Illegally climbing the Golden Gate bridge at dawn (2011)

http://www.nopromiseofsafety.com/?p=1680

by jcbmllgn • 13 years ago

188 116 13 years ago

Amazing things like this make me wish I wasn't afraid of heights. Even the pictures sort of make me feel uneasy. Haha Regardless, this is incredible.

dsego• 13 years ago

there is a way to confront the fear. just find an activity that involves heights, but with other people and safety equipment. like caving for example, like this (I was there): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ichMz2sCM

eCa• 13 years ago

Or "hike" the Camino del Rey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Nd1qtk1Go

(I didn't.)

arethuza• 13 years ago

If those pictures make you uneasy then watch Jeb Corliss in action BASE jumping from the Golden Gate :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6FLHSTg5kc

nsxwolf2• 13 years ago

You're not afraid of heights, you're afraid of falling. To me, NOT being afraid of heights is irrational.

singlow• 13 years ago

I love falling. It's hitting the ground that I'm afraid of.

roryokane• 13 years ago

I am afraid of heights, even when I am not afraid of falling. I dislike being on a high balcony even if I am ten feet away from the edge, with a trustworthy railing there. That's the way my body works - the fear is left over from more primitive times, before high places had windows and railings.

bicknergseng• 13 years ago

I'm afraid of dying as the result of a fall from significant height, to be clear. Skydiving with a parachute? No sweat. Bungie jumping? Uncomfortable, but not too bad. Being anywhere near the edge of a 40 foot cliff? My palms are made out of water.

base6985• 13 years ago

Take up skydiving and then BASE jumping. I too was afraid of heights, then one night I was on a scaffold climbing 300 ft in the air. I thought then, you know this isn't scary anymore.

Skydiving is a good way to ease into it, because you're so high it doesn't have the immediate danger that being lower to the ground, but relatively high does.

milliams2• 13 years ago

Awful choice of font colour.

apexys• 13 years ago

Better than pure white though. Too much contrast is problematic for some people.

milliams2• 13 years ago

On my screen however, I literally couldn't read it without selecting all the text.

jt2190• 13 years ago

The font color is dark gray #333 on a background of black #000. There's barely any contrast at all.

(edit: According to the Luminosity Colour Contrast Ratio Analyser [1], the luminosity contrast ratio is 1.66:1. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines recommend a ratio of 4.5:1 [2]. That'd be #777 on #000.)

[1] http://juicystudio.com/services/luminositycontrastratio.php

[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-WCAG20-20081211/#visual-audio-...

205guy• 13 years ago

I will be the contrarian and say it was a great choice of font color for at least 2 reasons.

The first is purpose: those dark images really stand out on the dark page, and the text is easily ignored, creating lots of attention on the photos and their extraordinary qualities (location, location, location, not to mention some pretty colors and compositions). Face it, the text is for people who want to know how it was done, which is one tenth the importance of "pics, or it... never mind."

The second is aesthetic. The article title "Mr Strauss' masterpiece" is even darker than the text, and the blog title "No Promise of Safety" is so dark as to be almost invisible. Hence, you have to assume that all choice of dark colors was intentional, thus serving some intent of the author. The idea of hiding in the shadows and having secrets revealed is strengthened by the text color.

Thus, I feel the dark text contributed to the impact of the page and its content. Not everything has to be perfectly readable or follow all rules of design.

gesman• 13 years ago

This is lovely and amazing!

90% of chance of law enforcement to be in touch with you soon, unfortunately. This is akin posting Youtube video of yourself breaking legal speed limits.

Ricapar2• 13 years ago

Just FYI:

    Date: February 24, 2011

If they haven't given him a call by now, they probably don't care at this point.

ultimoo• 13 years ago

I wonder whether the statute of limitations applies to such things. I hope it does.

devb4• 13 years ago

No, I know people who get arrested for stuff like this years after the fact.

crististm• 13 years ago

On what evidence? He has some pictures on the web, so? Same with the speeding movies. What are the grounds?

