CHUD.com Community › Forums › CULTURE, HUMOR, & FREE FORM › Misc. Culture › If only we could build a ladder to heaven...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

If only we could build a ladder to heaven...

post #1 of 42
9/17/10 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
... I'd apparently vomit and pass out early in the climb. I literally almost threw up watching this. (note: It's not gross, I just have a bad fear of heights)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjr...layer_embedded
Reply
post #2 of 42
9/17/10 at 10:43am
Whoa, wait, there's nothing but those little footholds for the last bit of the climb? Fuck that where it lives.
Reply
post #3 of 42
9/17/10 at 10:57am
How the hell do they even build those things. Workers going up there with the pieces to add must get paid really really well.
Reply
post #4 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
How the hell do they even build those things. Workers going up there with the pieces to add must get paid really really well.
I'm pretty sure these guys make into the six-figures. I'd have to make at the very least halfway into that territory, but I couldn't even do it if I wanted. I'd literally black out.
Reply
post #5 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:10am
I think I'd be less stressed in a bomb-disposal unit in Afghanistan than on that tower.
Reply
post #6 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:11am
I don't have a fear of heights. It's the sudden stop at the end should I fall that I fear.

Damn. That was an evil video.
Reply
post #7 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:30am
I wouldn't take that job for 150,000 a year. I would, however, do it once for a large sum of money.
Reply
post #8 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:31am
I´d rather get raped by a pack of n***** instead of even attempting to climb up there. This is actually horrifying.
Reply
post #9 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:43am
Thread Starter 
I love how he's hooking his safety hook to increasingly flimsy things the further up he goes, until it's almost laughable that he's using it at all.
Reply
post #10 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:44am
Whoa! Perilous heights!

With that said (and not to brag), I am confident I could handle it. I have advanced training in high altitude athletics and I don't think a straight up and down climb would pose a problem for me.
Reply
post #11 of 42
9/17/10 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeypants View Post
I love how he's hooking his safety hook to increasingly flimsy things the further up he goes, until it's almost laughable that he's using it at all.
He doesn't have a safety hook! That hook is dragging a 30 pound bag of tools behind him. Seriously, fuck that job. I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of heights while not being attached to anything 1700 feet in the air and no place to go when a big gust of wind or a storm comes!
Reply
post #12 of 42
9/17/10 at 12:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
He doesn't have a safety hook! That hook is dragging a 30 pound bag of tools behind him. Seriously, fuck that job. I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of heights while not being attached to anything 1700 feet in the air and no place to go when a big gust of wind or a storm comes!

I know what you mean. I am a confident climber when on belay, but there is no way I'm capable of feats like this:



EDIT: I thought that was a safety rope of some sort too till you pointed it out
Reply
post #13 of 42
9/17/10 at 12:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diva View Post
He doesn't have a safety hook! That hook is dragging a 30 pound bag of tools behind him. Seriously, fuck that job. I'm not afraid of heights. I'm afraid of heights while not being attached to anything 1700 feet in the air and no place to go when a big gust of wind or a storm comes!
Around 3:25 you see the hook is attached to his belt. He most likely has another hook on the belt that is carrying the tools. But still...

*EDIT* and 5:30 you see him take a break with it.

*EDIT2* I love how the second guy was like, "Fuck a tiny carabiner, I'm putting this giant fucking hook on there."
Reply
post #14 of 42
9/17/10 at 12:16pm
What the hell do they do once they get up there? Jesus, I thought we had robots for this kind of shit. I am also glad there was no sound to the actual ascent, as I imagine it would be filled with the guy going 'What the fuck am I doing? Fuck this job. Oh great, now there's even less of a ladder. Fucking Patriots blowing the Super Bowl. I would be rich right now and on the ground and not up here, god dammit."
Reply
post #15 of 42
9/17/10 at 12:23pm
I had to get up a mere 33 feet unsecured once on a rig so I could fix a huge ass press. I think I had about ten cramps from tensing up so hard. I had cramps in muscles I didn't know I had. And for the next half hour I could barely stand on my left leg. It started shaking uncontrollably whenever I tried to use it. Now I feel even more like a bitch than I already did.
Reply
post #16 of 42
9/17/10 at 12:50pm
I didn't *think* that I had a fear of heights. A healthy respect for them, sure...and no desire to go tapdancing on rooftop ledges, but my sweaty palms are telling me something different right now. And then I thought of trying to go *down* from there. Down would be even worse for me!

