Ivan Beerkus

Last updated
Ivan Beerkus
Born (1994-05-11) 11 May 1994 (age 30)
Moscow, Russia
Occupation(s) Blogger, scaling skyscrapers
Known forScaling skyscrapers

Ivan Beerkus (born Ivan Artemovich Kuznetsov on May 11, 1994, in Moscow) is a rooftopper and blogger who gained recognition for his photos taken on the rooftops of skyscrapers around the world.

Contents

Ivan Beerkus's ascents have captured the attention of the global media. Among more than 200 structures he has conquered are the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Main Building of Moscow State University, Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen, China, Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, the CTF Financial Centre building in Guangzhou, China, Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin, China, and the second-tallest building in the world, Merdeka 118 in Malaysia. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Biography

Ivan Beerkus was born on May 11, 1994, in Moscow, Russia. From an early age, his parents instilled in Ivan a love for sports: he practiced aikido, swimming, football, taekwondo, and classical boxing. At the age of 16, he developed an interest in rooftopping. At 17, he climbed a construction crane at the Mercury City Tower in the Moscow City complex.

In 2013, he clinched victory in the Best of Russia photo contest under the category "People. Events. Life.". [6]

Rooftopping

From the age of 18, Ivan started traveling to different cities for urban exploration and to conquer new heights. In 2014, at the age of 19, he climbed the construction crane of the Shanghai Tower, the tallest construction site in the world and the second-highest building at that time.

In 2016, Beerkus climbed the Eiffel Tower twice. In 2016, he traveled to China for the first time and, along with Angela Nikolau, climbed Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin and the construction crane at the top of the tower. [7] [8] The video of their ascent gained over 920,000 views as of April 2020, attracting global media attention.

In 2022, Beerkus and Angela Nikolau scaled the rooftop of the Malaysian skyscraper Merdeka 118, the second-tallest building in the world. This event received extensive coverage from media worldwide, and videos on Instagram reached 8.6 million views. [9] [10] [11] [12]

Beerkus has over 50 ascents on tall structures worldwide. As he usually undertakes ascents without permission from authorities and building owners, he has been arrested multiple times in various countries.

In 2024, the film Skywalkers: A Love Story, featuring Beerkus and Nikolau, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Later, Netflix acquired the rights to the film. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Notable climbs

LocationBuildingDateHeight, m
Moscow, Russia Kudrinskaya Square Building 2012156
Moscow, Russia Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building 2012176
Moscow, Russia Imperia Tower 2012239
Moscow, Russia Mercury City Tower 2012338,8
Moscow, Russia Moscow State University 2013237
Moscow, Russia Red Gate Building 2013133
Moscow, Russia Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya 2013136
Moscow, Russia Sberbank City 2013168
Shanghai Shanghai Tower 2014632
Hong Kong Central Plaza (Hong Kong) 2014374
Hong Kong The Masterpiece (Hong Kong) 2014261
Guangzhou Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre 2014530
Moscow, Russia OKO 2014354,1
Moscow, Russia Evolution Tower 2014246
Hong Kong The Center 2014346
Hong Kong Stonecutters Bridge 2014298
Hong Kong International Commerce Centre 2014484
Shanghai Shimao International Plaza 2014333,3
Hong Kong Nina Tower 2015319,8
Hong Kong Victoria Towers 2015213
Hong Kong Highcliff 2015252,4
Moscow, Russia Federation Tower 2015374
Hong Kong Lee Garden One 2015240
Shenzhen, China Shun Hing Square 2015384
Shanghai Jin Mao Tower 2015420,5
Shanghai Shanghai Tower 2015632
Shanghai Shanghai World Financial Center 2015492
Nanjing Zifeng Tower 2015381
Paris Eiffel Tower 2016330
Barcelona Camp Nou 2016
Tianjin, China Goldin Finance 117 2016597
Shenzhen Ping An International Finance Centre 2016599,1
Bangkok King Power Mahanakhon 2017314
Hong Kong Tregunter Towers 2017220
Hong Kong The Harbourfront Landmark 2017233
Dubai Al Yaqoub Tower 2017328
Chongqing United International Mansion 2019286
Shanghai K11 (Shanghai) 2019278
Chongqing Chaotianmen Bridge 2019142
Chongqing Chongqing World Trade Center 2019283,1
Paris Sainte-Clotilde 201970
Macau L'Arc Macau 2019217
Moscow, Russia Capital Towers (Moscow) 2020295
Almaty Esentai Tower 2022168
Almaty Curly Tau 2022132,5
Kuala Lumpur Merdeka 118 2022678,9

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References

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  2. "Власти Малайзии расследуют съемку блогеров из России на небоскребе" (in Russian). RBK Daily. 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
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  5. LO TERN CHERN (2022-12-29). "Duo who scaled Merdeka 118 tower under probe". The Star (Malaysia) . Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  6. "Люди. События. Повседневная жизнь" (in Russian). thebestofrussia.ru. 2013. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
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