Crane climbing is the (usually illicit) act of climbing a crane. It is a worldwide phenomenon that was said to be growing in popularity in the mid-2010s, alongside the illicit climbing of skyscrapers, monuments and other tall structures, known as "buildering". [1]
Canada's York Regional Police view crane climbers as thrillseekers influenced by the popularity of crane climbing videos on YouTube and warns that in addition to putting themselves at risk, crane climbers put the lives of first responders at risk as well. [2]
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains to small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also done in trades that rely on ascension, such as construction and military operations. Climbing is done indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces, and on artificial surfaces
The CN Tower is a 553.3 m-high (1,815.3 ft) concrete communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for the government's real estate portfolio.
Urban exploration is the exploration of manmade structures, usually abandoned ruins or hidden components of the manmade environment. Photography and historical interest/documentation are heavily featured in the hobby, sometimes involving trespassing onto private property. Urban exploration is also called draining, urban spelunking, urban rock climbing, urban caving, building hacking, or mousing.
Mount Everest(also Mount Sagarmatha or Mount Qomolangma) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation of 8,848.86 m was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.
The 'Ndrangheta is an Italian Mafia-type association based in the peninsular region of Calabria and dating back to the 19th century. Although loosely structured, it is considered one of the most powerful organized crime groups in the world. It is characterized by a horizontal structure made up of autonomous clans known as 'ndrine, based almost exclusively on blood ties. Since the 1950s, following wide-scale emigration from Calabria, 'Ndrangheta clans dispersed to other European countries, Australia and the Americas. Currently, its main activity is drug trafficking, but it also deals with arms trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, and loan sharking.
The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues, including disproportionately high levels of drug use, homelessness, poverty, crime, mental illness and sex work. It is also known for its strong community resilience, history of social activism, and artistic contributions.
Solo climbing, or soloing, is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs a route alone, without the assistance of a belayer. By its very nature, it presents a higher degree of risk to the climber, and in some cases, is considered extremely high risk.
Julian Fantino,, is a Canadian retired police official and former politician. He was the Conservative Party of Canada Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-election, until his defeat in 2015. On January 4, 2011, Fantino was named Minister of State for Seniors; on May 18, 2011, he became Associate Minister of National Defence; on July 4, 2012, he was named Minister for International Cooperation. Fantino served as the Minister of Veterans Affairs from 2013 until 2015, when he was demoted to his earlier post of Associate Minister of National Defence following sustained criticism of his performance at Veterans Affairs. He was defeated by Liberal candidate Francesco Sorbara in the 2015 election.
Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climbers climb solo without ropes or other protective equipment, using only their climbing shoes and their climbing chalk. Free soloing is the most dangerous form of climbing, and, unlike bouldering, free soloists climb above safe heights, where a fall can be fatal. Though many climbers have free soloed climbing grades they are very comfortable on, only a tiny group free solo regularly, and at grades closer to the limit of their abilities.
William Sterling Blair is a Canadian politician and former police officer who has served as the minister of National Defence since 2023. A member of the Liberal Party, Blair represents Scarborough Southwest in the House of Commons. Blair previously held the portfolios of Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Before entering politics, Blair worked for four decades with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), serving as the chief of police from 2005 until retiring in 2015.
Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also partial home for Canada national rugby league team. The playing surface of the 9,600 seating capacity stadium is also dually marked for soccer and field hockey. The stadium was named for long-time Toronto politician Allan Lamport, who was associated with sporting activities in the city.
The Quincy Quarries is a 22-acre (8.9 ha) public recreation area in Quincy, Massachusetts, commemorating the site of the Granite Railway—often credited as being the first railroad in the United States. The former quarries produced granite for over a century, leaving problematic excavations that ultimately were taken over and filled in to protect public safety. The reservation is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Lotte World Tower (Korean: 롯데월드타워), is a 123-story, 555 m (1,821 ft) supertall skyscraper, located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is the sixth-tallest building in the world, the tallest in OECD countries, and also the first in South Korea to be over 100 stories tall.
The Siderno Group is a criminal association in Canada, Australia and Italy related to the 'Ndrangheta, a Mafia-type organization in Calabria. The association is labelled the "Siderno Group" because its members primarily came from the town of Siderno on the Ionian coast in Calabria and migrated to Canada and Australia in the 1950s.
Rooftopping, sometimes called roofing, refers to the unsecured ascent of rooftops, cranes, antennas, bell towers, smokestacks, or other tall structures, usually illegally. Rooftoppers usually take photos or videos of their climbs.
Frank H. Farley is a humanistic psychologist and a past president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He teaches at Temple University and has been a fellow or a leader of several scholarly societies. He has published research on a wide range of topics, from risk-taking personalities to men who visit massage parlors.
Ontheroofs is an urban exploration and rooftopping photography project conceived by Vitaliy Raskalov and Vadim Makhorov, from Ukraine and from Russia respectively. Their main focus of photography is the exploration of high-rise architectural structures like skyscrapers, bridges, historic sites and cathedrals. The team have been notable for their number of free-climbs up famous buildings and monuments around the world. Typically, their videos are uploaded onto YouTube and showcase their ascent and descent. Raskalov and Makhorov appeared as recurring cast in the documentary series URBEX – Enter At Your Own Risk, which launched globally on Red Bull TV on August 1, 2016.
Justin Casquejo, also known online as LiveJN, is an American rooftopper, free solo climber and stunt performer of Filipino descent. He has scaled several skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York City, as well as a water tower in his hometown, Weehawken, New Jersey, and has been arrested, charged, and convicted for some of his activities. Others have been brought to light through his publication on social media, such as Instagram and YouTube.
Infinity Waters is a complex of three residential towers whose construction is currently on hold in Liverpool, United Kingdom of 39, 33 and 27 storeys respectively. The largest two towers will reach skyscraper height; Tower A will become the third tallest structure in Liverpool at 122.8 m. Located on a 7,700m2 brownfield site in the Vauxhall district, bordering the northern edge of the city centre, the development is costing £250 million.
Latest crane incident follows April crane climber – on April 26, a 23-year-old woman was found dangling on a crane, requiring emergency services to spend 2½ hours rescuing her during a meticulous operation.