WATCH: Six young men are facing charges after being caught climbing a construction crane in North Vancouver overnight. Ted Chernecki reports.
Two groups of men who were arrested for climbing the same construction crane in North Vancouver Thursday night were under the influence of alcohol.
RCMP and North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Service were first called to the construction site at 851 Queens Road West at 11:30 p.m. Two men were spotted high on a crane and officers had to talk them down.
They did have a camera on them and RCMP seized it for evidence.
They were then taken into custody.
Just hours later, around 2:30 a.m., police were called to the same site, where four men had climbed the same crane.
Police say alcohol was also a factor in this incident.
These four men were taken into custody.
All six, in their early 20s from North Vancouver, have been released and could face charges of trespassing, break and enter and mischief. It is not known at this time if the incidents are connected.
Police are concerned that people climbing high structures and filming their antics is becoming a dangerous social media trend.
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For the second time in less than a month, footage of people illegally climbing Vancouver’s Trump Tower has surfaced online.
The video, which was posted to YouTube, shows two people climbing ladders and scaffolding on the unfinished Trump International Hotel and Vancouver Tower in the middle of the night in mid-July, getting to the roof by sunrise.
WATCH: Two men seen climbing Trump Tower in video could face charges if identified
The tower on Georgia Street is still under construction and is supposed to stand around 188 meters, or 63 stories, tall when its construction is complete in 2016.
One of the men who climbed the Trump Tower in mid-July has written a letter about urban climbing and why he is so drawn to the activity.
Joseph McGuire, 20, describes why he decided to climb the tower and why he started urban climbing in the first place.
Read the letter in full and unedited below:
My name is Joseph, and I’m twenty years old.
Fear has always played a big role in my life. Fear of unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of death. Free climbing a building gives me all of them.
Fear is my greatest motivation, yet my greatest enemy. I can’t explain why, I just love the sensation of standing against fear face to face.
I got into urban exploration at the age of nine, living in Japan. I cruised the city of Tokyo from district to another, and explored different buildings, often climbing the rooftops.
My first crane climb was in victoria BC. I was nineteen years old. On my walk home, I looked up to a crane that was about 100 meters tall and I was unnerved by the thought of climbing it. I don’t know where the idea came from but I really wanted to do it. The process of climbing was frightening and being at the top was, too, but then I felt a sense of peace from within. One of the things that I derive the most fulfillment from is facing my fears, and when I was up there I knew I had done just that. I smiled all the way back to my home, and from then I became obsessed with scaling cranes and towers. I eventually moved to city of Vancouver and started leading a team of climbers to scale even higher structures and creating videos of my adventures to share with the public.
Urban climbing is just like any other sports. The amount of pre-anxiety I get from it is same as what I used to get before a swim competition. I do it because it feels natural to me. In the process of climbing I am completely lost to the moment and nothing else matter.
Most of my family members do not like the fact that I am into such a dangerous hobby. When they ask me “what if you fall?” I have no answer to give them. But I do not allow the voice of people, even the ones who are closest to me, to interfere with pursuing my passion.
Sometimes I dangle off of heights just with one hand. It’s all an internal game with my mind. If I can do it on the ground, then I can do it on a crane. I do it not because I’ve been desensitized to fear and I need greater stimulation, but because I know that upon doing it, I can face anything on the ground. It’s a one mistake away from death.
I am not afraid to die as long as I’m truly living. We have this one brief moment of opportunity called life, and eternity to be dead. I am not any more special than others so who am I to hold back the gift that I can offer to the world just to sustain what is only temporary, which are life and comfort? If you follow your heart and inspire others to do the same, despite the fear of death and discomfort, you automatically are contributing to making the world a better place. And that is permanent.
I grew up in Tokyo, living in underprivileged and abusive home, I was troubled and I caused a lot of mischief like shoplifting and vandalism. I did it out of frustration and worries. My parents had been separated when I was two years old. Having a mix race of Japanese and Canadian, I was unaccepted in the social settings, but not to disregard that I was a corrupt child. One time I was playing and almost caused a forest fire, though I was able to put the fire out with a help of a friend. I was ten years old. Roof climbing and exploring were my daily activity. Sometimes I would go to dangerous places and supposed haunted houses. My neighbors and teachers were very concerned but I kept doing it. Despite of all, I spent most of my time in Japan playing video games in isolation.