CamperBob2• 13 years ago

Police can and have arrested and charged motorists on the basis of those YouTube movies.

Ricapar2• 13 years ago

He missed the part of the story where he has to get back down!

martin-adams• 13 years ago

Maybe he's still there.

shawabawa3• 13 years ago

In a choice between a 300-foot-fall to water and a 30-foot-fall to concrete the winner is discernable if not immediately clear

I'm guessing the correct choice is the concrete, but for some reason I feel like I would still prefer to go for the water...

nathanb3• 13 years ago

This is why I love the TV show Mythbusters: they routinely demonstrate how our intuition on these matters is wrong.

(A 30-foot fall onto concrete might still kill you, but a 300-foot fall into water will definitely kill you. And if the fall onto concrete doesn't kill you, it will be much easier to get you the medical attention you need if you're not floating in San Francisco Bay).

Xcelerate• 13 years ago

Huh, I never saw the Mythbusters show. Why would a 300-foot fall into water definitely kill you? I know the world dive record is 172 feet. And terminal velocity for a human is about 120 mph. I imagine if you make yourself flat for most of the fall you could lower that speed and then right before you hit the water take a "pencil" position. Would you not at least have some chance of surviving that?

glurgh2• 13 years ago

Mythbusters: they routinely demonstrate how our intuition on these matters is wrong.

Or demonstrate that things we're sure about are sometimes not quite right:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=E40...

(Fast forward to 5 mins)

300-foot fall into water will definitely kill you.

Some do survive the actual jump and impact into the bay. Some (very rarely) are even recovered and survive the entire ordeal.

steveax• 13 years ago

Not to mention when the fall knocks you out, you won't drown on concrete, unlike landing in the water.

nadrafia• 13 years ago

Mythbusters busted that myth. Water is preferable to concrete they determined...

oldcigarette• 13 years ago

In railfanning we don't look kindly on people who trespass to great the 'perfect shot' because they just end up screwing things up for everyone else with ever increasing rules, surveillance and fences. Please think about the consequences of your actions when doing something like this.

base6985• 13 years ago

Same for BASE jumping. I had a talking too with the guy from this blog. He was eventually arrested, but after getting a few things we were jumping locked up.

There is a history of tar and feathering (with cold tar) people that ruin it for everyone else.

katbyte3• 13 years ago

I explore places like this tons (known as UE) and the rule is never post public photos that could give away entrances/increase security ruining it for future adventurers.

incision• 13 years ago

If you like this sort of thing, you might appreciate Vitaly Raskalov [0].

0: http://englishrussia.com/2013/03/22/on-top-of-the-pyramide/#...

joshfraser2• 13 years ago

I was offered the chance to do this in Egypt. I was told that it was totally safe as long as I brought along enough bride money in the event that we got caught.

jcbmllgn• 13 years ago

I think that'd be worth the bribe money :)

wololo• 13 years ago

how much?

mrexroad• 13 years ago

bride money you say? sounds like an even more dangerous adventure.

dkokelley• 13 years ago

I'm really not sure how I feel about these things. On one hand, these are great escapades, and they result in fantastic pictures. I do like seeing "forbidden and forgotten areas". On the other hand, I would never want to encourage anyone to do something like this. It's illegal for a reason. The reason is not just your own safety. If he had fallen on to the road side of the bridge, not only would he die, but he would risk the safety of others driving across the bridge. Even in the best-case where he doesn't hit a vehicle or cause an accident, the morning commute is screwed up because of what on the surface appears to be another suicide.

DanBC2• 13 years ago

People committing suicide would tend to jump off the bridge into the water? There are, very roughly, one person committing suicide per fortnight from the Goldengate Bridge.

One idea to slow down that number o fdeaths is to install a big net. It'll hurt when people land on it, and that might be enough to snap them out of the impulsive decision to end their lives.

The net would cost about $45m.