You couldn't get me up there at gunpoint without a parachute and six other forms of safety contraptions.
Reply
post #17 of 42
9/17/10 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeypants View Post
I'm pretty sure these guys make into the six-figures. I'd have to make at the very least halfway into that territory, but I couldn't even do it if I wanted. I'd literally black out.
If they are contracted workers, they make good money. Even if they work for the tower, they make good money. My buddy use to do simular work, not as crazy high, but installing and service wind generators, and his pay was over 100K a year.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stelios View Post
I had to get up a mere 33 feet unsecured once on a rig so I could fix a huge ass press. I think I had about ten cramps from tensing up so hard. I had cramps in muscles I didn't know I had. And for the next half hour I could barely stand on my left leg. It started shaking uncontrollably whenever I tried to use it. Now I feel even more like a bitch than I already did.
You have to know how to put yourself into a certian zone mentally. I've worked at some crazy height before, the tallest being the US Bank building in Milwaukee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Ba...ter_(Milwaukee)

The company I used to work for, we built, and installed the cabinet that is mounted to the upper fascia of the building. It was pretty intesnse the first time we had to hang over the edge to install it... thank god for cigerettes.
Reply
post #18 of 42
9/17/10 at 1:24pm
Can these guys even get insurance? If so, they probably have to make six figures just to cover the premiums.
Reply
post #19 of 42
9/17/10 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson View Post
Can these guys even get insurance? If so, they probably have to make six figures just to cover the premiums.
insured through the company they work for I'm sure. Most likely these guys are contracted out, and the insurance cost is figured into how much they charge. When I did install, which is nothing like they are doing btw, I had a 200k life insurance policy from day 1.
Reply
post #20 of 42
9/17/10 at 2:11pm
Insurance wouldn't be too bad. The company can either bank on paying out the death benefit or nothing. There is no in between.
Reply
post #21 of 42
9/17/10 at 2:38pm
"This is the tricky part... getting on top."

Oh my...

ETA - One of the comments:

"*reaches the top*

*Drops his tool box*

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCC CKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!"
Reply
post #22 of 42
9/17/10 at 3:02pm
I used to work as a scaffolder before Uni, obviously I didn't go up that high but I regularly had to do jobs on blocks of flats, between 15-20 storeys, and you do get used to it. As the scaffold goes up there is no handrail so you have to board out the levels (ie. put a walkway in) with nothing on either side of you except a 100ft drop, now that's the scary bit. Especially when you are carrying two heavy planks of wood on your shoulder and it's quite windy!

The safety harnesses, cables, hooks etc are incredibly safe and strong these days, as long as you are clipped on there is no chance of falling. If you get over the initial fear and put your trust in the safety equipment you'll be flying up and down them like a monkey in no time. It is very handsomely paid as well.

Some of the old timers used to do all this with NO harness or lines, yeah, they were fucking nutjobs.
Reply
post #23 of 42
9/17/10 at 3:23pm
The video's been pulled at the request of the man who took the video.

Quote:
On Monday he was getting calls from colleagues telling him that they were concerned about what the video showed. His world is a very small one, and you don’t want to bite the hand that feeds you! Some facility owners are pretty uptight about liability and such and may not hire him if they think he does not take safety seriously.

So he asked me to take it down, and I did. That was Monday morning (Sep 13, 2010). Today (Sep 15) he told me it was up on You Tube, by the time I looked at it it had over 77,000 views. It was on more than a dozen websites. The chance that someone important would see it was increasing rapidly. So the video most of you saw was one that had been ripped off from my website before I took it down. I wrote asking the guy who put it up to take it down but got no response so I contacted You Tube.
Reply
post #24 of 42
9/17/10 at 3:28pm
I wondered why the other guy's face was blurred out.
Reply
post #25 of 42
9/17/10 at 3:31pm
Well... um... crap.

"Paul" has a comment on that blog:

"Sorry mate but, once it’s on the internet that’s it. You’ll never get it off. A search for 1768ft on google shows up at least ten sites that have their own copies of the video. “Radio tower climb” is another heavy google hit.

The guy was mad to pretend that free climbing that tower is allowed under any kind of regulations. I hope he doesn’t lose his job but, he’s only got himself to blame by being that careless about his safety.

I would try and turn it into positive press somehow because, believe me you are never going to get it removed now. I’m in the UK and I’ve got friends in New Zealand, France and Germany who have all seen it."

I agree.
Reply
post #26 of 42
9/17/10 at 6:34pm
The audio in the version I watched said free climbing was allowed by OSHA. I'm guessing that's incorrect?
Reply
post #27 of 42
9/17/10 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
Ha, guy thinks this monkey goes back in the bottle?

