[Closed] PSA: Don't look down (nutter content)

Just seen the trailer the guy is clearly missing the fear gene for heights.

Saw the advert.. I have to confess when younger I shimmied up a tall lampost then hung from my knees to show off to a lass but being older and a lot less dumb I just think.. why??

Apropos of nothing...

how many drunks going to see that as a good idea to end the night on?
I cant watch that sort of thing, used to love climbing and felt safe when roped to something but now hate ladders scaffolds etc. You see the risks as you get older?

Videos like that make me want to throw up more than anything I have ever seen in the internet... And I've seen plenty of stuff...

Just watched the trailers...

How can you say you don't get an adrenalin rush. I had one watching! Definitely something missing there.

He'll die doing it at some point. I used to climb a lot, know lots of people that do ropes access, and there's good reasons why you always have three points of contact.

Thrill-seeking and stupidity is a fine line it appears.

I got an email off the Scottish Sun about this, wanting to interview me as I do similar stuff.

Didn't even bother replying.

Meanwhile....in Russia:

Saw the trailer, I really don't know if I can bring myself to watch it, I can feel certain parts of my anatomy puckering up even thinking about it!

More crazy Russians and a documentary...

stavromuller - Member

Urban "freeclimbing" Channel 4 9;00 Sunday. Ultimate display of crass stupidity and pointlessness.

Just watched the Russian crane one and some funny primal parts of me were twitching, which is weird as I paraglide.

I have a half arsed theory; people with no fear of heights perceive the distance the same as you would a horizontal distance; the perspective is the same, it's just for most of us, the fear of gravity accelerated hurtz that give the old adrenal glands a tickling.

Ha ha, my brother and I once climbed into a Tyneside Metro site and shinned up a huge tower crane in our suits (people wore suits on a night out in Newcastle) then peed off the end of the jib. The stream had only just started splattering on some plastic sheet waay below as we were shaking off. Next day I discovered a huge black greasy cable mark right across the back of my jacket so had to take it sneakily to the dry cleaner.

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😯

Saw "Mustang Wanted" the crazy Russian on the trailer for this.

I have a half arsed theory; people with no fear of heights perceive the distance the same as you would a horizontal distance;

For me, absolute height doesn't matter to how I feel about it - above 20ft or so, any fall onto concrete is likely to be fatal, so height is pretty irrelevant. What affects how I feel is how secure I am - platform with railing, very happy. Something secure to hold onto, still happy. Insecure with nothing to hold onto, not happy.

I was much more nervous on the sloping roof of my one-storey shop than I've ever been on a big crane or something.

Excellent PSA, Ta

My hands are sweating!

THIS is a brilliant documentary of a great urban "adventure" (never to be repeated).
http://www.manonwire.com/

I've always been fine climbing up anything, however when it comes to getting down I seem to lose all the bottle I had getting up there in the first place.

I also have a thing where when I'm on anything tall which is safe (like a balcony etc) I have a strange feeling that I want to jump off it to see what it would be like (in most cases fatal, and I know this but still feel like it might be a good idea to try).

It's a pain in the arse as our work lifts are reached by a walkway into the centre of an atrium, and 75% of the time I go to get in them I get the itch to jump off.

I don't have this if I'm somewhere unsafe though, which is odd

The guy on the tower crane is an absolute knob.
He caused so much hassle on site he's lucky he can still walk!
It was only the fact the project manager was able to turn the publicity around he didn't get charged!
We've all done daft stuff - still do but when your actions cascade down to people's livelihoods then it's time to stop before you get stopped.......

Ha ha, my brother and I once climbed into a Tyneside Metro site and shinned up a huge tower crane in our suits (people wore suits on a night out in Newcastle) then peed off the end of the jib. The stream had only just started splattering on some plastic sheet waay below as we were shaking off. Next day I discovered a huge black greasy cable mark right across the back of my jacket so had to take it sneakily to the dry cleaner.

I call bullshit. Suits implies jackets. In Newcastle? Pull the other one sunshine, it's got bells on.

I also have a thing where when I'm on anything tall which is safe (like a balcony etc) I have a strange feeling that I want to jump off it to see what it would be like (in most cases fatal, and I know this but still feel like it might be a good idea to try).

I've read a theory that this is what the fear of heights really is - the fear of throwing yourself off. Sort of makes sense to me in some kind of weird way. Nothing to do with feeling suicidal either. 😕

I call bullshit. Suits implies jackets. In Newcastle? Pull the other one sunshine, it's got bells on.

Pale grey Prince of Wales check with lapels the size of aircraft carriers and flared trousers, Dude! Oh yeah - worn with brown suede desert boots and a paisley tie.

This was back in the days when you sat at a round table in a massive room full of drunk men on the first floor of the pub and pushed a bell on the wall; a waiter appeared with a napkin over his arm, took your order then came back with a tray loaded with McEwan's Best Scotch. You only needed to get up to go to the Gents. It goes without saying that nae poof drank lager in those days.

Fair enough - it is right and proper to make an exception to the no jackets bylaw in the sartorial circumstances you describe.

Jeezus when he started dangling one handed off the crane I had to look away

Surely a sudden gust of wind and he's dead?

For me, absolute height doesn't matter to how I feel about it - above 20ft or so, any fall onto concrete is likely to be fatal, so height is pretty irrelevant. What affects how I feel is how secure I am - platform with railing, very happy. Something secure to hold onto, still happy. Insecure with nothing to hold onto, not happy.
I was much more nervous on the sloping roof of my one-storey shop than I've ever been on a big crane or something.

I also have a thing where when I'm on anything tall which is safe (like a balcony etc) I have a strange feeling that I want to jump off it to see what it would be like (in most cases fatal, and I know this but still feel like it might be a good idea to try).

It's a pain in the arse as our work lifts are reached by a walkway into the centre of an atrium, and 75% of the time I go to get in them I get the itch to jump off.

I've read a theory that this is what the fear of heights really is - the fear of throwing yourself off. Sort of makes sense to me in some kind of weird way

+1

Although I've happily ridden bikes at speed at the top of clifs then walked the path later and given myself the heebie jeebies. I think that backs up the "fear of throwing yourself off" theory as in both cases I've been aware of the drop, but in the first case I'm concentating on not falling off the bike (and inevitably the cliff), in the 2nd that extra distraction/level of control is gone (i.e. controling the bike is not scary regardles of consequences, whereas walking there was nothing to think about except falling).

This is an email I got a couple of days ago:

Subject: Urban free climbing?

Message: Hi Ben,
This is a long shot but I thought I\'d contact you anyway and see if you\'re up for a chat about urban free climbing? I work for The Scottish Sun... You might have seen that there is a documentary called Don\'t Look Down on Channel 4 next week about a man who free climbs. I read in your Scotsman article that you\'re an urban explorer more than a free climber but judging by your pics, it seems you do a bit of both? Also you might have seen that Liam Payne from One Direction is a bit of a daredevil all of a sudden and I wondered if you might like to chat to me about the whole concept.. why people do it... the thrill etc..
If you could drop me an email or call me on xxxxxx either way, it would be much appreciated. Or perhaps if you\'re not interested, it might be possible to put me in contact with someone would might be.
Many thanks,
Niamh

I had to Google Liam Payne, and I thought One Direction was a traffic sign, so I didn't feel qualified to comment 😉