every year. The last day of the S2 Gathering, Mr. Jack Von Voast played Dad to Mike (Buffalobolt) and I. I thought I has some pictures in the canyon but do not for some reason...  | ||
| Skinstains |
I know what you mean about the sharp and cold and so-on but the only gloves I ever wore were Filson Merino fingerless ones and I only wore them 5 to 10 times a year, if that and I work in NYC where it does get cold. I guess it's just me because you are right most folks do wear them. The boots I wore were Westco Highliners with steel in the arch as well as the heel. I never even thought twice about dropping big coin on gear as it makes all the difference in the world. | ||
| Court |
Ahhhhh . . . . WESCO . . .now you're talking REAL gear. For years they have been the gold standard for Linemen. |
