Channel 4 now (dont look down.)

[ShooTa]

time for a few videos of free climbing with saws now...

[enrieb]

Interesting views in the thread, kind of what I think the program makers were going for. Yes, unfortunately the way the program was produced will sadly only encourage other people to attempt the same thing. It was sensationalist and dwelt on danger, what they failed to show was the high level of training that makes James Kingston, one of the countries leading parkour practitioners, that's his day job.

 

They did mention that he does parkour, but they didn't show who he really is or the true level of his ability and the amount of work and dedication that goes into this training. I've met James, I've trained with him, he's certainly not a nutter with a death wish, even if thats how the program makers attempted to portray him, he's not a thrill seeker, a kid who's just messing around, he is a highly trained athlete who has spent many years mastering his discipline, by training with the Worlds leading parkour practitioners. By not showing this fully, the program makes will encourage unskilled people to do the same.

 

No-one who has attained his level of skill can be reckless or of unsound mind. The last thing James would want to do is die or get injured, because that would prevent him from training parkour. Parkour may look dangerous to people who don't train in that field, just as tree surgery looks dangerous to people who have not spent years training and learning the correct techniques, as well as having the experience of assessing the level of risk.

 

The program makers did not show the level of ability that James has trained to, and that's why untrained thrill seeking kids will attempt to do this for a bit of fame. They could just as easily make a documentary in the same style about Alain Robert, by ignoring his climbing ability and simply focusing on his personality quirks and his climbs.

 

As for walking along a thin bar at height, every month James will do miles of walking, jumping to and balancing on rails. Even if he were to slip, he would quite easily catch the beam on the way down,(as you would have seen in his gymnastic bar work, or scaffold movement, if that had been shown) because that is what he has trained to do.

 

Hanging on a beam or bar at high level is only a mental challenge. In climbing or parkour people train hanging from walls, bars, rails all the time. 2 minuets is standard with both hands, 1 minuet single handed. When you train it regular, you increase your grip strength, your ability to tolerate lactic acid build up, and develop the mental knowledge of how your body works. You can feel when you are getting tired, you can feel the half way point, you know when you have just ten seconds left. If you know you can hold a bar for 2 minuets then what is 10 seconds even if it is 1000 feet in the air? They also have an in-depth understanding of surfaces, what type of surface is grippy and what type of surface you cannot hold. What's different about hanging off a bar 10 foot off the ground? 100 foot, or a 1000? It's really just a mental challenge at that stage, having the right approach to control fear by knowing what you and your body are capable of.

 

 

Just like working in a tree, operating a chiansaw is dangerous at ground level for an unskilled operator, when you're up in the tree the risk level is higher, when you factor in rigging, power lines and other dangers how close do you come to death each day, why do you put your families through this? The things James will attempt are carefully planned, he won't do something for an adrenalin rush, or peer pressure, he does it because he can, and he won't attempt anything beyond his level. If there is something beyond his current capabilities then he will train towards it and do it when he is ready. I'm not so sure about the Ukrainian chap though, I can't speak for him. Most of the factors are within his control, yes, there are external factors like wind and rain, but he would not choose to do things like this in bad conditions, sure a sudden gust of wind could come from nowhere, but he is competent enough to catch a bar. There are far more external risk factors that cannot be controlled in tree surgery, even just driving a car at 70mph on a motorway is incredibly dangerous with all the factors outside of your control. Is Lewis Hamilton an idiot, because he does something that would be incredibly dangerous for an untrained amateur.

 

 

Is it different when you are cutting a branch at 20 foot or 40 foot? sure maybe it was when you were inexperienced. For a normal person or even just an inexperienced tree surgeon, climber or parkour person height changes are scary, but you build up to things slowly over time.

 

James Kingstone is up there as one of the worlds top parkour athletes. They may not earn the money and recognition that an average footballer gets, but the amount of training that goes into their work is of the highest quality.

 

The reason the original crane climb video became viral, is not because some kid just climbed a crane and hung off it with one hand, there have been videos like that on youtube for years. That video became famous because of the way the video was filmed and put together, it really is skilfully shot and put together in a way that really captures the challenge.

 

So in conclusion, you're not wrong to dismiss him as a nutter, an idiot, or someone with a death wish, because that's exactly what the program makers intended. Sadly this will lead to unskilled kids or drunk young people attempting this.

 

This is some of James work

 

And a short film giving a glimpse into some of the control, techniques and training that go into his movement.

[10 Bears]

Interesting insight which was omitted from the programme.

 

Had to admit, another tingly feet moment watching those videos!

[bobh]

Thanks for putting the other side of the story, very interesting

[Goaty]

Enrieb, I'd still be typing that if my typing finger wasn't sore and I had given up. A+ assignment and A+ for debate/ reasoning. I Have yet to watch glamourised climbing.

[sasha.p]

As good a climber as he is from a parents perspective I really feel sorry for his mum if and when something happens she seems like a very tolerable lady considering what her son does I am sure she worries like crazy over her boy.

 

I watched it last night online and was nearly turning away from screen and my stomach was churning at the thought of him losing his grip.

When it's him supporting hiself in his climb then fine that's his choice but when he entered another country and was holding the Ukraine guy off the side of the bridge now that I thought was a tad bit stupid because he was holding somebody else life in his hands , what if it had gone wrong? in another country he may not of stood a chance of explaining the situation the police over there, they could of claimed he threw the other guy off and he could of landed hiself in prison on a manslaughter charge they looked like the authorities suspected enough dodgy things by thinking they were terrorists!.

The Ukrain guy looked crazy as for James I think he is mis guided his talents could be put to good use .I just hope it does not lead to too many people trying to think they can do the same when they have not had the training that somebody like James has had .