There’s a thrill to climbing cranes that tower over Vancouver from the summits of condo buildings under construction.
But it’s the calm that most attracts “Kea.iu,” a YouTube user who posts videos of his daring climbs to the video-sharing website.
WATCH: July 31, 2015 — North Vancouver crane climbing incident
Last month, kea.iu posted a video that showed him climbing to the top of a crane above Vancouver House, a twisting condo tower being developed by Westbank on Howe Street downtown.
The successful climb was his second attempt, after he failed to reach the top on his first try — “it was too slippery from the rain and wind,” he wrote on YouTube.
But this time, he made it, with a few “near-death experiences” along the way.
“Such an amazing experience, as well as it’s very calming once I’m at the top and while I’m climbing,” kea.iu told Global News of the climb.
“I’m just like focused in and nothing else matters.”
Thrilling though it may be, the activity is dangerous. First responders see crane climbers becoming famous for all the wrong reasons.
“If someone gets in trouble or gets stuck, firstly, it’s a big danger to our responders,” said Capt. Jonathan Gormick of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.
“Obviously we have a technical rescue team that’s well trained and highly skilled at getting people out of those kinds of situations, but there’s always an inherent risk to a rescue of that type, and there’s of course the drain on our resources as well.”
READ MORE: U.S. tourist who climbed Lions Gate Bridge handed conditional sentence
Kea.iu understands there’s a danger to himself, and for first responders.
He admitted he’d feel bad if something happened to a first responder during a rescue.
Kea.iu said that even though he’s a minor, and that the law “can’t really do much,” he still has some concern about building up a criminal record.
“That could like really mess up my life, with school, as well as finding a job or travelling,” he said.
But Kea.iu doesn’t plan to stop what he’s doing and he doesn’t recommend that anyone follow in his footsteps.
Comments