Gothamist: Alain Robert Scaled the NY Times Building

laker1

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:55:44 -0500

The reason the police are wearing a helmet is that it is an OSHA requirement to wear a helmet when operating at 15 feet above grade (the ground) also there are lot of overhead hazards on the roof of a building such as the steel columns supporting the air conditioning units. It would probably knock you out or at the least make you bleed alot if you whacked your head. The helmet is also a standard piece of equipment for a rope rescue team member. Those specially trained cops are the rope rescue team for the police department. That is why the cop in the picture is wearing a helmet.

mdowning

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:49:27 -0500

just gotta say, my fear of heights and instantaneous vertigo slammed me just looking at a few of the pics. i'd shit my pants, fall off, then shit my pants some more, if i suddenly found myself where he is in the first pic or eighth pic (especially, with the perspective of the shots). it's too bad it caused all the headaches for people though... @anna merkin, yes, it would be pretty badass to know you'd done this when lying on your deathbed. definitely. i doubt anything will ever compare with philippe petit walking the tightrope between the twin towers--now that, my dear, is fucking amazing.

PUrpleFox

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:37:30 -0500

Wow! I will take it this guy is NOT afraid of heights! Must be a major thrill seeker for sure. JT http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com

Anna_Merkin

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:42:38 -0500

I still think it's kinda cool that this guy climbs buildings. Imagine facing your final hours on the earth and knowing that you did something like this. That would make me smile.

Snoopy

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:54:12 -0500

Cops wear helmets to let the populace know that they are really concerned and that this is a "serious" event. Unlike the FDNY that wear them all the time because they deal with serious events. If a person falls on you from above the fifth floor that helmet ain't going to do shit to save your life.

citylion

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:28:14 -0500

I think his climbing stunts are awesome. Is it endangerment when you are experienced and know what you are doing? Also, why does the cop in the last photo have a helmet on? If he falls, I'm not sure that'll help much and I'm also quite sure there aren't any loose bolts that are going to land on him from above either.

TooTallJeff

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:15:27 -0500

There's another guy climbing it right now!

Captain Morgan

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:07:52 -0500

6:07 there is now a second person climbing the NY Times building.

Kevin Walsh

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:37:23 -0500

I don't have a tremendous problem with this sort of stuff. Phil Petit was feted and applauded in 1974 for walking a tightrope between the twin towers, and George Willig was admired for climbing one of the WTC towers in 1977. www.forgotten-ny.com

values_hehe

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:04:02 -0500

I thought that building was an unfinished parking garage for the longest time...

Alex

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:01:31 -0500

icenined I wish you would have told me that before. I'm posting from my phone and I've made it what looks like 4 floors up. Get help, i'm too tired to climb down!!!

icenined

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:47:43 -0500

Alex: Alain R is a pretty serious climber - the "ladder" on the NYT building was a walk in the park for him, but might not be for most people. Go look him up on YouTube, he's climbed much tougher buildings. I can tell you (from experience) that climbing anything that tall with no protection is not a simple matter - all it takes is one slip...

JacqueMehoff

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:38:06 -0500

I wonder what kind of planning goes into this? And, let's have a competition, him vs. steelworkers. first one to plant their flag and whip it out wins. catcalls to follow.

sunnyd317

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:37:12 -0500

Climbing a building to call attention to global warming is about as useful as picking your nose to protest the war.

Alex

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:21:03 -0500

I wonder how strong the wind is at that height. That's the only thing I'd be nervous about. This guy makes it look easy. Maybe I could go off and try it myself?

sonyactivision

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:12:17 -0500

He would have struck a bigger blow against Global warming had he gone 'le splat'.

Gotham City Insider Wuz Here

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:08:34 -0500

Global Warming released a statement saying they are sorry and they will now stop thanks to this Alain's death-defying high jinx.

eyekantspel

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:05:23 -0500

This would have had a much bigger impact if Al Gore did it.

burgeon

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:03:48 -0500

Wait a minute, they put up a building that looks like a giant ladder, and somebody climbed it? Shocker.

zstone

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:01:27 -0500

Psh, the building's like a giant ladder. Hooray for the environment, though.

ribaldry

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:00:55 -0500

He's not an "idiot' or "retarded" or narca.. whatever. He's just not a follower like all you fearful little maze rats.

gasoline serpent

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:54:31 -0500

I was walking past the loading dock of the NY Times building, wondering why a police car forced its way up 40th when they hauled him out the side door and took him away. Cops thought nothing of nearly hitting a few people on the way out in their hurry to get Spiderman away from the building. People were still gawking out front of the NY Times building 30 minutes later, long after he'd been extracted from the building. People are idiots.

Snoopy

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:52:38 -0500

Tempting fate has got a lot of people in deep shit trouble. Notice he didn't do it this weekend when the weather is suppose to be HOT! He has made the world a better place by doing this. Hasn't he?

eyekantspel

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:50:34 -0500

I just read about his global warming message, and frankly, that kind of kills it for me. I'd rather see someone do this kind of thing simply to show it could be done. Or for a $100 bet, like Brooklyn Bridge jumper Steven Brodie did in the 1880s.

Gotham City Insider Wuz Here

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:49:30 -0500

LOL @ Sir Kenneth. From what I know, the Times building is one of the greenest buildings in the city. So if he's doing this to "protest" global warming he picked the wrong building.

Armchair_warrior

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:45:06 -0500

freak should be given to the people who got stuck in traffic. jackass should also pay for the city for having that many cops out.

Sir Kenneth Clark

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:45:01 -0500

Anything to steal attention away from Naked Cowboy.......

drewo

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:45:00 -0500

I got sweaty palms just looking at the pix. Lots of nerve to pull this one off - maybe he should just ask permission next time and save the taxpayers money.

mocanlagunas

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:43:01 -0500

Damn I wished I had been there to watch him do it... why don't they just announce it before so we can go see...

Gustastic

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:41:16 -0500

I walked right past this today. I saw tons of people standing and gawking, but didn't think anything of it. What a fucking narcissist.

eyekantspel

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:41:01 -0500

wow, that's impressive. Does anyone know if there's a permit process or something that would permit a person to do this kind of thing legally? I'm not in favor of people taking inherently dangerous risks like this, but the guy obviously knows what he's doing. Considering they let David Blaine do his lame-ass stunts, I'd think there would be some kind of vetting process to permit this.

mookie

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:38:18 -0500

narcissist.

Anna_Merkin

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:31:10 -0500

Who's the cutie standing to the right of the photographer?

aveB4life

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:25:18 -0500

thats an optical illusion. no one is that retarded