Sunday, July 19, 2009

Don't look, DeeDee... :-)


The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest, single-span arch bridge in the world and an enduring international symbol of Sydney... and I'm standing on the very top of it!

500 people (in teams of 14-15) climbed the Harbour Bridge with me on Saturday, July 18th. The weather was picture-perfect, as captured in these snapshots taken by our climb leader, Chris.

It took over 10 years of legal battles and a $20 million dollar investment, before Bridge Climb's owner, Paul Cave realized his dream of offering this unique tour experience to Sydney's residents and visitors.

Bridge Climb has even hosted seven weddings on top of the steel arches and countless marriage proposals!

4 comments:

Greg Thib said...

Man that looks high...was it windy? You look like you took a wrong turn on one picture...the tour group is in the background!

Jeff said...

Height?
482 feet from the water, or about the height of a 40-story building.

Wind?
Usually it is quite windy at the top of the arch; especially during the winter months. But on Saturday when I climbed, it was dead calm! Our climb leader, Chris, remarked how unusual it was to have such a beautiful day at this time of year.

The group behind me?
Those are the 'slow-pokes'. It was taking them, like..., forever man. :-)

Scary?
Not really. The arches themselves are at least 10-feet wide and you walk a secure path for the climb. You are clipped-in to the structure the entire time.

Wedding Chapel?
Yes, you can be married on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But the entire wedding party, including the bride and groom, must wear the same 'Star Trek' jumper I'm modeling... NO designer wedding gowns allowed!

Dee Dee (aka Lise) said...

Wow! Sorry I HAD to look! You know, because you told me NOT to!!! I have to admit, it looks "hecka fun" you lucky dog! Glad to know you made it back down safely.

Question: How can you be clipped on to the bridge the ENTIRE time...I mean really...you gotta unclip to move up don't you? Maybe the group behind you (the slow pokes) didn't know that! Please explain.

Love you, can't wait to see you. Send me your flights times, keep in touch.

Lise

Jeff said...

Hey Lise...

The harness you wear on the climb has you clipped into a continuous stainless steel cable... (you see it just under the handrail in the photos.) At the end of the tether (which attaches to the harness at your waist) is a stainless steel 'ratchet' ball (transfastener) that rolls over the brackets that hold the stainless cable in place. You never have to unclip yourself. You just roll along.

The company that makes the transfastener is called Latchways and they have a animated clip that shows how they work... kinda neat, actually :-)

http://www.latchways.com/default.aspx?item=39

Will email my flight schedule, thanks Sweetie.

xoxo
Jeff