When I was twelve years old I moved to Canada to learn English. I lived in a small town called Port Alberni on Vancouver Island with my uncle and aunt. People treated me well there. It was a relief for me to escape from the chaotic environment back home, well physically, to say. I brought the mental load with me. I became severely depressed and suicidal at the age of thirteen.
My depression peaked when I was seventeen years old and I was back in Japan for some time. I got into reckless behaviors and climbing was one of them. I had fun, and at the same time I knew that if I was to fall and die I got what I wanted. Roof climbing became my daily exercise and people would often join me, and sometimes I hosted rooftop parties. One time I snuck into an abandoned hospital with some of my friends at night. The inside seemed untouched for long time and it was dusty. I had chills to my spine the whole time I was in there.
With the same group I climbed to the rooftop of a 33-storey highrise in Tokyo.
Mortality was the realization I had when I was nineteen. One day I woke up and realized that I’ve lived in fear most of my life and that how quickly the time has past, and I was terrified. I was in deep regret and sorrow for weeks. But I made a come back with a great decision that I would make a difference. I lived that year harder than I ever did in all my previous years combined. Fear of death became my greatest source of motivation. Today, despite of my dangerous hobby, I appreciate and cherish my life very much.
In paradox of what I do, I have a chronic disease that leaves me constantly exhausted and causes many neurological and mental disorders. I went through many doctors and none of them could figure out what was causing my illness so I spent eight months in full time doing my own researches and came up with self diagnose of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Misleading as the name is, it has more than 100 reported symptoms and there is no medically accepted cure or effective treatments, and the sufferers are often disregarded by the medical community.
To give you an idea of what it feels like, imagine that you just ran a marathon and you have a hangover. Everyday task becomes nightmare and work is like hell on earth.
Ever since I was four years old I had many neurological disorders and my tolerance for exercise went into a gradual decline. In the eight months of research, I was able to figure out the probable cause of my illness and I came up with my own treatments and with that I am hoping to recover in a year or so.
Every second I live I feel discomfort in my body and all I can wish for is a quick painless death. But I’ve come too far to give up.
I’ve gained a lot knowledge of health and nutrition because of this disease. And for that, it is a blessing in disguise. I would like to help people who are ill and cannot see a way out. I would do anything within my power to do so.
Considering my health conditions, urban climbing is the last thing that I should be doing.
My recent mission was to climb Vancouver Fairmont Hotel, one of the historic buildings in Vancouver. The plan was to take the stairs to the thirteenth floor of the hotel and exit outside to a platform where then I would climb an electrical cord to gain access to and to scale the galvanized green roof in order reach the chimney, the very top.
I brought a friend along with me whom I call “the man of ultimate disinhibition”, for he can keep his cool in any situation. His name is Kalen. We went out to the platform of thirteenth floor to take a look at the electrical cord, seeing how dangerous it was, we choose it as a last resort and looked for an alternative way up to the galvanized green roof.
Kalen and I explored inside of the hotel, gaining access to control rooms and attics that were unlocked. We equipped ourselves with two flashlights and explored the attic. It went multiple levels, with furnace systems and pipes inside, it was pitch dark and it occurred to us that no one had been in there for years because it was very dusty. We would have not been surprised to discover a dead body in there.
After some hours of exploring the inside of the hotel, we found no alternative way to access the galvanized green roof so we went with the original plan to climb the electrical cord. The cord was 30 feet off of the platform and had a long climb up to reach the galvanized green roof. I was able to stand on a scaffold system adjacent to the cord and got hold of it, but barely. I was over thirty feet off the ground and the cord was unstable. My heart started to race and my mind played some possible horrendous scenarios. One of the symptoms I experience from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is orthostatic intolerance, meaning I have difficulty maintaining standing posture for long periods of time and to have my arms above my heart. I was more than half way up the cord and my grip started to weaken rapidly. There was a ledge where I could take a break but I did not even have the strength to climb few more inches to rest my weight on it. I had jolts of heart pounding fear and it was a struggle. I began to slide down the cord. Kalen got into position on the scaffold in hopes to easy my fall. At the bottom of the electrical cord, thirty feet above the ground, I tried to step onto the scaffold but my grip failed and I let go. I fell straight down onto my back.
