Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

Mike Harrison wrote:

Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

DKUATB!

On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

God almighty... made me feel genuinely sick watching that...

Lobster wrote:
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

God almighty... made me feel genuinely sick watching that...

Me too. I need a stiff drink.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"Mike Harrison" wrote in message
...
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

Utube have removed it. I can't help feeling it was a hoax.

--
Peter Crosland

On Sep 16, 9:02 pm, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effecthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

Once you've gone up a few hundred feet you get used to it. At least
the tower is reasonably safe to climb and things are not falling down
on you.
I've done plenty of abseiling where rocks are likely to fall on you.
I've also abseiled down a couple of waterfalls which is quite fun.

On 16/09/2010 11:57, Matty F wrote:
On Sep 16, 9:02 pm, Mike wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effecthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

Once you've gone up a few hundred feet you get used to it. At least
the tower is reasonably safe to climb and things are not falling down
on you.
I've done plenty of abseiling where rocks are likely to fall on you.
I've also abseiled down a couple of waterfalls which is quite fun.

Try canyonning - lots of fun.

On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

....well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

"Vortex7" wrote in message
...
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Jesus wept, I dunno whether that demonstrates guts or stupidity.

brass monkey wrote:

"Vortex7" wrote in message
...
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Jesus wept, I dunno whether that demonstrates guts or stupidity.

Indeed. At least the aerial cowboys do it because somebody pays
them.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 16/09/2010 13:33, Chris J Dixon wrote:
brass monkey wrote:

wrote in message
...
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Jesus wept, I dunno whether that demonstrates guts or stupidity.

Indeed. At least the aerial cowboys do it because somebody pays
them.

Chris

I would not do either, even if the pay was very generous.

On 16 Sep, 12:28, Vortex7 wrote:
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:

Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xwis on a par
with it.

The story on this place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino_del_Rey

In message , Vortex7
writes
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a
par with it.


Oh yes - I remember that one from elsewhere

Terrible - no wheelchair access

--
geoff

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:28:29 +0100, Vortex7 wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.



--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:13:06 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on
a
par with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.

This is another fun one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9UZbnNjJbY

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk, Dave
Liquorice scribeth thus
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:13:06 +0100 (BST), Dave Liquorice wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on
a
par with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.

This is another fun one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9UZbnNjJbY


In the same vein motorised this one. Seems also that people do mountain
bike roads down it to see if they can survive ..something to tell the
children I suppose and thats ... !!!! NOT TO DO IT !!!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unQFk...eature=related
--
Tony Sayer

In article o.uk, Dave
Liquorice scribeth thus
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:28:29 +0100, Vortex7 wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.



Well it seems you've got some sort of safety wire..

Course that may not be in that good a nick either;!..


Really dunno why they don't use a railok system for these towers in the
states. I wouldn't mind that sort of height, after all once your above a
few 10's of feet the outcome is likely to be the same anyway, just needs
one slip and that can an does happen quite easily .. and the weather
there is fine at the moment but wind and rain can kick in very quickly
then its a differing ball game!..

Don't know why someone doesn't develop a simpler to maintain tower light
system..
--
Tony Sayer

On 16/09/2010 23:13, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:28:29 +0100, Vortex7 wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.

I'm like that. My wife and I went around Conway castle and I was
frighted almost out of my skin, by imagining that the walls would
crumble. Many years later, I had to do some work on the top of a Tornado
F3 to fit a camera, at a hight of about 25 feet from the floor, not that
high. I had to work on the top of a scaffolding platform and it didn't
bother me one bit. On the other hand, there are some very delicate
coaxial cables that had to be pulled back and stowed and the electrician
who had to do this job came up on the platform and he stood at the other
side of the fin as I started to rock my body weight, to make the
scaffold rock from side to side.

He said f*** this, I can't do this job and was never seen up there again.

Like you, I have confidence in modern structures, but not the old ones.

Blackpool tower is quite close by and they have fitted a glass panel in
the floor of the observation platform. I'm not sure if I could stand on
this, due to it being an old tower, but a new panel, so I'm not going up
there :-(

Dave

Dave wrote:
On 16/09/2010 23:13, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:28:29 +0100, Vortex7 wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.

I'm like that. My wife and I went around Conway castle and I was
frighted almost out of my skin, by imagining that the walls would
crumble. Many years later, I had to do some work on the top of a Tornado
F3 to fit a camera, at a hight of about 25 feet from the floor, not that
high. I had to work on the top of a scaffolding platform and it didn't
bother me one bit. On the other hand, there are some very delicate
coaxial cables that had to be pulled back and stowed and the electrician
who had to do this job came up on the platform and he stood at the other
side of the fin as I started to rock my body weight, to make the
scaffold rock from side to side.

He said f*** this, I can't do this job and was never seen up there again.

Like you, I have confidence in modern structures, but not the old ones.


Id rather trust something that has been up for 600 years than something
put up yesterday by a drunk scaffolding crew who haven't tightened the
bolts..


