A Polish free-solo climber who goes by the moniker BNT recently scaled one of the tallest skyscrapers in Paris. And not only did the ultra-gutsy climber manage to Spider-Man his way up the building, he also avoided a Parisian commando while doing so. And he captured some video. Because climbing to the top of a nearly 700 foot tall building would otherwise be kind of blasé, right?
Note that some of the below video is from the climber’s perspective. If you don’t like heights, this may not be for you.
Digg picked up on the above video, which will undoubtedly make your palms sweaty. The skyscraper BNT scales is the Tour Montparnasse, an office building erected in the early ’70s. And while it’s no longer the tallest building in Paris, it’s still gigantic—especially in the context of the French city’s skyline.
It’s not exactly clear why BNT decided to scale the Tour Montparnasse at this particular time, but it’s obviously the type of brazen act the daredevil is used to. Not only does BNT free-solo climb, he also does tightrope walks, skydives, and is into BASE jumping.
BNT
What made this climb especially spectacular is the fact that a Parisian commando attempted to assist BNT for much of the climb. The commando, who drops down from the top of the building on a line, appears at about 21:30 in the video. He follows BNT as he scales the building, encouraging the climber to hook himself up to a safety line. BNT doesn’t, and instead avoids the commando all the way to the top.
Incredibly enough, this actually isn’t the first time someone has free-solo climbed the Tour Montparnasse. In 2015 Alain Robert, a French climber, also completed the climb; he did so with a Nepalese flag in hand as a tribute to the victims of an earthquake that had rocked his country.
And for those wondering, the answer is yes: police arrested BNT for his stunt. Although according to his Instagram, it seems he’s already out of custody. And he’s probably plotting his next stunt, something even David Blaine would think twice about.
Featured Image: BNT
