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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
we can build something like that as well as climb something like that. crayzee!!
(No, I'm not stupid enough to free-climb it. But if they were patient enough to let me keep the safety line hooked in, I'd love to try it.)
wait, WHAT?! Fuck this job!!
Intriguing. Having recently climbed to the summit of Mt. St. Helens (8375'), I can appreciate the sense of height though not the precarious way to go to that height. You're up "there" all right. Still, I can't help but wonder about the safety precautions of these fellows. I reckon they are adreneline junkies. Sure, they're harnessed but they're not in a cage (they unclip frequently too). And, servicing at that height just seems weird and impractical. How high must these towers have to be built? What is the point of diminishing returns? Can't the top of the tower be serviced another way? Dunno. Just seems unnecessary. But a cool video.
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! You wouldn't get me more than 20 feet up that thing without having me go into some sort of vertigo-induced convulsions!
I admire people who can do this with apparently no discomfort whatsoever; they're welcome to it. And I get the point of hooking on with the giant clip to give him enough support to drag his tool bag up behind him, but seriously how easy would it be for that clip to just slide right off what looks like open-ended rebar and large bolts?
Transmission tower climbers are Bad Ass.
*shudder*
I think I'd rather have a crap minimum-wage job at Walmart than climb that thing.
and what about that thing that appears to be a giant funnel cloud in the background after 2:00 mark?
I had an uncle fell from an electrical tower and needless to say, died- due to a faulty harness. Oh, if only he hadn't been wearing that pesky harness.
This looks fun!
I was also wondering about having "lighten my load". Wouldn't want to discover that my climbing partner or I had food poisoning up there!
The higher they climb, the smaller the hand/foot-holds. By the time they get to the top, the rungs aren't much thicker than a pencil.
Now consider this: metal corrodes. Those rungs may have been designed to hold your weight when originally constructed. But they corrode over time. I don't want to be standing on one at 1600 feet when it gives out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVLY/KTHI-T…
The scariest part of this is clambering up and over those awkward parts, with the pull of that 30 lb bag swinging below you. If you panic, you're fucked! Those guys have some zen focus going on. Amazing.
@33, the only story i've heard about lightening the load is urinating at those heights, which involves letting your partner climb past you, and facing downwind. Apparently this happens all the time :D
But this guy was looking down constantly!
@25:
I assumed the helmets were to provide protection in case the guy up-ladder drops a tool or something.
I don't know about you other Slog folks but if my boss told me I had to climb a 1768ft tower tomorrow, with no safety harness or anything like that, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves!!
On a totally different note, nice anti-crepuscular rays at 2:00.
Oh but I beg to differ!
Okay, gotta go. The hair is starting to stand up on my neck and arms just talking about and reading this.
I do wonder about wind, though, and what their weather standards are (such as not climbing if the wind is X MPH or more).
The video can still be seen here: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/8…
Do you think they could get the guy from Dirty Jobs up there?
Hey, did anyone else notice that Dan has all the top ten SLOG posts again?