American Reacts to Fred Dibnah Laddering a Chimney

In this video I react to Fred Dibnah laddering a chimney. I can honestly say Fred was a master Steeplejack. Watching how he ladders this chimney with ease is absolutely impressive.
Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
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👉 Original Videos:
Part 1: • Fred Dibnah laddering ...
Part 2: • Fred Dibnah laddering ...
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[@christineharding4190]

As well as Fred's ability to deal with heights just imagine how strong he must have been. Muscles of steel!

[@markjones127]

My Dad worked on the railway, starting in 1944 (at age 14) so on the steam trains, for 7 years before becoming a driver he was a fireman which is the guy who shovels coal onto the fire all day, he was only short like Fred but strong as an ox, it was his party trick, he'd challenge anyone to shake his hand, 6'+ bodybuilders, boxers, the bigger and stronger looking the better, and he'd crush their hand with his killer grip and have them writhing about in agony, I think the people who came from that industrial generation were a different breed!

[@tonyhirons5445]

The date on the base of the chimney is actually 1989 and Fred has put his initials to the left from when he first did it. An absolute legend.🇬🇧

[@welshpete12]

No , that is from the last time he did any work on the chimney . I

[@COCOLEAF1169]

An absolute legend indeed

[@grunions9648]

I love the natural progression of these videos: -Fred brings down a chimney stack "How did he get that scaffold up?" -Fred puts up scaffolding "How does he get those ladders up?" -Fred ladders a chimney "What does he do when gets to that overhang?" -Fred climbs an overhang :)

[@samanthahadwin]

Very true!!

[@grindelston5968]

Best comment!

[@majorlaff8682]

Remember, Fred was an everyday citizen of the country that colonised, civilised and educated most of the world. His people were the finest bridge builders in the world and also invented the steam engine which led to the Industrial Revolution and the consequent improvement in lifestyle for billions of people.

[@markjones127]

Absolute legend, my Dad who was a train driver going back into the steam days, was his biggest fan, I'm 52 and caught the tail end of that industrial generation, both my grandads were quarrymen working in very industrial slate quarrying towns, heavy industry was a tough life, and it made tough men like Fred.

[@Anglo_Saxon1]

Great to see your genuine interest in your heritage Steve.Out of all the "Americans React"videos,you seem to show a level of interest that I haven't come across. Fred is from Northern England and he's a national treasure of ours so it's great to see you giving up some of your time to watch his videos. Respect mate!

[@janolaful]

He's from Bolton in the North West, we use to see him on his steam engine .

[@grindelston5968]

Yeah, I appreciate his appreciation of my hero free dibnah. Lots of Americans doing these videos, I wonder what fred would make of it if he were still about. He's probably having a pint of Guinness and having a laugh with saint Peter while giving a quote for re-pointing the pearly gates R.I.P. Fred , my absolute hero (after my Dad that is)

[@Anglo_Saxon1]

@@grindelston5968 Haha! Yeah mate,I bet he is. He deserves a bloody rest!🍻

[@Andyb2379]

He was a great man & very sorely missed

[@grindelston5968]

I'm so glad he's getting all this recognition and respect now and isn't being forgotten. And he's becoming popular with our younger American friends, lots of people doing reaction videos on him and they all seem to love and admire him, it really does make me feel good. Hopeful,even.

[@dinger40]

The holes were all "drilled" with a hammer and chisel, like they used to do drilling holes in rock for blasting before pneumatic drills. Hit chisel with hammer, turn chisel half a turn, hit a gain and repeat until hole is at the required depth.

[@grindelston5968]

I reckon they're called dogs because they 'bite' into the masonry to hold the ladders in place, but I'm guessing.

[@MrPaulMorris]

@@grindelston5968 A 'dog' is something used to lock or clamp, for example the securing devices on the watertight hatches in a ship. Although I'd never thought about it before, my dictionary tells me this is indeed by analogy with the biting jaws of a dog. I learn something new every day!

