101 Adventure Weekends in Europe by Sarah Woods

Author:Sarah Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-84773-415-0
Publisher: IMM Lifestyle
Published: 2012-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

Over 400 km (248 miles) of cycle paths riddle Amsterdam’s core, from leafy canal routes to gritty urban rat-runs.

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CONTACTS

Euromast

Tel: +31 10 436 4811

Email: [email protected]

www.euromast.nl

Rotterdam Tourist Board

Tel: +31 10 205 15 00

Fax: +31 10 205 15 99

Email: [email protected]

www.vvv.rotterdam.nl

ABSEILING ROTTERDAM

Urban abseiling has fast become a modern extreme sport phenomenon immortalized in a zillion jaw-dropping YouTube clips. Capturing the hearts and minds of adventurers keen to explore the most challenging concrete jungles on the planet, abseiling a cityscape of sleek, smooth towers offers a unique array of Metropolitan hazards from steam-spewing vents to dive-bombing pigeons. Towering monolithic skyscrapers sit high atop the blaring horns, while engines rev in gridlocked streets a death-defying drop below. Simply lean back, respectful of the 100 m (328 ft) plunge, brace yourself and pull on the ropes. Feed your inner fears, exhale and stay focused. It’s time to abseil inner-city style.

Rotterdam’s tallest tower is also Europe’s highest abseiling challenge and a gathering point for thrill-seekers keen to experience the ultimate sight-seeing kick. Just a glimpse of the Euromast soaring towards the heavens prompts an involuntary stomach-lurch of excitement. It’s not beautiful, far from it – but there is definitely something awesome about its robustly built reinforced concrete stature. Spanning 9 m (30 ft) in diameter with 30 cm (12 in) thick walls, Euromast’s 130-plus piles support almost 2 million kg (4.4 million lbs), including a steel crow’s nest that alone weighs in at a staggering 240,000 kg (530,400 lbs). In fitting style, an elevator transports visitors to the top at a breakneck speed – a white knuckle ride at 4 m (13 ft) per second. From the top the view alone is breathtaking, extending 30 km (19 miles) out to Belgium on a clear day. Looking down, a blur of bag-laden shoppers and city folk form a distant kaleidoscopic mass on the urban landscape, rather like a sea of jellybeans. So far, more than 6 million people have braved the tower to enjoy the vertigo-inducing panorama, though only the very brave have opted for a rope.

Every descent is carefully guided by Euromast’s dedicated team of so-called Height Specialists. Each provides tuition in safety basics before pointing out landmarks on Rotterdam’s magnificent urban horizon. The key to abseiling, they assure you, is confidence. It is this, they continue, that will help you to step off a ledge into thin air and dangle high above the traffic. Once fully trussed-up in a harness it is time to head for terra firma, the hard way. Breathe in, exhale and after a reassuring ‘thumbs up’ – you’re off. Weight distribution and rope friction controls the travel speed, but most abseillers get from top to bottom within about 40 minutes, including prep talk. When the Euromast was under construction in 1960, townsfolk cheered workmen on with chants of “Ram, ram those 130 piles!” Today, waving bystanders offer similar levels of vocal encouragement to abseiling tourists, and with such beguiling distractions, unconquered fear doesn’t stand a chance.

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