I don't know if you've see this video but what do you do if you get into a lightning storm while changing a light bulb out on a tower with no parachute. I'm not sure if this guy or his buddy had a chute on but this is insane, just when you think it's crazy, watch it to the end. You couldn't pay me enough unless I could have a parachute and I was 80 lbs lighter and in peek shape. Naaaa, I still wouldn't do it, I don't have the kahunas to do that.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFVjtJaU1Qc

FWIW I've never climbed the outside of any artificial structure higher than a water tower, but plenty of cliff faces - you can get used to it. I agree though, it takes a special soul to go up to the top of those towers for a living.

I worked for a technical contract company years ago and was working on radios in fedex trucks. I was asked if I could PM the transmitter, then found out the tower was on top of a 40+ tall building downtown. I let them fry the guy in from TN or TX (I forget which) to do it, it was wawwwy up there.

The first time he looked down after getting outside it gave me the creeps, but after that not anymore. I guess if you do it all the time it's just another walk in the park.

Well, I don't think much of how they were tying themselves off.
Most of the time he was not tied at all and a lot of the times he did hook his lanyard to something it wouldn't have done anything because of where he placed his hook.
We used to require dual lanyards and 100% tied off.

I will also say that would have been a very long climb for me, I used to get tired after a couple hundred feet.

Those guys earn their pay, just watching that gave me the willies

gulp.

I was afraid of heights for a long time. Then I decided to figure out why and started to meditate on it.

-When I was roped into a climbing harness up on a shear face, I was not afraid.

-When I was rappelling out of helicopters, I was not afraid.

-When I stood in a high rise office and looked out the window, I was not afraid.

BUT---
When I stand on a high raise balcony and look over the railing, I am afraid.
When I stand on the top of a ladder, I am afraid.
When I stand on a roof or cliff and look over, I am afraid.

I realized that I do not have a fear of height or even a fear of falling. I HAVE A FEAR OF JUMPING. Once I realized that, now I find myself in those situations I tell myself, "Don't jump" and I am not afraid anymore.

I must agree that clipping into an open rung doesn't seem like adequate protection. It is simply a very different kind of operation than rock climbing. 1700 plus feet of elevation is also a bit more elevation gain that many technical climbs.

I've climbed ham radio towers to install/work on antennas, but nothing over 100'. But that video got me sweaty watching him.

The narrator did say they don't bother with harness because that would made the climb too slow.