[@LotusPhoenix]

That guy was an absolute legend! Imagine health and safety these days 🤣

[@katburns3873]

😅 Grew up with him on the TV! Remember the steam engines my dad used to watch the most. RIP Fred! Oh and thanks for the content! Only found you yesterday and I've found it fascinating

[@musicinfinity4016]

Fred was brilliant and such a nice man, he was a friend of my dads, he was such a genuine, gracious, full of history, just brilliant. Take a look at his other videos with his steam engines. RIP Fred. ❤

[@grunions9648]

It's hard to get your head around the fact that, for about 50% of the time he's doing this, he's climbing on a ladder which is only secured to the chimney BELOW where he is. It's absolutely wild.

[@welshpete12]

I believe he built a scaffold around the chimney to get over the overhang . If that is the case, he would need a second set of ladders fixed on the other side. So he can secure the scaffolding to the brickwork .

[@jodu626]

spot on

[@sparkyprojects]

The original 'drill' would be like a round chisel with flutes, you bang it in, give it a twist and bang again, repeating this acts like a hammer drill. If you look at a modern stainless steel chimney, you might see some little squares up the sides, those are cover plates for inserting screw eyes You should also watch "Fred Dibnah How to bring down a chimney stack.", it's epic and classic Dibnah There's also a statue of Fred

[@wolfie5]

Fred Dibnah - always a legend.

[@kenjepson1908]

Fred is a bit of a local legend in Bolton, Lancashire, England... his house and workshop was a shrine to the industrial revolution and Victorian engineering, he had a couple of steam powered traction engines he drove around in, there's a statue of Fred in Bolton town centre.

[@grindelston5968]

Remember when he built his own tribute to the miners by building his own pit head gear, fully working winding engine , mine shaft and little railway and the bloody council made him take it down? He built that at his own cost with his friends as a tribute and so people could see how they did steam powered mining in the 1800's and learn. It all worked , just in miniature and they made him take it down. Absolutely heartbreaking. Why ,why can't we have nice things?

[@kenjepson1908]

@@grindelston5968 He built a really ornate factory style chimney on his mum's terraced house when he was 16, it's still standing and is grade 2 listed. He was a legend.

[@raye402]

He didn’t use a drill ! - it was hammer & chisel all the way up & down !! 😀👍🇬🇧

[@enemde3025]

A true craftsman. Modern health and safety measures mean we have now lost people like Fred. They are running programmes with Fred in them at the moment on TV.

[@BRIDINC1972]

I'm watching Fred Dibnahs world of steam at the moment. Where he travels the country in a steam powered tractor he rebuilt himself meeting the people involved in renovating and saving all the old industries,Steam trains,Steam powered mills etc. Amazing man. We'll never see his like again.

[@grindelston5968]

I don't watch t.v. Anymore, what channel is broadcasting them? I bet it's uktv Have you watched alfie odd job here on KZbin yet? If you like fred you'll like this young lad, he's like fred 2.0

[@BRIDINC1972]

@grindelston5968 it's on Yesterday

[@paulinejackson8105]

RIP Fred your one of a kind .

[@almor2445]

There is no way on Earth I could raise both hands above my head on a single ladder and chisel a hole like that... never mind 6 ladders on top of each other! What a man! Reminds me of those guys who built the Empire State building with no safety harnesses or protective equipment.

[@philipashley9723]

Flying a rope over the chimney using kites, was to drape a longer rope over both sides of the chimney so it reached the ground on both sides. The rope was then used to pull up the ladders, as Fred does. This was the original way of doing the laddering before Fred did his method.

[@adrianmorris5546]

Fred Dibnah was a genuine good hearted fellow but had such an amazing ability totally fearless and all chiselled by hand

[@regfenster]

Regarding the overhang, he cantilevers the ladders over it, absolutely insane, One of a kind was Fred and missed by many. As for the construction they were built from the inside out with a simple putlog scaffold, so every 5ft of brickwork up a series of logs and planks would sit on the inner brick course and that would become the new working platform, once up to height it would be cut out and the putlog holes filled with mortar. As for the kite remark, they would attempt to get string over the top of the chimney and then subsequently pull over the top different diameters of rope, so string to thin gauge rope then to a thicker rope and finally your working gauge rope, the rope would be anchored on the other side near ground level and pulled tight on the other, wooden wedges then can be knocked in on both sides creating more tension within the rope and giving it an off stand off the chimney much like Fred's simple wooden blocks tied on with string to his ladders.

