Stupid men are often capable of things the clever would not dare to contemplate... Terry Pratchett
What's the process that leads you to be climbing halfway up a cooling tower while your mate is sat on a light fitting above you, grinning to you from his perch like a ginger hawk?
Well, this story started several years ago. I was busy running up and down chimney ladders and tower cranes most nights, and it had started to feel normal, run of the mill almost, and I was looking for something new. So when we visited Thorpe Marsh cooling towers, I knew I needed to get on top of them. AndyJ, Pixilulu & I drove back one day to test a theory I'd had, and I managed to get some paracord over them using 20 condoms full of helium, but the day had run late, and so we left it at that.
picture courtesy of pixilulu
It was some time later that I found out about Willington, and that they were doable. It was years still till I figured out how to do them, safely: of sorts.
The constituent parts that encompass doing this came from unlikely places, finding out how rough the concrete at the top was came from a skydiving instructor who had BASE jumped one in Belgium (no rope over the top). Which tower to climb came from getting halfway up the first one previously (the bolts get real small when you get past the first light fitting). Previously, I'd been belayed from the ground, but that proved to not be an ideal way to do it. The longer the rope, the more the stretch, the longer the fall if it all goes tits up, and I fucking hate falling. There were lots of little problems that you wouldn't normally think would be an issue, and the answers came when I was least expecting them.
It really was a case of try, fail and come back later. 3 trips I made to this place before we sat on top. It's kept me awake at nights, and given me something to think about when driving home after a night of running around sites when everyone else in the car has passed out.
The difference this time was that the belayer was going to come up behind. This fixed 2 issues. Firstly, the dynamic rope was never really that far away, 25mtr at most, and secondly, there was someone there with you while doing it. It was damn lonely when I got halfway on my own.
Morse had said he wanted to climb it, so he was going to second me, but he was away this weekend, FB wanted to do it, and Morse agreed it was ok.
FB wanted to lead a part of it at least, and as I'd already been halfway up, I proposed that he lead the first part, and we switch at either the light fitting or the door. Getting to the light fitting, he offered to let me past, but I was quite happy following him up, so he took the lead all the way to the top.
We made it up to the door, had a rest, sorted gear, and FB lead up to the top. I'll leave it up to him to describe that.
Felt like the king of the world. Eventually. Seeing as I was shitting myself when I got up there. Took ages to calm down enough to get my camera out, but FB had brought some ham & cheese sandwiches and lucozade along, so that was nice
On with the pictures, some DSLR, some phone.
What's the process that leads you to be climbing halfway up a cooling tower while your mate is sat on a light fitting above you, grinning to you from his perch like a ginger hawk?
Well, this story started several years ago. I was busy running up and down chimney ladders and tower cranes most nights, and it had started to feel normal, run of the mill almost, and I was looking for something new. So when we visited Thorpe Marsh cooling towers, I knew I needed to get on top of them. AndyJ, Pixilulu & I drove back one day to test a theory I'd had, and I managed to get some paracord over them using 20 condoms full of helium, but the day had run late, and so we left it at that.
picture courtesy of pixilulu
It was some time later that I found out about Willington, and that they were doable. It was years still till I figured out how to do them, safely: of sorts.
The constituent parts that encompass doing this came from unlikely places, finding out how rough the concrete at the top was came from a skydiving instructor who had BASE jumped one in Belgium (no rope over the top). Which tower to climb came from getting halfway up the first one previously (the bolts get real small when you get past the first light fitting). Previously, I'd been belayed from the ground, but that proved to not be an ideal way to do it. The longer the rope, the more the stretch, the longer the fall if it all goes tits up, and I fucking hate falling. There were lots of little problems that you wouldn't normally think would be an issue, and the answers came when I was least expecting them.
It really was a case of try, fail and come back later. 3 trips I made to this place before we sat on top. It's kept me awake at nights, and given me something to think about when driving home after a night of running around sites when everyone else in the car has passed out.
The difference this time was that the belayer was going to come up behind. This fixed 2 issues. Firstly, the dynamic rope was never really that far away, 25mtr at most, and secondly, there was someone there with you while doing it. It was damn lonely when I got halfway on my own.
Morse had said he wanted to climb it, so he was going to second me, but he was away this weekend, FB wanted to do it, and Morse agreed it was ok.
FB wanted to lead a part of it at least, and as I'd already been halfway up, I proposed that he lead the first part, and we switch at either the light fitting or the door. Getting to the light fitting, he offered to let me past, but I was quite happy following him up, so he took the lead all the way to the top.
We made it up to the door, had a rest, sorted gear, and FB lead up to the top. I'll leave it up to him to describe that.
Felt like the king of the world. Eventually. Seeing as I was shitting myself when I got up there. Took ages to calm down enough to get my camera out, but FB had brought some ham & cheese sandwiches and lucozade along, so that was nice
On with the pictures, some DSLR, some phone.
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