When You Can't Find the Wilderness: Go Buildering
So you find yourself stuck in town, there’s not a rock in sight – what is a rock climber to do? When you find yourself in an urban setting, become one with your urban setting and find the nearest bridge or skyscraper because it’s time for some buildering.
Just about any urban structure can be a prime buildering candidate.
In most cases, those climbers who enjoy buildering will find themselves climbing bridges and other buildings. Keep in mind this is not always legal and you may find a not so welcoming welcome party when you finish your climb. Many experienced builderers have gone solo at night and many have climbed skyscrapers, bridges and other structures only to be greeted by the police when they descended from the climb.
There are those locations that tend to turn the other way and allow people to enjoy themselves. Most notably, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Tufts University tend to turn the other way.
Buildering actually has quite a long history and dates back to the early 1900s when Harry H. “The Human Fly” Gardiner climbed over seven hundred buildings in Europe and North America. He was the first recorded urban climber and never used any sort of climbing gear. In fact, he climbed in his street clothes and tennis shoes. There were several notable builderers after Gardiner’s time including Alain Robert. Considered the “Real-life Spiderman,” Robert climbed the Golden Gate Bridge, The Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.
Check out Alain Robert Climbing all over the world at http://rock-climbing-for-life.com/free-soloing-video.html
Those climbers looking for an adrenaline rush will enjoy free-climb buildering. This can be quite dangerous, yet very exciting. Builders often draw a crowd and possible media attention. They can also get very creative. Those builderers looking for something to climb have been known to climb billboards, storage containers, bridges, cranes, even chimneys and smokestacks. Just about everything is climbable and they’re constantly looking for new challenges.
Buildering can be lots of fun, but remember it is illegal and to do it with caution.
Climb safe, climb strong.
Ryan Coisson founder of www.rock-climbing-for-life.com and co-author of Mastering the Rock.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Coisson
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Buildering
Everything Is Climbable - The Art Of Buildering In Texas
While it's thought of more as a daredevil event than a sport, buildering -- also known as urban climbing, structuring, or stegophily -- is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering" combines the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".
It's not a sport for everyone. In fact, buildering has a small cult following. The most famous practioner of this ultra-extreme sport is Alain Robert, popularly known as "the real-life Spiderman." Robert has climbed the Empire State Building in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Petronas Towers (twice) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, among others, all done without using any climbing equipment or protection.
Other famous urban climbers include: Dan Goodwin, aka Spider Dan, who climbed the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1981; George Willig who climbed the World Trade Center; Harry and Simon Westaway, who climbed Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster's clock tower, in London as an anti-war protest for Greenpeace; Harry Gardiner, known as the Human Fly, who was the first recorded urban climber; and George Polley, also known as the Human Fly, who took up buildering in the 1910s.
If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering may be dangerous and is often practiced outside of legal bounds, mostly undertaken at night. Builderers are often extremely experienced climbers who are seen climbing on buildings without authorization and are regularly met by police forces upon completing their exploit. Spectacular acts of buildering, such as free soloing skyscrapers, usually attract large crowds of passers-by and media attention.
The biggest draw of buildering is also its biggest drawback: Buildering almost always is illegal, so you should check to make sure it is not before you try it in Texas or anywhere else. And it won't win you any popularity contests. Cops don't like you; landlords don't like you; most people think you're, at best, unusual and, at worst, crazy.
The general public considers climbing on buildings shocking and irresponsible behavior. The first and most important rule is: Watch your butt. You alone are responsible for your actions. You have to be young enough to enjoy currying the disdain of passersby or not care about your reputation. You have to get up early or steal out into the night. The most important key to successful buildering is, "Go in fast and get out."
Buildering can also take a form closer to bouldering, where climbers tend to ascend and/or traverse shorter sections of buildings and structures. While still generally frowned upon by property owners, some turn a blind eye towards the practice in many locations. Although it's often done as a solo sport, buildering has also become a popular group activity. As in more traditional rock climbing, routes on structures are established and graded for difficulty.
Lesser known forms of urban climbing can be observed in demonstrations, as a means of protest, or at some public events such as street parades or concerts, where people frequently climb on sign posts and other small structures.
Unlike other fringe sports like skateboarding, most urban climbers doubt that buildering will ever crack into the mainstream. The problem is that many climbers find the sport is a little "too dangerous" for mass appeal. And buildering is more about the skill than the image and the huge risks involved make it less than appealing. For decades, buildering has existed under the radar and its popularity remains on university hubs, all of which seems to suggest intrinsic limits to its popularity.