[@localvetUK]

Sound knowledge 👍

[@LonicGheshu]

Not only is he putting up the ladder, but he's constantly describing what he's doing, turning to face a camera on a noisy lift that's watching over his shoulder. 🤯

[@carolineskipper6976]

I am amused that you now share the obsession with Fred Dibnah that grew in the UK from 1979. His TV programmes were on mid evening on weeknights, at a time when we only had a choice of 3 channels to watch! But we watched, with just as much fascination as you are now!

[@alstonofalltrades3142]

In one episode I wish I could link you too.. Fred talks of how he used to be a carpenter and his foreman knew he wanted to be a steeplejack. To discourage him.. every time a steeplejack fell to his death he cut it out of the paper and stuck it to the canteen door, pretty soon the door is covered, what did Fred still go leave his employ for lol.

[@Bobmeanstreak]

Fred was something else... so knowledgable. Another guy worth watching is John Noakes. He was a tv presenter on Blue Peter a children's programme. He would do anything. His most famous is cleaning Nelsons column. So, look out for John Noakes - nelsons column, amazing... Have a good day, nice reactions.😀

[@Tam19399]

I think he also held the record for highest civilian parachute jump.

[@vaudevillian7]

When he says drill he just means it in the old school way of ‘to make a hole’ I think, nobody literally drilled them with a drill, it’s done with a hammer and chisel

[@dannygray-mi3xn]

We all talk like him here in the north of England.... and proud of it. He never used electric tools NEVER. Its all by hand.

[@colinsimons]

Fred started and ended the British industrial revolution 🇬🇧 R.I.P gone but not forgotten

[@danstrickland8908]

He puts ladders on both sides of the chimney so he has access to the opposite sides as he’s building the framing for his scaffold. And he wouldn’t use an electrical or mechanical drill to make holes if there weren’t any there to use from previous jobs like in this video - he would still drill them with a hammer and chisel as you see here. While we all stand in awe at his skills, knowledge and giant testicles, he is very typical of the Victorian working class man. He was one of the last from that era.

[@princessliz6201]

I just love how he uses old traditional methods, definitely a unique guy. You have to know how to tie knots.

[@user-bo5ys7bi1d]

This part looks interesting....now that is an understatement. I love your expression as you watch this. But I'm the same . Great video remembering Fred

[@PHDarren]

Kite and chimneys. I would imagine it was the old thin string tied to a thicker rope idea. Get the thin lighter string to the top of a chimney, using a kite that can be guided, perhaps there was a wide (easy to target) pulley at the top. Get the string in the pulley and they down the other side of the chimney, pulling it on the ground to haul a rope up, then using the rope pull ladders up? Maybe?

[@Anglo_Saxon1]

That's the sort of idea I was thinking of - We've got to hand it to our forefathers mate,cos they weren't half clever buggers.

[@Boogledigs]

The kite idea I'm guessing would be to attach say a 500 feet rope to the kite then try to drape it over a 200 foot chimney. People would hold the rope either side of the stack, then haul up the ladders that way. Would be really hard to get the rope lying squarely over the centre of the top of the chimney, though, and the wind would be difficult to battle against.

[@paolow1299]

The rope would be far too heavy for that idea it would have to be a light string which is then tied to a heavier rope I would imagine .

[@Boogledigs]

@@paolow1299 That's a more sensible idea. Thanks

[@thomasyoung9591]

My great grandfather was a steeple jack in Philadelphia. I still have one of his advertisements

[@sasquatchchrisuk8679]

i will say it again they will never be another Fred dibna he was a legend

[@grindelston5968]

'alfie odd job' on youtube. Closest thing to Fred right now. He's from Lancashire too ! Similar attitude to Fred just not as skilled. Give it a watch I reckon he's up your street pal :)

[@BarbaraGrosvenor]

Fred wasn't unusual he was a man of his age, resilient and hardworking. Men were men and they were not afraid of hard work. You need to remember we had not long come out of a war and heavy industry was the norm. As a child, I loved watching Fred and want to thank him for chronicling his profession for future generations. Just a post script,,,,, I always admired the men that built these stacks in the first place.

