Gang Of Window Cleaners Get Bad Rap

Thrills: A new adrenalin craze has high-rise window cleaners thrill seek using a swing and then leaping into Sydney harbour.

Thrillseekers who freefall off the cliffs risk their lives for an adrenaline rush: Men swing on rope from 83m cliff. They say it's a "calculated risk". Rangers say it's dangerous, illegal. These terrifying images expose a new death-defying craze on Sydney's Harbour as a group of adrenalin junkies swing from a jagged rock-face 83m from the ground. Using an elasticised rope, the daredevils risk their lives in search of the ultimate thrill. With military-like precision, the men rig a 20m-long bungee swing to a rocky cliff quite aptly named The Fear, before they freefall and slingshot into space. "It's amazing . . . your body feels so alive," one of the jumpers told The Sunday Telegraph. "We know exactly what we are doing. It's a calculated risk."

Admitting it is highly dangerous, the jumper said his "gang" of high-rise window cleaners are experienced rock climbers and abseilers. But the National Parks and Wildlife Service called the rock swingers irresponsible, branding their sky-high activity "dangerous and illegal". "We intend to inspect the location and conduct an immediate investigation," a spokesman said. But the daredevil jumper, who refused to be named, defied the dangers. "I work with the equipment every day of the week so I know the weight it can hold," the jumper said. "We know exactly what we are doing - it's a calculated risk. I definitely don't encourage people without that level of experience to be giving this a go. Rock climbing is illegal there, but we're not rock climbing."

The group scale safety fences before setting up the elaborate bungee swing at North Head, Manly. Wearing climbing harnesses and secured to three ring bolts embedded in the cliff top, the thrillseekers let their lives hang by a rope after a three-second freefall from the rocky overhang. The extreme jumpers use a 20m elasticised rope to withstand the weight of the fall and after reaching the lowest point, slingshot out over the water like a makeshift bungee jump. While the daredevil dangles over the rockface, a static line is then thrown to him. Hanging halfway up the cliff, he transfers his harness to the secondary rope and abseils to the boulder-strewn ground. But the dangerous antics don't stop there - the thrillseekers must then scale up a rickety fisherman's ladder to get back up to the top.

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Paul Freeman on the 28 storey Meridian Tower.

Tower check is one tall order! Here's looking at you, Paul! Dangling hundreds of feet up from the 28-storey Meridian Tower in Swansea Marina, fearless rope access technician Paul Freeman surveys all before — and under — him. Mr Freeman and a colleague were checking out the rendering on Wales's tallest residential building. As you can imagine, Mr Freeman is not averse to a spot of high altitude action. He has been in the game for 22 years and has abseiled from the 600ft Tower 42 in London — formerly the Nat West Tower — and a similar size one in Barcelona.

So the 350ft Swansea tower didn't faze him, although one eye is always kept on the weather. Mr Freeman said common sense dictated when he attached his ropes and slid over the edge of a building. He said the wind often swirled around the tower due to its shape and seaside location. "It's very exposed," said the 43-year-old. "When the tides change, the wind seems to change a little bit. You have got to be careful."

The roof of the tower has a monorail for a cradle to help window cleaners and workers such as Mr Freeman. The first 26 storeys comprise 123 apartments, while the top two floors are taken by the Grape & Olive restaurant. The tower was part of the £46 million Meridian Quay construction project. Mr Freeman gets away from his nine-to-five work with his weekend hobby — rock climbing!