SkyWalk Spring Clean + Fall In New Jersey

Rope Access Technicians Michael Duran (right) and Rick Dillman (left) dangle below the Grand Canyon Skywalk installing safety rigging in preparation for cleaning the glass. Click to enlarge.

Skywalk spring cleaning has workers dangling: Ever wonder how the underneath of the Grand Canyon Skywalk is cleaned? It takes a well-trained crew, a lot of rope - and no fear of heights. "Well, it's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not every day you get to hang off the Grand Canyon," said Michael Duran, a rope access technician and project manager for Abseilon USA, a company specializing in this kind of work.

The trick to keeping his cool? "I don't look down," he laughed. "Try to focus on my job at hand, not really worry too much about what's underneath me. I already know it's a long way down." In fact, it's 4,700 feet down.

Duran and his crew dangled under the Skywalk using nearly 5,000 feet of rope on Monday, preparing safety rigging the cleaning crew will rely on Tuesday. "This is our Super Bowl today," said Abseilon USA Vice President Kenneth Piposar. "The Skywalk...doesn't get any better than this."

The Skywalk, which hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world visit annually, gets cleaned four times a year. "The window part is the easy part," said Duran. The difficult part, he says, is gaining safe access to the "window." "This is why we train, this is why we're skilled technicians," he said.

Rope Access Technicians Michael Duran roped to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, preparing for his crew to clean the glass.

It takes thousands of hours of practice to get to do a job like his.It may not be something you'd sign up for, but some jump at the chance. "The guys are licking their chops to get a piece of this job," said Piposar. "Everyone wants to be on the Skywalk. It's a one-in-a-million opportunity to be out there and do their work. I mean, those are bragging rights for life."

Minus the nerves, Duran says there's nothing like a bird's-eye view of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. "It's a great view," he said. "It's nice when you get a chance to kind of stop and look. It's kind of an awe-inspiring experience." Also see here.

A window washer fell two stories from 210 Carnegie Center DrIve in West Windsor.

Window washer falls two stories from West Windsor office building: A window washer fell two floors from the outside of a West Windsor office building this morning and had to be rescued from a balcony by first responders, officials said.

The man, whose identity and extent of injury were not revealed, fell from the fourth floor of 210 Carnegie Center Drive around 9 a.m. His fall was broken by the second-floor balcony. Fire and emergency medical responders brought him down from there, according to Jim Yates, director of fire emergency services. The man was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton. His condition was unknown.

Grand Canyon Window Cleaners Sky Walk

Cleaning above the Grand Canyon. Formerly AZ Clearview, Abseilon USA is a SPRAT certified, professional Rope Access company.

Extreme Skywalk cleaning tests Grand Canyon workers:  Spring cleaning has been taken to an extreme level. Workers dangling from ropes 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon are cleaning under the glass walkway today at the Skywalk. The horseshoe-shaped bridge, which has a steel frame and a glass floor, extends 70 feet from the rim of the canyon, giving visitors a breathtaking view of the landscape.

SPRAT Certified Level III Technician Rick Dillman hangs around.

Kenneth Piposar, vice president of Phoenix-based Abseilon USA,  the high-rise window cleaning company that has taken on the daring task, called the job a “great photo opportunity.” “It is the thrill of a lifetime to look down and see a person suspended by two ropes at that height with the Grand Canyon just below them,” he said in a statement. The Skywalk is located about 250 miles from Phoenix.

About the Grand Canyon Skywalk:

• The Grand Canyon Skywalk is active and open to the public year-round, hosting approximately 2 million visitors since it opened in March 2007.
• The Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped, glass-bottom structure that allows visitors to walk 70 feet past the edge of the Grand Canyon wall and stand 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
• The phenomenal views are enhanced by glass walls and floor panels so visitors get unobstructed views of the Grand Canyon. Each of these glass panels is custom built to the highest standards for safety and clarity.
• The Skywalk is an engineering masterpiece that took four years and $30 million to complete.
• Structure Facts
• The Skywalk foundation is strong enough to support about 71 million pounds – the equivalent of 71 fully loaded 747 airplanes.
• It consists of more than 1 million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass.
• In total, it weighs 1.2 million pounds.
• The glass walls are approximately five to seven feet high, extending four to six feet above the glass floor – safer than code, yet low enough that guests do not feel confined.
• The Skywalk is 10 feet wide.
• It is located 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
• Engineering Facts
• In 1996, businessman David Jin, from Las Vegas, NV, approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon. He won approval from the Tribe in 2003.
• The Grand Canyon Skywalk was designed and engineered by Lochsa Engineering & MRJ Architects and built by Executive Construction Management, all based out of Las Vegas, NV.
• Engineers conducted tests on the geologic stability of the site and researched the foundation by testing the compressive strength of the rock.
• Engineers also conducted extensive testing during the planning and design phase to ensure the Grand Canyon Skywalk could easily withstand the high winds that have been known to blow through the Grand Canyon.