[@laddersman]

Ena Mill Chimney . Atherton , there is a plaque on it at bottom saying Fred had done repairs a few years back .

[@janetburrows137]

He was a hard working man. 🙏❤️🇬🇧

[@christianluts810]

When the initial Fred Dibnah documentary was shown in 1979 [titled "Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack"] the BBC were, apparently besieged by letters and phonecalls from people who had seen it and wanted it to be repeated and also from people who hadn't seen it and wanted it to be repeated [this was in the days before most people had video recorders]. I remember not only the initial broadcast but also my mother sitting open mouthed, gripping the arms of the chair and stunned into silence. There were even articles about it in the following days national newspapers. Absolutely extraordinary!

[@carolynwilson7686]

Fred had loads of television series for years. He done other things like rebuilding old steam engines and other engineering feats. He also had 3 wives and liked to drink beer, even when going up chimneys. He got honoured by queen years ago. He worked up to he died with cancer. Im scottish and I used to struggle with his Lancashire accent. I absolutely adored his programmes, he is sadly missed.

[@user-yk1cf8qb7q]

Holes in Brickwork like this were originally drilled with hammer and chisel, not with twist drills, the chisel would be given a quarter twist between strikes until the hole was of a suitable depth. I had to do this myself when helping to rewire the electrical system of an old factory we were renovating. There was no power, and we had to drill holes for the conduit brackets by hand, and there were thousands of them, often at quite a height when drilling from a ladder, perhaps for overhead crane cabling etc.

[@mattsmith5421]

You need to ladder both sides or you can't put the scaffolding up because he can't reach both sides of the chimney from one side. Edit fly a kite over the top of the chimney not to the top, once it's over the top you will have a rope from your side going upto the top and back down the opposite side of the chimney.

[@WG1807]

It means also that the kite would be attached to the middle of the string (not rope, too heavy) so that there was enough to go up one side of the chimney, across the top and be enough left to come all the way down the other side. On a 200 foot chimney that would be well over 400 foot of string, probably 500 foot to make sure there was enough to spare. The string would then be used to pull up a heavier length of rope, across the top and back down the far side. Similar to how arborists first throw or sling-shot a strong twine over a high branch and then use that to pull up and over a stronger rope that is then used as the main life-line to hold the climber. It's still mind-boggling. How did they direct the kites so precisely? How do they know they have the string (strong twine for sure) nicely across the top? How do they pull the string across abrasive brickwork on the top, with the weight of at least half the heavy rope attached and not abrade the string so that it snaps and the whole thing comes tumbling down, so as to have to start again? How did they do all kinds of things like that in such an earlier era, pre 1870 as Fred tells us. Having said that, how did they build the pyramids and such 4000 years ago or whenever it was?

[@Tosspot]

Balls of steel this man

[@petertrabaris1629]

Steve, right there with you standing in awe, and never to be seen on the side of the chimney. And yes, I so wanted to see him finish to the top. This was so interesting. I have always wondered how this was done. I have only ever seen work being done on small chimney's that didn't require this kind of ladder work. Thanks for doing this. Peace

[@WG1807]

There's another video here on YT where he climbs the overhang, which as he says, often protrudes about 5 feet out from the lower part of the chimney. That's the most freaky video of all, totally make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. No doubt Steve here will get onto that video soon enough.

[@geekexmachina]

there is a video of him climbing around wide lips . So if you remember in the scaffold video he had to slip poles and planks from one side to the other of the chimney. so you need 2 ladders on each side to put on the first 2 sides opposite each other. so as far as I know they would attempt to fly string over the chimney to dropp it to the other side then attach a rope and haul it over, it wasnr very successful unless there were crenellations . some of the laddering techiques we learned when I was in the Scouts they are increadibley secure. I think you would enjoy looking into Freds Heroes of the industrial revolution. Im lucky to live and to have lived in an area where a lot of it was Pioneered (Manchester and liverpool), you would probably enjoy the museum of science and industry (MOSI)

[@bobthebomb1596]

I'm in awe of Fred, but let's take a moment to appreciate the workmanship of the guys who built those chimneys. We just couldn't afford to build to that quality now.