As is the case in rock climbing, the trick in urban climbing is to find the perfect holds with the right overall body positioning and adequate balance. But the difficulty in climbing buildings is that the uniformity and evenness of the exterior make it difficult to find the grooves for holds. It is like a physical puzzle that can only be solved through ingenuity, persistence and foolhardiness. Buildering is both a lifestyle and a philosophy of taming the modern landscape.
While ultra-extreme sports such as urban climbing or buildering may help you develop great physical stamina and mental discipline, it is dangerous and must only be attempted by experienced climbing professionals. If you're a young individual who's drawn to this sport, make sure you're in the best shape both mentally and physically.
If you are drawn to things that are out of the ordinary, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for young, healthy individuals. For more information, visit us at our website, www.precedent.com. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled “real time" application and acceptance experience.
Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at http://www.precedent.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patt_Carpenter
While it's thought of more as a daredevil event than a sport, buildering -- also known as urban climbing, structuring, or stegophily -- is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering" combines the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".
It's not a sport for everyone. In fact, buildering has a small cult following. The most famous practioner of this ultra-extreme sport is Alain Robert, popularly known as "the real-life Spiderman." Robert has climbed the Empire State Building in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Petronas Towers (twice) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, among others, all done without using any climbing equipment or protection.
Other famous urban climbers include: Dan Goodwin, aka Spider Dan, who climbed the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1981; George Willig who climbed the World Trade Center; Harry and Simon Westaway, who climbed Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster's clock tower, in London as an anti-war protest for Greenpeace; Harry Gardiner, known as the Human Fly, who was the first recorded urban climber; and George Polley, also known as the Human Fly, who took up buildering in the 1910s.
If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering may be dangerous and is often practiced outside of legal bounds, mostly undertaken at night. Builderers are often extremely experienced climbers who are seen climbing on buildings without authorization and are regularly met by police forces upon completing their exploit. Spectacular acts of buildering, such as free soloing skyscrapers, usually attract large crowds of passers-by and media attention.
The biggest draw of buildering is also its biggest drawback: Buildering almost always is illegal, so you should check to make sure it is not before you try it in Texas or anywhere else. And it won't win you any popularity contests. Cops don't like you; landlords don't like you; most people think you're, at best, unusual and, at worst, crazy.
The general public considers climbing on buildings shocking and irresponsible behavior. The first and most important rule is: Watch your butt. You alone are responsible for your actions. You have to be young enough to enjoy currying the disdain of passersby or not care about your reputation. You have to get up early or steal out into the night. The most important key to successful buildering is, "Go in fast and get out."
Buildering can also take a form closer to bouldering, where climbers tend to ascend and/or traverse shorter sections of buildings and structures. While still generally frowned upon by property owners, some turn a blind eye towards the practice in many locations. Although it's often done as a solo sport, buildering has also become a popular group activity. As in more traditional rock climbing, routes on structures are established and graded for difficulty.
Lesser known forms of urban climbing can be observed in demonstrations, as a means of protest, or at some public events such as street parades or concerts, where people frequently climb on sign posts and other small structures.
Unlike other fringe sports like skateboarding, most urban climbers doubt that buildering will ever crack into the mainstream. The problem is that many climbers find the sport is a little "too dangerous" for mass appeal. And buildering is more about the skill than the image and the huge risks involved make it less than appealing. For decades, buildering has existed under the radar and its popularity remains on university hubs, all of which seems to suggest intrinsic limits to its popularity.
As is the case in rock climbing, the trick in urban climbing is to find the perfect holds with the right overall body positioning and adequate balance. But the difficulty in climbing buildings is that the uniformity and evenness of the exterior make it difficult to find the grooves for holds. It is like a physical puzzle that can only be solved through ingenuity, persistence and foolhardiness. Buildering is both a lifestyle and a philosophy of taming the modern landscape.
While ultra-extreme sports such as urban climbing or buildering may help you develop great physical stamina and mental discipline, it is dangerous and must only be attempted by experienced climbing professionals. If you're a young individual who's drawn to this sport, make sure you're in the best shape both mentally and physically.
If you are drawn to things that are out of the ordinary, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for young, healthy individuals. For more information, visit us at our website, www.precedent.com. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled “real time" application and acceptance experience.
Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at http://www.precedent.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patt_Carpenter
Urban Climbing
Welcome to my new Urban Climbing blog!
Here you'll find information, articles and other cool stuff about Urban Climbing.
Be sure to check back!
See you,
Simon
Here you'll find information, articles and other cool stuff about Urban Climbing.
Be sure to check back!
See you,
Simon
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