Window Cleaners Four Thousand Feet In The Air

The specialist window cleaning contractors are masters at working at heights and in the most challenging circumstances.  It is estimated someone falling from the Skywalk would take more than 20 seconds to hit the Colorado River below.

Window cleaners become high wire artists to scrub the Grand Canyon viewing platform four thousand feet above the Colorado River: A specialist team of technicians clamber over the edge of the $30 million Grand Canyon Skywalk to spring clean it. The Canyon is more than three miles wide at that point and the Skywalk is 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. The specially-strengthened glass panes have recently been replaced for the first time since it opened in 2007. Workers spent two days at the end of April completing the highly-technical cleaning operation on the Skywalk. Click all pictures to enlarge.

The workers eventually make their way under the glass to enable them to clean the bottom of the incredibly difficult to reach panes. The specialist contractors are masters at working at heights and in the most challenging circumstances. Visitors to the Skywalk can look over towards the far side of the Grand Canyon which is more than three miles away at that point.

The workers used two different ropes to secure themselves to the Skywalk to provide an additional layer of safety while over the canyon. The specialist team of technicians cleaned the iconic Skywalk landmark which extends over Colorado River on the Grand Canyon.

Brave window cleaners dangle thousands of feet above the Grand Canyon - while giving its 'Skywalk' a spring clean. Technicians cleaned more than 40 panes of glass while taking in the awe-inspiring views of the Colorado River 4000ft below. The horseshoe-shaped structure, which cost $30M to build and juts out 70ft, was opened in March 2007 and offers visitors stomach-churning views.

Two men made their way under the iconic structure to clean the glass floor from underneath to give visitors a perfect view of the canyon. The glass on the iconic structure was recently replaced for the first time since the popular tourist venue was opened in 2007.

The $30 million structure juts out 70 feet over the Colorado River offering visitors an amazing view of the canyon floor 4,000 feet below. The technicians cleaned more than 40 panes of the specially strengthened glass as part of the they contract at the SkyWalk.

The Skywalk is cleaned by Abseilon USA, a Phoenix-based company who belong to the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. Abseilon's eight technicians - two of whom carried out the cleaning itself - operate a two-line system, which offers workers '200 per cent fall protection'. This system means despite the stomach-churning images and video that the technicians were able to capture, the process itself is extremely safe. Should an error occur in any part of a technician's rope system, they still have at least one additional system to fall back on.

The clean took place between April 27 and April 29 and as well as working on the glass, technicians also rappelled into the Canyon, collecting rubbish and items dropped by visitors. Ken Piposar, founder and CEO of Abseilon USA, said: 'The Skywalk actually just recently replaced the glass, so we came through to perform a spring cleaning. 'We're always a big hit at the Skywalk. 'People love to ask us questions, get their photo taken with us, and find out what we're doing. 'While we do get a lot of "you people are crazy" most visitors to the Skywalk think what we do is amazing. 'A lot of people also offer us their prayers, which we always find to be sweet.'

Also see:

SkyWalk Spring Clean + Fall In New Jersey

Grand Canyon Window Cleaners Sky Walk

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.

Heavens Gate Made Of Glass & It Will Need Cleaning

Great fall of China: A tourist is frozen with fear looking down through an amazing glass walkway — more than 1,400m above the ground. She was one of the first to try a new vertigo-inducing path running along 60 metres of sheer rock face, on the side of Tianmen Mountain, China. Visitors must wear shoe covers to keep it clean — presumably because no window cleaner could be talked into doing the job.

Is there ver-to-go? ... girl inches along path. Click to enlarge.

It is certainly not a path for the faint-hearted. On one side a sheer rock face, on the other a 4,000ft drop - and all to separate the brave traveller from a deadly plunge is a 3ft-wide, 2.5in thick walkway. And if that is not enough to bring terror into the pit of your stomach, the path running alongside a Chinese mountainside is made out of glass, allowing a crystal-clear view of where one false step can take you. So it was perhaps understandable that this woman tackled the walkway by sticking as close to the cliff as possible, feeling her way along with tentative steps.

Dazzling: A glass path suspended on a cliff face has been built on the side of the Tianmen Mountain in China.

The skywalk is situated 4,700ft above sea level on the side of the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China. The 200ft long bridge joins the west cliff at the Yunmeng Fairy Summit, the summit of Tianmen Mountain and Zhang Jiajie. And it would appear to be too scary for the cleaners - tourists are asked to put on shoe covers before passing to help keep the path clean. The pathway, built earlier in the summer echoes the glass-bottomed walkway at the Grand Canyon in the U.S. The 70ft bridge is 4,000ft above the natural wonder and allows tourists to look through 2.5in of crystal-clear glass to the Canyon floor below. The Tianmen mountain, literally translated as Heavenly Gate Mountain is so called because of a huge natural cave that occurs halfway up to the summit.