[@davidbrittain3212]

There is a video of him putting up the staging around the top of the chimney, so I would advise you trying to get hold of that one. It's incredibly scary and he's just up there mooching around without a care in the world. Absolute legend!

[@alanblackwood8830]

Balls of steel.!!!!👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🙏🏽

[@brianpoole4369]

there is a video of fred climbing a massive chimney, with a couple of 6 foot overhangs at the top...and the ladders at the overhang, are pointing outwards at a 45 degree angle...fred...as usual, erected them all by himself...but to see him actually climbing the ladders at the overhang, where he is literally defying gravity, climbing away from the chimney, is a sight to behold...so hopefully u will find that vid...

[@pfauniversal1890]

The ending makes a mockery of the whole thing 😁

[@fayesouthall6604]

Fred was made a superstar on tv.

[@mikecaine3643]

Don't worry about missing how to cope with the overhang - there is another video about climbing the overhang !

[@janetburrows137]

That top rope on the first ladder is tied and it’s sorted. 😂❤

[@rodsheret9065]

great reaction to this great man there is a load of videos about fred as he did multiple programs for the bbc here in the uk

[@robertlonsdale5326]

The chimnies were all Tapered and so perfect.

[@styleyK]

I used to watch Fred when I was a kid and I remember my dad and older brothers (who where in the building trade), telling me how strong and fit you have to be to do what Fred did and make it look easy. Fred must have been seriously strong and fit with the grip strength of a free climber.

[@nealridgard7709]

Rip Fred still miss you lovely bloke

[@philipashley9723]

When Fred says, drilling the holes, he doesn't mean with an electric or any other type if drill. The expression drill, also applies to cutting the hole in the chimney using the dog, (metal spike), as this is also a term used for drilling. The chimneys, as Fred says in another video, were built from the inside, using scaffolding, it was only the maintenance done later, by people like Fred, who laddered the chimneys from the outside. The ladders were removed after he completed the repair work and then, he filled the holes he made with cement. Hope this helps. 😁

[@smithnatalie4803]

He’s certainly not afraid of heights! 😂

[@transponderful]

How to climb a chimney overhang at 50 should be your next reaction from Fred. cheers.

[@rerenaissance7487]

I'm SURE I saw a video (or maybe I saw the original tv programme) of how he ladderedcan overhang. There's a vid of him climbing over an overhang, for sure.

[@bill-wd7zs]

The wooden wedges into brickwork joints was a common building trade practice until relatively recently for a variety of uses. That's how I often fixed window and door frames when I started out back in the 70's on the occasions when there was no power on site. The advent of cordless power tools changed all that and made life a lot easier,

[@andrewfitton764]

Too true - you still see bits of old plug wood in masonry that’s been worked on in the past.

[@kennethtalbott2233]

i still use wooden plugs. better than anything else.

[@patrickpowers5995]

Drills in those days were a single tool that ended in a star of sharp ends. This was hammered and rotated time after time. A hole was exposed and this was where the wooden pegs were hammered in.

[@welshpete12]

I just found a video of Fred Dibnah climbing over a big over hang of a very large chimney , just using ladders. Called , " Americans React | FRED DIBNAH | How to Climb a Chimney Overhang ".

[@matt01506]

You will enjoy watching Fred in "How to bring a chimney down" (HE does a whole different series about the industrial steam age aswell, trains/canals/Bridges ect)

[@willmathieson6559]

The legend that is Fred Dibnah has a statue in his home town, and well deserved .

[@karllelliott681]

I enjoyed your journey (and mine) with Fred Dibnah on how he did the things he did! I hate heights massively (and I mean massively) and could never do the things he did, especially in the seemingly nonchalant way he did them. So thanks for that

[@AndyLeMaitre]

No electric drill mate, just a hammer and chisel. Love your reactions.

[@Clittleton1337]

Not sure if there is a video for the top section of that Job. But I believe the final sections with the lip/overhang of the Chimney get set up a bit like the video suggestion you said you may watch at the end of the video (bottom left thumbnail), the one with 4 staging platforms, starting from just below the bottom rung/lip of the chimney. I imagine that is how he would ladder/set up the top, and would probably wait until securing the contract/finance before committing to the full staging. Love your channel, keep it up!