Some people might feel that spending the money on mental health services and suicide prevention services would be a better investment.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/us/26bcjames.html?pagewant...)

Superficially it's obvious why Fresno CA has such a high suicide rate (14.8 per 100,000) - low employment, high crime, staggering drug (especially meth) addiction. But Sacramento CA has higher rates of suicide (22.7 per 100,000), and it's not as easy to work out why.

themstheones• 13 years ago

I've seen an interesting television program about meth production. It's called "Breaking Bad." If anyone has an interest in the industry I suggest checking it out.

WestCoastJustin• 13 years ago

I read something about How The Mapo Bridge In South Korea Has Stopped People Committing Suicide [1]. They basically have illuminated signs that say encouraging things to people who are thinking about jumping. Dropped the suicide rate by 77%.

[1] http://www.sickchirpse.com/mapo-bridge-suicide/

ryguytilidie3• 13 years ago

I'm genuinely curious how a net to go under the bridge would cost $45m. How?

hnriot• 13 years ago

not sure what this had to do the parent comment, but if there's a net, people will find other ways. It's like making prostitution illegal, did it really cut down on the number of people having sex? Of course not.

malandrew• 13 years ago

I'm actually really curious if anyone has done some sort of study into the relationship between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and suicide. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if suicide rates go up as you go up the pyramid because you're afforded more time for existential thought.

katbyte3• 13 years ago

I personally climb bridges (in fact suspensions just like this) and other structures for photography now and then, and i would never do what they did without a harness and safety system preventing me, or any of my gear, from falling. Unfortunately not everyone is safe about it,

things from his post: > A slip of the foot could result in certain death. But We rolled the dice – flipped the coin. > Needing to get above the streetlights and not having time for fall protection I reminded myself to fall to the left should I slip. > https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5209/5315871803_95f74f1027_b...

Scream "this is some young kid who probably should not be doing this". Safety should always be the most important thing when doing anything like that.

qqg3• 13 years ago

Did you read onwards? He clipped himself in with safety lanyards once he was above the level of the streetlights...

sneak3• 13 years ago

It's illegal for a reason.

Thou shalt remember the 11th commandment and keep it wholly.

base6985• 13 years ago

I have been BASE jumping for quite a while and within that community there is a strong thread of leave no trace. It reduces the legal risk, eliminates property damage, and keeps it open for everyone else.

Back to Joe, I found his blog and saw a picture of him setting off fireworks on top of a crane I had just climbed and jumped in the city I used to live. I kept thinking the increased security probably should have led to my arrest since setting off fireworks isn't exactly stealth and if I was property owner and found that I'd definitely be horrified enough to increase security. I tracked him down and took him out to an antenna for him to climb and photograph warning him what could happen if he kept posting so publicly. He was eventually was arrested for this:

http://www.nopromiseofsafety.com/?p=311

He was an interesting dude. Modified a car to have a skin of bottle caps all over it. He does not walk to the beat of normal society's drum.

dboat• 13 years ago

"He does not walk to the beat of normal society's drum."

...says the base jumper.

base6985• 13 years ago

We come from all walks of life. Met more than a few start up founders, doctors, and Googlers

yread• 13 years ago

WTF was he arrested for?!

mabhatter2• 13 years ago

Defacing public cones... The guy wasn't exactly PAYING for the orange cones he was using.

Consider if every road project has to pay an extra $1000 for lost cones it becomes a police problem quickly and they crack the whip hard.

dfc3• 13 years ago

It is the most photographed landmark in the country

I am sorry but that is BS. I could not find any statistics about "photographed landmarks" but a quick check of any measure of tourism and this seems extremely unlikely. For starters San Francisco's tourism does not come close to NYC.

salimmadjd• 13 years ago

I've heard the same stat before ( I think I read it some place else) but it made no sense, either.

manojlds• 13 years ago

That's what the tour guides say in SF. Actually, some of them said it was most photographed in the WORLD.

dfc3• 13 years ago

Is this a joke?