Tianmen means Heavenly Gate Mountain.

Situated in the Hunan Province, Its highest peak is around 5,000ft above sea level and it is home to a wealth of rare species of plants. A four-mile-long cable car was constructed in the park, which is said to be the longest of the same type in the world. The Shifou Mountain, located 82 miles away, offers sightseers a 3ft-wide road made of wooden planks thousands of feet high. And no matter how terrifying the glass walkway may be - it can only be an improvement from another sky high mountain walkway located in the same province. When finished the wooden 'road' - which is the width of a dinner table - will stretch for 1.8miles making it China's longest sightseeing path.

Not so high spec: Workers built a 3ft-wide plank road on the side of Shifou Mountain, in Hunan Province, China earlier this year.

The Ghost Valley Plank Road. Click to enlarge.

The older original version. Click to enlarge.

"The Ledge" Will Offer Window Cleaning Views

Sears Tower to open glass-bottom Skydeck in June: Sears Tower (Chicago) - and it's still called that for the time being will invite its Skydeck visitors to enjoy a view usually reserved for window-washers and superheroes. It'll be a walk on the high side as visitors on the observation deck step into glass enclosures that extend 4.3 feet beyond the building. Beneath their feet in dizzyness-inducing splendor will be the city itself, 103 stories below, with an inch and a half of glass between person and pavement. The attraction, called the Ledge, should open by early June and is part of a multimillion dollar renovation of the tourist spaces at the nation's tallest building, said Randy Stancik, Skydeck general manager.

He said the Ledge was inspired by glass-floored thrills at the Grand Canyon (See pictures below)and Toronto's CN Tower. The plan is to attract more Skydeck visitors, especially jaded locals who haven't visited the tower in years. "This definitely will be something new to take from the experience, a new Skydeck memory," Stancik said. About 1.3 million people visit the Skydeck every year. Stancik realizes the illusion of a mid-air suspension isn't for everyone. But the daredevils will be enclosed by glass. Seeing foreheads pressed to the Skydeck windows, Stancik knew people want to look down as well as out. The four enclosures are on the west side of the tower so you can look straight down to the ground. On other sides, downward views are interrupted by setbacks from the wider floors below.
The enclosures are retractable: they move inside so window-washing equipment isn't obstructed. Stancik said the Ledges will be available in all kinds of weather. The Ledges are included in Skydeck admission, which jumps a buck today to $14.95 for ages 12 and up. It's $10.50 for kids 3 to 11. The price increase is in preparation for a Skydeck upgrade that also includes new exhibits highlighting Chicago's history, culture and tourism attractions, including a display that lets viewers rise the equivalent of 103 stories above Wrigley Field. The Skydeck changes are part of a plan to make the iconic building more profitable. Later this summer, the name will change to the Willis Tower, for a global insurance firm that leased space in the building. The owners also are considering painting or recladding the building in silver to give it a contemporary look. Also under discussion is building a hotel next to the tower.





From the Skydeck atop the Sears Tower you will see the best view and best overview of Chicago. At 1,353 feet, the Skydeck is the highest observatory in Chicago. From this amazing view, on a clear day, you can see 40 to 50 miles. You can see Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin just by walking around the Skydeck. Thanks to the $4 million transformation - there is now more to see and do. Even the elevators are exciting. They are equipped with 50-inch flat screen monitors that make you feel like you're blasting off through the top of the Sears Tower and into space. The Sears Tower is 1,454 feet high, 1,808 feet including twin antenna towers. The combined weight of the building is 222,500 tons - 445,000,000 lbs. The cost of the Sears Tower building was in excess of $150 million. The Sears Tower opened in 1973 and took 3 years to build. The building has 4.5 million gross square feet of floor space. The average sway of the building is approximately 6 inches from true center. The Sears Tower has approximately 16,100 bronze-tinted windows and has 6 roof-mounted robotic window washing machines. The Sears Tower was designed for more than 12,000 occupants, approximately 25,000 people enter the building each day and approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Skydeck each year.

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Related News: It will stand as a sign of freedom—One World Trade Center, formerly known as The Freedom Tower, currently under construction at the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City. The bid process for this prestigious project began for some glass companies a few years ago and ended this month when they learned they weren't awarded the project. This alone was not an unusual occurrence—except that these companies collectively had invested a high seven figures in developing products specific to this project. Ultimately the final contract for glass for the podium wall (lower 20 stories) of One World Trade Center has been awarded to a Chinese manufacturer. Freedom Tower glass "Made in China." Can you say "fabricating debris?"