Honestly though, I still feel bad for people in these situations because I can see how you'd post the vid and maybe not think through the full ramifications. I hope he doesn't lose his job over it.
Reply
post #28 of 42
9/17/10 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Happenin View Post
What the hell do they do once they get up there? Jesus, I thought we had robots for this kind of shit. I am also glad there was no sound to the actual ascent, as I imagine it would be filled with the guy going 'What the fuck am I doing? Fuck this job. Oh great, now there's even less of a ladder. Fucking Patriots blowing the Super Bowl. I would be rich right now and on the ground and not up here, god dammit."
My guess is he's replacing that light to warn aircraft. Once one goes out the FAA requires that it is replaced ASAP or the owners of the structure get a hefty fine. Which means within a couple of hours, day or night, someone will be climbing up with a replacement.

What scares me about that video is that it is hard to tell if the tower is moving. Just from inferred knowledge about structures like that I think the wind would cause it to sway at the top like a ship at sea.
Reply
post #29 of 42
9/17/10 at 8:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleeplesslumber View Post
What scares me about that video is that it is hard to tell if the tower is moving. Just from inferred knowledge about structures like that I think the wind would cause it to sway at the top like a ship at sea.
Oh I'm sure it was. Which makes that moment where he oh so casually reaches down to scratch his leg that much more unnerving.

Ugh. The balls on these guys.
Reply
post #30 of 42
9/17/10 at 8:44pm
What about when a light or whatever goes out in the MIDDLE OF WINTER?
Reply
post #31 of 42
9/17/10 at 9:10pm
I had a really terrible fear of heights when I was younger. I froze up on long flights of stairs, most notably on a ridiculously low to the ground Civil War monument in Vicksburg, MS, but also just household flights of stairs or intimidating hills. This scaled up a bit as I aged, but it remained terrifying and embarrassing. I've been sky diving and mountain climbing since then, I've taken a fair number of flight lessons and I totally walked up and down those towering 6 feet tall Civil War monument stairs that haunted my childhood. I've believed for years I was completely done with any fear of heights.

Fuck. This. Video.
Reply
post #32 of 42
9/18/10 at 5:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trejo View Post
What about when a light or whatever goes out in the MIDDLE OF WINTER?
Free ice climbing?
Reply
post #33 of 42
9/18/10 at 6:05pm
I'd much rather do this for a living than work in an office or in retail or something. But I've always liked climbing and being high up.
Reply
post #34 of 42
9/19/10 at 10:06pm
Anyone have a new/alternate link?
Reply
post #35 of 42
9/19/10 at 11:37pm
Ask and ye shall receive.

http://bitsandpieces.us/2010/09/15/c...mission-tower/
Reply
post #36 of 42
9/20/10 at 12:16am
Why don't the companies just train Base Jumpers how to fix the towers? Much quicker and easier way down, right?
Reply
post #37 of 42
9/20/10 at 12:55am
Fuuuuuuck that.

My feet were tingling in that very uncomfortable way the whole time brother was climbing...
Reply
post #38 of 42
9/20/10 at 3:13am
Meh. I'm sure it wasn't that bad. The wide-angle on that helmet camera really exaggerated the distances.

(cowers and weeps in the corner)

Every time I thought he'd reached the top, he'd simply be taking a little breather before continuing onto an even MORE perilous level. Jeeeeeeez...

SHOOT THAT SHIT IN IMAX 3D! That's what the technology is for!
Reply
post #39 of 42
9/21/10 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
I was almost yelling at my monitor when he gets to that semi-final pole with just the pegs on the side. And THEN he climbs all the way on top.
Reply
post #40 of 42
9/21/10 at 11:27am
How are you guys viewing the video? It was taken down due to copy right infringement. I tried to watch it and that's what YouTube claimed, at least
Reply
post #41 of 42
9/21/10 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Princess Kate View Post
How are you guys viewing the video? It was taken down due to copy right infringement. I tried to watch it and that's what YouTube claimed, at least

With some help from the Almighty.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlmightyShmun View Post
Reply
post #42 of 42
9/21/10 at 12:28pm
I thought I had balls for...

A. Hanging outside my bro-in-law's 3rd floor attic window with a rope around my waist so I could help him with house painting
B. Jumping off a cliff at a waterfall in the middle of a rainforest in Oahu


Nope. These guys have balls.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Misc. Culture
CHUD.com Community › Forums › CULTURE, HUMOR, & FREE FORM › Misc. Culture › If only we could build a ladder to heaven...