Blackpool tower is quite close by and they have fitted a glass panel in
the floor of the observation platform. I'm not sure if I could stand on
this, due to it being an old tower, but a new panel, so I'm not going up
there :-(


One of the most spectacular climbs I did..not allowed now .. was the
pyramid at Chichen Itza. 45 degrees 'staircase' with only a guide rope
and carrying 20kg of photo gear, in 35C/ 90% humidity..

http://www.opentravelinfo.com/files/...za_pyramid.jpg


coming down was worse.

Dave

On 17/09/2010 18:19, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Dave wrote:
On 16/09/2010 23:13, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:28:29 +0100, Vortex7 wrote:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a
par
with it.

Given a choice I'd rather go up the mast than trust 100 year old
crumbling concrete and rusting iron work cantilevered off a cliff
face.

I'm like that. My wife and I went around Conway castle and I was
frighted almost out of my skin, by imagining that the walls would
crumble. Many years later, I had to do some work on the top of a
Tornado F3 to fit a camera, at a hight of about 25 feet from the
floor, not that high. I had to work on the top of a scaffolding
platform and it didn't bother me one bit. On the other hand, there are
some very delicate coaxial cables that had to be pulled back and
stowed and the electrician who had to do this job came up on the
platform and he stood at the other side of the fin as I started to
rock my body weight, to make the scaffold rock from side to side.

He said f*** this, I can't do this job and was never seen up there again.

Like you, I have confidence in modern structures, but not the old ones.


Id rather trust something that has been up for 600 years than something
put up yesterday by a drunk scaffolding crew who haven't tightened the
bolts..


Blackpool tower is quite close by and they have fitted a glass panel
in the floor of the observation platform. I'm not sure if I could
stand on this, due to it being an old tower, but a new panel, so I'm
not going up there :-(


One of the most spectacular climbs I did..not allowed now .. was the
pyramid at Chichen Itza. 45 degrees 'staircase' with only a guide rope
and carrying 20kg of photo gear, in 35C/ 90% humidity..

http://www.opentravelinfo.com/files/...za_pyramid.jpg


coming down was worse.

I could well understand why, one missed step and you hit the bottom :-(

By by life.

Dave

On 17/09/2010 22:29, Huge wrote:
On 2010-09-17, wrote:

Blackpool tower is quite close by and they have fitted a glass panel in
the floor of the observation platform. I'm not sure if I could stand on
this, due to it being an old tower, but a new panel, so I'm not going up
there :-(

The CN tower ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cn_tower

... has a glass floored observation gallery. I've stood on it;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CNTowerNastyFall.jpg

You still wouldn't get me to climb up the outside!

Me neither now. I have done with heights except our gutters and the
house is slightly dormered.

Dave

On 17/09/2010 22:29, Huge wrote:
On 2010-09-17, wrote:

Blackpool tower is quite close by and they have fitted a glass panel in
the floor of the observation platform. I'm not sure if I could stand on
this, due to it being an old tower, but a new panel, so I'm not going up
there :-(

The CN tower ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cn_tower

... has a glass floored observation gallery. I've stood on it;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CNTowerNastyFall.jpg

BTDTGTTS - see my gut and grubby trainers here!:
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/6961/img2080mediumv.jpg

You still wouldn't get me to climb up the outside!

Indeed - I really don't like heights at all; but the glass floor didn't
bother me in the slightest whereas I'd rather shoot myself than climb
that antenna tower.

David

Huge wrote:

The CN tower ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cn_tower

... has a glass floored observation gallery. I've stood on it;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CNTowerNastyFall.jpg

You still wouldn't get me to climb up the outside!

I've never been good with heights, but recall, during a spell
(years ago) at Eggborough power station, visiting the boiler
house. The floor at 135 ft was open mesh. If you looked down, as
you moved, it blurred and disappeared. The only solution, to
avoid tripping over stuff, was to look far enough away that it
appeared solid.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 16/09/2010 12:28, Vortex7 wrote:
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Or how about this one (speed free-climber Dan Osman [RIP])
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A

On 16/09/2010 23:36, Lobster wrote:
On 16/09/2010 12:28, Vortex7 wrote:
On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

...well that made my arse "wink".

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

Or how about this one (speed free-climber Dan Osman [RIP])
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A



Yes.

As we say, there are old climbers, and there are bold climbers. But
there are no old, bold climbers.

--
Ron

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Vortex7
saying something like:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._del_Rey_3.jpg

Holy crap.
The Spanish are just a leetle bit less concerned with daft H&S rules, it
must be said.

On 18/09/2010 01:27, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Vortex7
saying something like:

But I think this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw is on a par
with it.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._del_Rey_3.jpg

Holy crap.
The Spanish are just a leetle bit less concerned with daft H&S rules, it
must be said.

But perhaps this is case where H&S rules aren't quite such a daft idea?

Incidentally according to the Wikipdia article access to it is actually
illegal (though minimally enforced).

David

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mike Harrison
saying something like:

Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

Holy ****e.

It is quite genuine, I have seen a similar video before of the same
mast and I recall there is another very close to it. There was a very
similar climbing pattern & equally miserable safety system shown on
television not so long ago, the task was to climb and document *at
night* the electrical junctions and arrays on the Empire State
Building.

