The Photo Ard put up of him climbing on the building with puttied over holds sparked my memory, I was in the centre of town the other day and while walking around between shops as is my customery habit I was eyeing up lines to go back and try later, I noticed on one shops sign a disturbing thing. It was topped with metal spikes, coming out at angles sticking straight up, lots of thin metal spikes so you could get no handhold. I couldn’t even spot how you could get onto these signs as they were 10-12ft off the floor with only glass shopfrounts and blank wall beneth them.

I’ve seen spikes like them before but only on a really really obviously easy problem that any kindof climber with no intrest in buildering could spot while drunk and decide it would be a good idea to climb it. But is this anti-buildering equipment being placed on more and more stuff like Anti-Skate stuff? Anyone else noticed it?

(But Aid-Builderes rejoice, all this stuff designed to make it impossible simply increases the Aid grade.)

Related Posts

11 Responses

  1. ardarvin

    Those thin wire spikes you see everywhere are actually there to deter pigeons, but yeah they can be problematic to builderers as well. Usually I just reach between the spikes since they are spaced out enough, or bend em back a bit.

    The real pissers are the puttied over holds. That photo isn't the first building I've found with them on, they are fairly common in Vancouver. Some of em just make the climb more difficult/interesting, but if done well it makes the problem impossible… or like at least Ard15 or something  :moon:

  2. Sloouh

    Ok, ethics now, is it ok to climb with a sutible tool between the teeth and remove putty?

  4. Jason

    Yesterday I climbed this sweet high rec centre with these exposed bricks.  They had putty on the tops of them, but made for these sweet fat pinches.

  5. Drunkm0nk

    I could not belive it but last week i was electrocuted doing some parkour/buildering. I performed a cat leap after climbing a small building. When i landed the cat leap both of my hands were toutching a thin metal wire.. just as i go to climb and look at what i was hagning on… BZZZZZZZZZoinK

    i did not let go but DAMN that was suprising… its an anti-pigeon device to shock them out so they dont chill on the curbs.. it works for humans 2 … :(

  6. ardarvin

    Whoa Drunk, that is crazy! I've seen those little wires before  (sometimes with little coils at the end) and often wondered how the heck they kept pigeons off the ledges, since I figured they could just sit on the wire. I must not have ever touched the wire!

    Good tip man… BUILDERERS BEWARE THE LITTLE WIRE COILY THINGS!!! And perhaps more importantly… DON'T LET GO!!!!!!!

  7. Philthy

    Electro-buildering. Climbing easier structures with the catch that there is a mild-to-strong electrical current running through it.

    Anyone remember that messed up jungle gym from the movie RoboJox?

  8. ardarvin

    You mean RobotJox right? That movie where countries decide the outcomes of disputes via giant robot-gladiator fights? I vaguely remember the movie, mainly that it was terrible. Terrible in a good way? I haven't seen it in years.

    On a side note, buildering and electricity don't mix kiddies. Read the article: urban climber electrocuted scaling drugstore building if you haven't already. Scary stuff.

    Also, my cousin was electrocuted climbing a hydro tower. You may think “Duuuh”… but the twist is that the tower had been deactivated for years, and people would regularly climb the tower to get a good look at a nearby waterfall. Then one day BC Hydro decided to turn it back on and not tell anyone. BUUUUUUUUZZZZAP. Believe it or not he didn't die, but he did get serious burns all over his body, and is unable to use one of his arms. So yeah, don't let that be you.

  9. chimpo

    man electricity can help you climb, when you get shocked your muscles all tense which is why technicians and stuff always test with the back of their hands otherwise your hand locks on and never lets go – potentially useful on crux slopers – that is if you can then turn it off

  10. ardarvin

    hehe… yeah, it could be your “emergency pumped switch”, which locks up your muscles and simultaneously calls 911. just hope you haven't been zapped to death before the rescue crews get there.

    hmmm, that raises the question: is it better to die falling or frying?

  11. monkey

    yea i saw them they dont look pleasant, i was eyeing up this building to climb and saw these little wire things and i saw like 'damn!'…theres plenty other good buildings here though, i live in Edinburgh by the way.