4 ms·

Here's a video of a tower worker climbing a 1700' tower that really gives me sweaty palms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDYK0zaQuZs https://www.youtube.com/w

Here's a video of a tower worker climbing a 1700' tower that really gives me sweaty palms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDYK0zaQuZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDYK0zaQuZs I've also been impressed with the amount of high quality content on Medium over the last several months. It seemed like a glorified blogging platform at first, but there have been a number of really interesting stories like this one and the one about the inventor of the Aeropress. https://medium.com/backchannel/first-alan-adler-invented-the-aerobie-now-he-s-created-the-perfect-cup-of-coffee-c5e94ccc538e https://medium.com/backchannel/first-alan-adler-invented-the...

peterwwillis 12y ago
At first I thought, "oh, i'm sure there's a line you can attach to your harness to keep you from falling..." but then he gets outside the tower, free-climbs 140 feet, finally positioning himself on the very top of a 1,700 foot tower, with zero support and a tiny piece of foothold, all the while carrying 30lbs dead weight [to say nothing of wind], whereupon he finally clips in his harness. Jesus fucking christ.
- toothbrush 12y ago
  Yeah, i was kind of gripping the table almost unable to contain shouts of "attach yourself already" :/ The worst is the final 20 seconds when he dawdles and fumbles the clip with two hands, simply standing at the top looking down :/ But i guess from his point of view that's easiest, he's not climbing any more...
  - falcolas 12y ago
    I've heard those videos caused a lot of flack for the workers, due to the lack of safety equipment use.
- Shivetya 12y ago
  there was another series done where a tower climber showed the proper way to climb a tower https://youtu.be/9b9LahaBJIk https://youtu.be/9b9LahaBJIk
hartror 12y ago
It gives me sweaty palms too. I wonder why that particular physical reaction happens, surely sweaty palms is the opposite of what you want?
- fiatmoney 12y ago
  Probably a byproduct of generalized "increase sweat output b/c you might have to run / fight in the near future" response.
- HCIdivision17 12y ago
  If I recall fun trivia from my childhood correctly, slightly damp skin has better grip. Obviously drippy hands won't work, but it makes some sense in the context of cartoons showing the character spittin on their hands before putting their back into something (like an axe whose head inevitably flys off the handle (which was expected to have better grip now)).
  - jessaustin 12y ago
    I doubt this. Rock climbers carry powdered chalk to constantly dry their hands. It's my own experience that dry hands grip better, as well.
    - mitchty 12y ago
      Note, we like other apes evolved to climb trees not rock walls. I will note also that compared to climbing rocks, climbing trees with slightly sweaty hands is MUCH easier than with dry or chalked hands. I think its due to bark being the grip target versus rocks. Nothing more than my experience but sending a cliff is nothing like climbing trees.
      - jessaustin 12y ago
        Eh, if you can wrap your fingers around something like a branch, then it probably doesn't matter. I find that for that first ten feet of bare trunk, however, dry hands are better.
sharkweek 12y ago
For some more sweaty palm fun, check out professional climber Alex Honnold "free soloing" various rock walls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ The whole video is worth watching, but the meat and potatoes starts at about 11:30
- pimlottc 12y ago
  Another heartstopper is this POV video of two Ukrainians illegally scaling the 650-meter Shanghai Tower while it was still under construction, which gets really nuts when they start climbing the construction crane at the very top: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U&t=120 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U&t=120
- jonah 12y ago
  These top-level guys try to climb when it's really cold and at night to prevent sweaty fingers. Kevin Jorgeson climbing the Dawn Wall in Yosemite this winter for example: http://www.climb.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pitch15_crux.jpg http://www.climb.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pitch15_crux....
lutorm 12y ago
omg, my fear of heights is much better now than it used to be, but I felt physically ill watching that movie.

peterwwillis 12y ago

At first I thought, "oh, i'm sure there's a line you can attach to your harness to keep you from falling..." but then he gets outside the tower, free-climbs 140 feet, finally positioning himself on the very top of a 1,700 foot tower, with zero support and a tiny piece of foothold, all the while carrying 30lbs dead weight [to say nothing of wind], whereupon he finally clips in his harness. Jesus fucking christ.

toothbrush 12y ago
Yeah, i was kind of gripping the table almost unable to contain shouts of "attach yourself already" :/ The worst is the final 20 seconds when he dawdles and fumbles the clip with two hands, simply standing at the top looking down :/ But i guess from his point of view that's easiest, he's not climbing any more...
- falcolas 12y ago
  I've heard those videos caused a lot of flack for the workers, due to the lack of safety equipment use.
Shivetya 12y ago
there was another series done where a tower climber showed the proper way to climb a tower https://youtu.be/9b9LahaBJIk https://youtu.be/9b9LahaBJIk

hartror 12y ago

It gives me sweaty palms too. I wonder why that particular physical reaction happens, surely sweaty palms is the opposite of what you want?

fiatmoney 12y ago
Probably a byproduct of generalized "increase sweat output b/c you might have to run / fight in the near future" response.
HCIdivision17 12y ago
If I recall fun trivia from my childhood correctly, slightly damp skin has better grip. Obviously drippy hands won't work, but it makes some sense in the context of cartoons showing the character spittin on their hands before putting their back into something (like an axe whose head inevitably flys off the handle (which was expected to have better grip now)).
- jessaustin 12y ago
  I doubt this. Rock climbers carry powdered chalk to constantly dry their hands. It's my own experience that dry hands grip better, as well.
  - mitchty 12y ago
    Note, we like other apes evolved to climb trees not rock walls. I will note also that compared to climbing rocks, climbing trees with slightly sweaty hands is MUCH easier than with dry or chalked hands. I think its due to bark being the grip target versus rocks. Nothing more than my experience but sending a cliff is nothing like climbing trees.
    - jessaustin 12y ago
      Eh, if you can wrap your fingers around something like a branch, then it probably doesn't matter. I find that for that first ten feet of bare trunk, however, dry hands are better.

sharkweek 12y ago

For some more sweaty palm fun, check out professional climber Alex Honnold "free soloing" various rock walls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ The whole video is worth watching, but the meat and potatoes starts at about 11:30

pimlottc 12y ago
Another heartstopper is this POV video of two Ukrainians illegally scaling the 650-meter Shanghai Tower while it was still under construction, which gets really nuts when they start climbing the construction crane at the very top: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U&t=120 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U&t=120
jonah 12y ago
These top-level guys try to climb when it's really cold and at night to prevent sweaty fingers. Kevin Jorgeson climbing the Dawn Wall in Yosemite this winter for example: http://www.climb.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pitch15_crux.jpg http://www.climb.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pitch15_crux....

lutorm 12y ago

omg, my fear of heights is much better now than it used to be, but I felt physically ill watching that movie.