The bottom part was "acceptable" ladder climbing.
What terrified was where the ladder ran out... and he was left to
climb "spike steps"... past a lightning tree to snag you... then test
around the grey beams for a handhold to pull up past a triangular I-
beam platform... then up little more than a pole to stand on the very
top "iphone-sized" shelf on the very top of the pole re light.

You need incredible confidence that nothing has rusted, is properly
secured, to me knowing other people's workmanship it seems little more
than russian roulette. Unbelievable confidence and balance required...
no middle ear infection need apply.

Worse is getting down... because you have to look for and find every
step.

On 16/09/2010 10:02, Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

That is the most boring and pointless video I have ever had to endure.

Dave

In message , Mike Harrison
writes
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE


In fact just as scary as the link posted a couple of days ago in the
"how many madmen does it take to change a lightbulb" thread



--
geoff

"Mike Harrison" wrote in message
...
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE


Pah!... Wasn't even raining either...

Mike Harrison wrote:
Scariest thing I've ever seen - watch in fullscreen or full effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uccjrp5NRYE

( Working-at-the-time-of-writing YouTube vid he
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRIbo7cvmQs )

I'll see your Working At Height Regulations and raise you... :-)

Actually rather reminded me of working aloft on a square-rigged sailing
ship, which I do for a couple of weeks every year or so. I notice he
uses at times the same technique I do; holding onto the inside of the
ladder so that you grip with your forearms rather than your hands and so
exercise the biceps rather than the smaller gripping muscles. We have
the same system of a short tether to clip on once you get where you're
going, or for a rest, although we also have fixed safety lines to put
the tether onto while doing the trickier transitions.

Obviously we're not as high - not that it matters in practice as above a
certain height you're just as dead either way. It also feels a bit less
exposed as there are sails and stuff around you: http://is.gd/ffrJ8 . On
the other hand, ours is moving :-). And we don't get to pick a nice
still day to do it either - my last trip had me aloft at 2am, in a force
9 gale, Atlantic swell, and torrential hailstorm (although we don't
generally need to go right to the top in those conditions).

Makes an interesting change from the rest of the year when I sit my
lardy arse behind a desk and the furthest I walk is to the pub :-)

The only time I've scared myself aloft recently was when I started to
come down after greasing a wire rope. Thin slippery grease all over your
hands does not make for effective climbing!

Pete

Pete Verdon wrote:

Actually rather reminded me of working aloft on a square-rigged sailing
ship

These pics give more of an idea:

http://is.gd/fftlm
http://is.gd/ffto0
http://is.gd/fftxW
http://is.gd/fftzb
http://is.gd/fftBV

Pete

On 17/09/2010 20:25, Pete Verdon wrote:
Pete Verdon wrote:

Actually rather reminded me of working aloft on a square-rigged
sailing ship

These pics give more of an idea:

http://is.gd/fftlm
http://is.gd/ffto0
http://is.gd/fftxW
http://is.gd/fftzb
http://is.gd/fftBV

I can't see that bothering me too much after the first climb.

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand aloft? Now
that would scare me.

Dave

Dave wrote:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand aloft? Now
that would scare me.

Not sure what you mean. Stand on the masthead? There's a few crazy
people on the ships who do that. Would scare me too :-)

Pete

"Pete Verdon" d wrote in
message ...
Dave wrote:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand aloft? Now
that would scare me.

Not sure what you mean. Stand on the masthead? There's a few crazy people
on the ships who do that. Would scare me too :-)

Fred Dibnah worried me where he had to climb outwards to get onto a few
planks at the top of some chimbley he was pulling down with hammer and
chisel. Prostate cancer is the last thing I'd have expected him to die of.

Huge wrote:
On 2010-09-17, Pete Verdon
d wrote:
Dave wrote:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand
aloft? Now that would scare me.

Not sure what you mean. Stand on the masthead?

That's called "Dressing (or Manning) the mast (or yards)"
[...]There's some poor sod (the "button boy") who gets to stand on
the very top. [...] http://www.sloproom.co.uk/mast.htm

Ah, I see. On our ship, being on the yards in any other way than
standing on the footrope is forbidden, so no standing on top of it like
they are in that picture. Although I have done when working on things up
there, probably serving and blacking. The rules aren't as strictly
applied to Deckhands doing maintenance, compared to Voyage Crew.

Pete

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Dave
saying something like:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand aloft? Now
that would scare me.

Hornblower, final scene in one of the early episodes. Helicopter shot,
rather well done, from close-up to pulling away into the distance.

On 18/09/2010 01:47, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember
saying something like:

What's that prog on TV where they climb the rigging and stand aloft? Now
that would scare me.

Hornblower, final scene in one of the early episodes. Helicopter shot,
rather well done, from close-up to pulling away into the distance.

Probably stuffed left right and centre with hidden safety features.

Pete mentioned up-thread about going aloft on a square rigger but back
in the days when that was commonplace there was no safety gear.

And not so long ago when HMS Ganges (stone frigate at Shotley) was
operational as a training school for boy sailors they used to dress the
mast at the passing out parade with one boy standing on the button.

Seems its on the net as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htmC__eg8hc