[@countzero1136]

Fred was an amazing guy. Such a legend. Totally fearless and incredibly down to earth. I'm sure that he was a bit mystified by the celebrity status that he had aquired. From his point of view he was just a regular guy doing his job, and I don't know if he ever realised quite how fascinating he was to watch :)

[@lextex3280]

I remember watching Fred when he first came on the TV back in the day. Fred climbed his first chimney when he was 14 years old for a bet, he did it at night so no one saw him, he left a flag on the top of the chimney to prove that he had done it. The Local council blamed college students. Oh ye, When Fred says drilling the holes, he means the holes were done with a hammer and chisel. (Not any type of mechanical drill).

[@pianoboylaker6560]

Fred built ladders both sides of the chimney so he could climb up with the wind behind him, the lea side. He climbed up the opposite side to the wind, plus with both sides laddered he could errect his platform from both sides. Making it easier, if easier is the right word. Fuck that for a game of cards, would be my words.

[@Pluggit1953]

When you get used to his vowel sounds you can understand him. He also talks in an old fashioned way.

[@grindelston5968]

It's not old fashioned it's just our accent. Everybody talks like that up here

[@Pluggit1953]

@@grindelston5968 ‘appen they do. 😉

[@no-oneinparticular7264]

People before him used the same method, hammer and chisel. He got in the cherry picker, to come back down, as soon as he got to the overhang.

[@Steelninja77]

oh you found old fred dibnah. the legend

[@DruncanUK]

Fred's surname is pronounced more like Dib-nuh rather than Dib-nah. (Ok - I know this is petty, I'm just trying to help.) Edit: Lol, Steve. I doubt very much if anyone went up with an electric drill. All the holes would have been made by hand with a hammer and chisel. Fred was a skilled craftsman - he didn't need all those new fangled things.

[@no-oneinparticular7264]

Imagine how long the lead would have to be to use a drill. The heat emitted and the dust. No, impractical to ever use a drill.

[@llamedosr7843]

His house is a museum now, would love to visit. He dug a coalmine in his garden

[@rogerdavis5914]

Try and take a look Steve at the video where he brings a chimney down using fire. Spot on every time. Love your reaction mate 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@PhilH919]

He did not say they fly the kite to the top of the chimney, he said over the top of the chimney. So it would be up and over and down the other side.

[@frankbooth2879]

Look on yt for ‘fred dibnah how to climb a 5ft overhang at 50 plus years of age’ its called something like that

[@highlyunlikely3698]

Fred Dibnah is old school brilliance. We grew up watching him... his heavy northern accent is catching you out. He also uses dialect, words specific to the North.....

[@helenbailey8419]

Can't wait to see your reaction to the India Mill climb😲😲😲

[@peckelhaze6934]

The reason for the second run of ladders is to be able to install the scaffolding structure on the reverse side of the chimney. It cannot be done without it. Tapping those bricks, they certainly sound hollow. I, once, went on to the roof of a two story house by a ladder. I never done it again. I realised then that it is far safer looking up a high building than looking down.

[@tonyeden2944]

Steve, did you notice that his hammer and other items were not tied to his wrist? I spoke to Fred on the phone in about 1985, yes, little me spoke to this superstar of Bolton! I could not hold one of those ladders standing on the ground never mind treating them so easily as Fred does. I love how Fred uses "bloody" like a true northener!I wonder if Fred used his ladders to go up to heaven or even used them to down ......

[@robertlonsdale5326]

Most chimnies Were built from Accrington Nori (iron spelt backwards by mistake), the same bricks used for your Empire State building. I live near Accrington, Lancashire.

[@Pluggit1953]

He made those holes himself for a previous job.

[@biggusdiggus3337]

I'm from down south from where his lordship is from, you have to understand that further up north you get they use less words to explain, basically they " cut to the chase " getting to the point , where we down south use more explaining.

[@bernardcromarty485]

Understanding his accent (Lancashire dialect) is easy for me, as I talk like that, too!!

