An urban climber who once scaled the Trump Tower in downtown Vancouver is urging people not to follow his example after falling nine metres onto his back during another stunt.
The thrill-seeker, Joseph McGuire, said the heart-stopping accident happened while he and a friend were trying to climb the Fairmont Hotel on Georgia Street.
Footage shot on McGuire's GoPro camera shows him appearing to lose strength while dangling from a rubber cable on the side of the building, then plummeting onto a section of the roof.
“Now you see why I discourage people from climbing structures in dangerous settings. It is very lucky that I am able to live freely without any permanent injuries,” he wrote on a YouTube post with his video.
McGuire, who goes by Epinerein online, said he and his climbing partner had spent nine hours searching for a safe place to climb, but could only find a risky path up using the cable. They also hadn’t slept in around 24 hours, according to the climber.
After the accident, McGuire said he went home and napped before finally realizing how badly he was injured and heading to the hospital.
“I had broken my right arm and my left shoulder, and I also sustained some minor spinal injuries,” he said.
The fall wasn’t the first time he’s run into trouble through his hobby – police investigated McGuire after he climbed the 24-storey Eau Claire Tower in Calgary last year.
The climber said he was ultimately only ordered to perform community service, but it appears the broken bones he suffered in Vancouver were more of an eye-opener.
“This was one of the turning points of my life that helped me to assess my reasons for what I do. Chasing novelty is never ending,” he said. “You may feel the jolt, but you will feel empty once it’s all over. If you enjoy it for what it is, it becomes something special and your happiness is independent from it.”
The video was posted to YouTube last week, but it’s unclear when the fall happened. McGuire said he has already recovered from his injuries and returned to climbing.
CTV News has reached out to both McGuire and the Vancouver Police Department for comment.