DanBC2• 13 years ago

(http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43240059/ns/travel-travel_tips/t/m...)

Mining data from 35 million Flickr photos, scientists at Cornell University made some surprising discoveries: Not only did the world's most photographed cities (and the most captured landmark in each) emerge, but also so did the most common angles for shooting each place.

There are some American cities in the top twenty-five; and some Californian cities there; and San Francisco is listed at number 3, but for Union Square, not the Golden Gate Bridge.

This[1] AOL page has another list of US sights. (http://news.travel.aol.com/2009/08/27/must-snaps-americas-mo...) - they say it's the Coit Tower.

[1] A bafflingly bad page! Here's the tiny text-reading box on my display. (http://imgur.com/aRPqWr5)

dfc3• 13 years ago

Why did you say "there are some American cities...and San Francisco is listed at number 3" and not mention:

  1st most photographed city: New York
  Landmark: Empire State Building.

Updated:

Found the source[1], the golden gate bridge did not make their list of top 7 in san francisco. Which could be due to the methodology but it is important to note that there is a problem of selection bias in the article, which may artificially inflate SF's prominence. Its worth pointing out that for NYC landmarks the apple store was ranked higher than liberty island (AKA statue of liberty). Francophiles can rest easy, the Eifel Tower crushed the competition.

[1] https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~dph/papers/photomap-www09.pdf

uptown• 13 years ago

"> Mining data from 35 million Flickr photos"

I'm not sure Flickr can be considered an accurate representation of the majority of photographers.

js2• 13 years ago

Performance art from the Williamsburg Bridge:

http://gothamist.com/2011/11/19/video_see_the_williamsburg_b...

If you enjoy these sorts of stories, you'll love watching Man on Wire -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire

nazka• 13 years ago

Someone has an idea to find what camera he used? I tried to find it on flickr and google.image but there is nothing. I really like how it captured the colors and the light.

quackerhacker• 13 years ago

Mesmerizing. Apart of the glitz, I think of living in a city, is exploring.

When I was young with friends in SF (we were around 12), I remember the most adrenaline pumping thing we did was walk in the muni tunnel off I think Duboce (back in 01', so I'm not sure of the right names) and we'd always climb to roof access in the condo where they lived.

lcrs• 13 years ago

There's a lovely little book by John Law which includes climbing this bridge, back in the 70s: http://www.furnacepress.com/publications/law.html

barce• 13 years ago

You can get a permit for this and do it legally: http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/tours/golden-gate-brid...

aray• 13 years ago

Looking at those photos it seems like they just have a staged segment where you can get a "climbing the tower" picture taken, not actually climb the tower.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/parksconservancy/sets/721576304...

bjourne• 13 years ago

Why does every photographer have to use that "make colors look like xbox games" effect on their photos? I much rather look at unprocessed photos that have not been distorted by color enhancing filters.

yason• 13 years ago

I caught myself wondering why climbing the bridge has to be illegal.

You can't practically damage the bridge. You will mostly just hurt yourself if something happens. Theoretically the worst that could happen is you could fall onto a car but the damages incurred by a dead climber would be peanuts for any insurance company — people crash their cars by themselves alone all the time. And that could already happen because climbing being illegal doesn't stop the people who want to climb the bridge, as demonstrated in the article.

Of course, there's there "could" track where anything "could" happen thus it must be declared illegal before it happens, but you can extend that thinking to nearly everything until living just becomes impossible. For example, it "should be illegal to climb the big rocks on the shores because you could fall on an innocent party on a boat".

I would be inclined to reserve the illegal status for activities that actively affect other people. Stealing, mugging, murdering, manslaughtering, kidnapping, etc. Conversely, accidents just happen.

mabhatter2• 13 years ago

Because if the general public was doing it 50% or better would be squished. Public employees have to clean your guts up off the pavement each time it happens. It's not "victimless" after the same old guy has scrapped 30 people off the bridge and has mental health issues.

Illegally climbing the Golden Gate bridge at dawn (2011)

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