Re: [n_pertuset] buildering
n_pertuset wrote:
Do you seriously have to purchase that article to read it? If so, can you post the full version on here?
Here ya go:
What keeps the real-life Spider-Man climbing?
Inspired by childhood heroes, Alain Robert conquered vertigo and has gone on to scale skyscrapers with his bare hands
by Dominique Vidalon, Paris
When Alain Robert was a child he dreamed of being like his heroes, Robin Hood and Zorro, the fearless outlaws who defend the weak against mighty villains.
Now 45, Mr Robert is known around the globe as the French Spider-Man, a real-life daredevil who risks his life scaling some of the world's tallest buildings, often with no permission and always without rope for protection.
Mr. Robert is a solo climber, which means he uses only his bare hands, a pair of climbing shoes, and sometimes a bag of powdered chalk.
In this high-adrenalin discipline known as "urban solo freestyle" or "buildering," Mr. Robert relies on technique, strength and any support a building can offer -- drainpipes and window ledges or frames -- to hoist his small frame up.
When Mr. Robert, a wiry man with long blond hair, talks of his motivation he describes a death-defying adventure that requires extreme focus and commitment.
"Solo climbing is demanding. You cannot make a mistake, you cannot fall, it's a life-and-death game," he said.
He recalls a childhood full of fears and his determination to overcome them.
"I was scared of heights. I was a shy and introverted child. I was afraid of everything, but I had the will to fight to get where I wanted. I decided to become a little bit courageous and climbing seemed the way to do it."
Mr. Robert began climbing in 1975, training on the cliffs near his home town of Valence in southern France. He took up solo climbing in 1977 and rapidly became a top climber.
He had a first stint at "buildering" when he was 12 and was locked out of his apartment and decided to scale the eight storeys to an open window.
It was Sector, a sponsor specializing in extreme sports, that suggested he try skyscrapers. Mr. Robert conquered his first building in Chicago in 1994.
He has since climbed more than 80 skyscrapers and landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Chicago's Sears Tower, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Taipei 101 in Taiwan, the tallest building in the world.
His climbs take him from 20 minutes to the four hours he spent mastering the 508-metre Taipei 101 building, where he encountered bad weather.
Mr. Robert's climbs are often illegal and he says he finds pleasure in his exploits.
"In a society that is more and more constrained by rules, it's nice to do a few things that are on the margin of the law without committing any major crime. I am kicking the ass of a society that has become too antiseptic," he said.
Mr. Robert has been arrested about 100 ties for climbing without permission and was detained several times.
Last year, he was jailed for five days in China after he scaled the 88-storey Jin Mao Building in Shanghai wearing his trademark Spider-Man costume. He was expelled and banned from China for five years.
His climbs usually involve staking out a building for a few days, sometimes making a few attempts under the cover of night.
"I know how to spot cameras; if you move fast, you can go up two metres without anyone noticing," he says.
On the chosen day, Mr. Robert shows up at dawn, rushes past security guards starts his ascent. [sic]
He enjoys climbing what seems impossible, but has a clear idea of what he can accomplish.
"People have built this myth around me that I can climb anything. Sometimes people say it's nothing, it's just a 70-metre climb. But I say it's just 70 metres for a lizard or a spider, but it will not do it for me," he says.
Mr. Robert, who has a wife and three children he telephones immediately after reaching the top of a building, says he gave up scaling the Grand Arche of La Defense near Paris because he felt the building was not safe enough.
>> Reuters