[@randymarsh27]

I’d rather be on that ladder than that dodgey boom platform 💯

[@joyfulzero853]

The kite would something like getting a rope across a ravine; you throw a light weighted line across to someone on the other side. That line is attached to a medium line which is attached to a proper rope to be dragged across. The kite would be flown with a light line attached to progressively stronger ones; it does sound too straightforward trying to get it over the top of a chimney.

[@sludgiebear]

While up there, my mind would be flitting in and out of thinking: "what if I fell", "what if the ladder cracked", either out of obscure speculative morbidity, intense anxiety, or some mixture between the two. My mind is not built for that kind of thing! 😆 STORY TIME: I'm nervous above maybe just 15ft lol. I remember once being at a water park during a holiday with friends years ago. One friend climbed to the top of the main structure in the water (about 40ft or so) and I followed because I wanted to try to catch him and get him in the water. He got to the top first and jumped down onto an air mattress floating on the water below. He then saw me still climbing up and proceeded to climb back on top of the air mattress. At that moment it was obvious to me what was expected: he was going to lie on the air mattress, and then I was to jump off land on the air mattress and send him flying. I thought: "FFS bro! That aint my bag!". A second or so after I reached the top, a crowd of people on the ground came to the same conclusion as I had and now started cheering for me/us. They then started to loudly chant and count me down from a 10 second count. At this point I'm thinking: "Don't you f-ckers get involved! 😳This isn't happening. Watch your kids instead of me!". It was the highest I'd been, and to think about jumping - even onto an air mattress - was beyond the scope of my conviction. By the time they reached the count of "3", I knew I had to jump because I'd probably be booed if I didn't - they were committed to the expectation by this point, and I surely had to give them something for their generous, while misplaced, encouragement. So, just after their count of "1" I jumped off. I had one thought in my mind at this point: "WTF am I doing? 😩". I landed a little off-centre to the air mattress, and my friend was *not* propelled in as glorious of fashion as expected. It was somewhat anti-climactic, and that was the end of that! Haha! I've never jumped from so high before, but peer pressure can make you do anything, I guess. 😒 Bunch of a-holes! Haha! In reflection; I'd never have even thought of jumping that day - or any day - but the crowd encouraged me to do so. I'm actually glad they did. So, thank you a-holes for encouraging me to do something I never thought I'd do! 😀 SUGGESTION: If you're interested in some palm-sweating videos: Alexis Landot has some videos of his free-solo skyscraper climbs on his KZbin channel. That, to me, is much more insane and scary than what Fred has demonstrated - at least Fred had something more than just a window frame to hang onto at >200ft! lol

[@teknotony]

Fred said " 200ft of Hemp rope " , Hemp is made from the male cannibis plant which was used for millennia

[@Hoscitt]

That's around 3 miles from my house 😁

[@user-yk1cf8qb7q]

He said the kite carried string, not rope. The kite would fly over the chimney, then allowed to drop on the other side so that the string was up and over on both sides. A rope would then be pulled over with the string and tied low down on both sides. The rope would then be used to pull ladders up the side to be attached in a similar way to Fred's.

[@clackyjaffa]

Hey steve. Regards to how they film it at the beginning of one sequence u can see the hydraulic cylinder and leg of a large cherry picker. The people filming have hire to do the filming. Freds only 40 to 60 feet up at the point they are filming.

[@jimplatts6172]

they did a few programs about fred he was quite a clever guy I don't know where he got his time from he restored a steam roller and a steam tractor taking the tractor on a round trip of the uk. he was well versed in traditional building methods.he came to fame demolishing chimneys in awkward spots without explosives however he much prefered to keep them maintained and restored he loved victorian arcitecture.

[@airgun10]

What never ceases to amaze me watching this is how many times he has to go up and down the ladders to to fit them in place considering his ladders are over 20 ft in length check out fred climbing a chimney over hand at 50+ yrs of age in that you can see the ladder construction for the over hang it dose not show how they are put there but you get the idea of the difficulty of the task

[@shelleyjackson8793]

This was 1979 so Fred would have been in his early forties. I guess his extreme work aged him a bit!

[@malcomcopeland5223]

Haha should have read the comments before I added one but aye true legend,