I have fallen before but never this high and not on my back. I was stunned for sometime and I groaned for sometime from agony of pain and fatigue. Kalen came down from the scaffold and he observed without any words.
I had vision of reaching to the top of the hotel and seeing what was inside the chimney. I was laying flat on my back looking up to the electrical cord. A moment of relief came in when I was able to move my legs. I said to Kalen that I would try again in 10 minutes, but then I could not even help myself to stand up. My dream of climbing the hotel collapsed right before my eyes.
Kalen lifted me up to my feet and I was able to walk even though I felt sick and dizzy and my world was blurred.
We went down to exit the hotel. Being able to walk away from such fall, I knew that I was very lucky. My mind was unclear and I thought that a nap would help so we took a cab ride to my home.
After falling and going home I took a nap for about 3 hours and I woke up with severe pain all over my upper body so I went to a hospital. I had broken my right arm and left shoulder and damaged my spine. I was told to give two months for recovery by a doctor.
This accident really made me reconsider about scaling buildings. I thought it was about time to call it an end and focus on recovering from my disease. I didn’t know if I would fully heal to be able to go back to climbing. Couple weeks later, I watched some of my old videos and remembered the presence and joy of climbing and I knew that I could not quit. Climbing has been the analogy of my life. Gravity want to pull me down to rock bottom and it has many times but I always get back up and start climbing again. I just go higher every time.
The pain was really intense. I never felt so horrible in my life, but at the same time I found this whole situation positively funny.
During my recovery from the fall, I was already planning the next big climb. Donald Trump Tower. I met up with Keyser, a new member of the group, and we planned the climb. As this was my fourth visit to the tower, I knew exactly how to go about to the top. For the past three climbs, the security was minimal and it was one of the easiest construction sites I’ve snuck into. Less than a month after the fall, I found myself back in action.
At 4:30 am, we snuck into the construction site from Georgia Street. We quietly made our way inside the building and took the stairs. On the fifth floor we found a locked door blocking the stairs. The security had gotten tighter.
My right arm was not fully recovered at this point so I used taping to brace it, and it helped me with a little mental assurance.
We went outside of the tower onto a large platform and climbed to a suite balcony and from there we climbed to the next floor balcony. We were able to walk into the suite from the balcony but the suite door was locked from both sides so we could not get out to the hallway. From the suite balcony we were able to cross over to the crane. Climbing the crane ladders, I got tired very quickly and Keyser seemed to be upset with my pace. He was very fit. I was gasping for air and my muscles felt weak. We made it to the rooftop and spent about an hour waiting for the sunrise. At the sunrise, we began making our way up to the construction crane, above 200 meters off the ground. The rear of the crane, where the counter weights are placed, was very unstable and shaky. The crane seemed to be past its retirement.
The feeling of being up so high with no guarantee of safety – it never gets old. In the state of complete presence, you realize the insignificance of your problems. Everything seems like the size on an ant. When I’m back on the ground, I get to face my problems with the same attitude.
Keyser and I climbed to the highest point of the crane and from that viewpoint, we witnessed the surrounding ocean and curvature of the Earth’s horizon. The Sun peeked from behind the mountains and casted light onto the highrises, and we walked the sky with a pool of shadow beneath us.
We crossed the perpendicular arm of the crane. You can only make so many mistakes in one chain before you fall to death. This is the climax of crane climbing. My flow state comes in and I feel every step I take and every reach I make. A brief moment of when all the plague of malaise and pain I feel are overwhelmed by pure joy. Nothing else matters then.
We reached the end of the crane and took a moment to appreciate the view and what we have accomplished. With a broken arm and a disabling disease, I once again completed a difficult mission.
I sometimes wonder how I made it to this day. But I’m a human being just like everybody else. If I can do it, then so could anyone.
The ultimate success is happiness from within and to keep humble. The greatest gift you can give to the world is the best version of yourself. People feel happy and empowered just by being around you. And as long as you are taking steps towards achieving your happiness, you already are the best version of yourself.
You have all the eternity to be dead so why don’t you just give yourself a chance and see how it plays out?
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