Lol, I'd do it....once. I got to go up a tower crane once, and then I even got to take a cart ride out to the end of the boom. It was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

 

For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain that video is inaccurate. First, I don't think it was filmed (legally) in the United States, simply because there is no such OSHA provision for "free climbing". Portable ladders are the only thing anyone is ever able to climb in the workplace above 6' without requiring a proper fall-arrest system - and even then, I think they put a limit on the height of portable ladders at like 40' (I'll have to check with OSHA Part 1926). Second, I'm pretty sure there is no 1,768 foot tower existing in the world. See here: List Of Tallest Towers In The World

Lol, I'd do it....once. I got to go up a tower crane once, and then I even got to take a cart ride out to the end of the boom. It was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

 

For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain that video is inaccurate. First, I don't think it was filmed (legally) in the United States, simply because there is no such OSHA provision for "free climbing". Portable ladders are the only thing anyone is ever able to climb in the workplace above 6' without requiring a proper fall-arrest system - and even then, I think they put a limit on the height of portable ladders at like 40' (I'll have to check with OSHA Part 1926). Second, I'm pretty sure there is no 1,768 foot tower existing in the world. See here: ]List Of Tallest Towers In The World

 

Don't confuse radio/tv towers with buildings. I know there are some that do double duty as both...but, the broadcast only towers can be quite high. KVLY-TV mast - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

VIDEO: How to Climb a 1,768-Foot Radio Tower, or How NOT to Climb | The Cardinal

 

"Don’t believe everything you watch on YouTube. The “Stairway to Heaven” video, reportedly launched by TheOnLineEngineer.org, states that free climbing is an accepted method of ascending, working and descending on a broadcast and telecommunication tower. Tower erecting associations, such as the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) publicly denounced the video, stating that free climbing is not accepted by OSHA, and that there were many other inaccuracies in the video."

Don't confuse radio/tv towers with buildings. I know there are some that do double duty as both...but, the broadcast only towers can be quite high. KVLY-TV mast - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I didn't mean that I didn't think towers get that high...just that there isn't one that is the specific height that they mentioned several times over in the video - 1,768 feet. And that makes me question how valid the video is.

I didn't mean that I didn't think towers get that high...just that there isn't one that is the specific height that they mentioned several times over in the video - 1,768 feet. And that makes me question how valid the video is.

 

Gotcha. :thumb:

Lol, I'd do it....once. I got to go up a tower crane once, and then I even got to take a cart ride out to the end of the boom. It was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

 

For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain that video is inaccurate. First, I don't think it was filmed (legally) in the United States, simply because there is no such OSHA provision for "free climbing". Portable ladders are the only thing anyone is ever able to climb in the workplace above 6' without requiring a proper fall-arrest system - and even then, I think they put a limit on the height of portable ladders at like 40' (I'll have to check with OSHA Part 1926). Second, I'm pretty sure there is no 1,768 foot tower existing in the world. See here: List Of Tallest Towers In The World

 

18+ year Labor Cabinet/OSHA employee here. Many of these guys "free climb" all the time...though they are not supposed to. That's why every couple of months you hear about one of these guys falling, they were either climbing or working without the proper use of their PPE. Sad. Had a big case here a couple of years ago. Again, when these jobs are subbed out 2 and 3 and 4 times removed and you end up having Joe Jones Contractor doing the job and he has gung-ho Billy Badbutt climbing the tower for $9.00 and hour and none of them have had any safety training and probably have old, out of service (if any) PPE. Believe me, it's not uncommon.

I didn't mean that I didn't think towers get that high...just that there isn't one that is the specific height that they mentioned several times over in the video - 1,768 feet. And that makes me question how valid the video is.

 

I have a customer that builds towers and they've built them that tall before. I will have to check and see if any on are the US.

I have a customer that builds towers and they've built them that tall before. I will have to check and see if any on are the US.

 

While my customer did not build the tower, they did manufacturer and install a 70ft antenna on top of an 1800ft tower in Tulsa, OK.

 

ABC affiliate KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma faced a problem with their post-digital-transition coverage significant enough to affect the station’s ratings. Their side mounted channel 8 antenna was not performing as well as their pre-transition antenna. KTUL needed to act quickly before their revenues began to suffer.

To resolve this problem, KTUL decided to purchase a new, top-mounted antenna installed at a higher elevation to provide a better pattern. To further improve coverage, KTUL would add vertical polarization to achieve circular polarization. Purchasing and installing a top-mount VHF antenna is no trivial endeavor. Few broadcast equipment companies had the capabilities required to design and manufacture a 70 foot long antenna to be installed atop an 1800 ft tower.

According to Wikipedia, the tallest structure in Kentucky is an abandoned WAVE 3 TV tower in LaGrange. Pretty darn close to the one mentioned in the video (1739 feet versus 1768).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallest_structures_in_the_U.S.

I really don't care if legal or not, I ain't climbing anything like that.

OMG! No safety lines?! You'd have to be crazy.