Fearless Workers in Great Height: Cleaning the Grand Canyon Glass Walkway (Pt. 2) | Free Documentary

[Music] this time high above the Grand Canyon can the team keep its nerves a little bit on edge because you don't know what to expect as you start to move out hundreds of meters in the air they must stay in control and level with the Eagles Sam faces the ultimate fear I'm gonna fall today this is where I'm gonna fall this crew takes on the jobs no one else can their goal to be the number one rope access team in Las Vegas you couldn't pay me enough to do that I'm scared just looking at them down here they climb where no one else dares if you make a mistake something can really go wrong really horribly wrong attempting the impossible every time they go to work the most terrifying jobs in the world call for sky-high scrapers Las Vegas 35 million tourists flocked to see this lavish skyline each year dreaming of winning big new at the table is rope access squad Epsilon USA they're rolling high keeping the glittering buildings cleaned and maintained gets to say doing maintenance on that structure spectacular they've had to contend with staff leaving we have a lot of work to do a man of manpower and some of the most demanding jobs they've ever attempted now they're about to face the biggest challenge of their careers cleaning the underside of the Grand Canyon Skywalk it's four or five thousand feet above the above the Colorado River and pretty much about the tallest thing in the world that you could possibly do rope access work on in six years the glass has never been cleaned with a 1200 meter drop to the canyon floor this will be one of the highest rope access jobs ever attempted and it could make or break the team's reputation back in Vegas once and for all company boss can is banking on this job to propel the business to new levels word of mouth travels fast here in Las Vegas if we can show that then we've got Vegas on fire the start is only days away to pull it off they will need a full man crew at the top of its game but right now the team is struggling to keep on top of its regular work in the town today they're back at the luxurious panorama towers a massive ongoing contract to clean all 10,000 panes of glass that's paying the bills while they bid for new work we're kinda a little bit all over the place and I'm trying to line up new jobs and continue to grow and take over this town one property at a time important that we keep up with with our production schedule here their quota is 300 windows a day but today is a bigger challenge than usual they're dropped down the tower is hindered by an 11 meter high curved wall just 50 centimetres wide on top of the building Sam has 14 years of climbing experience behind him and has learned every inch of this building in the few months since he started with the company he's asked another trainee Eugene to assist them today he's still feeling his way but he's good on a rope and well used to making a clean sweep of these towers but rigging ropes over the giant 11 meter wall takes extra time to start Sam has to haul everything up to the narrow parapet the first issue is the top is the parapets not a nice flat horizontal line and so the lines want to slide downhill each 180 meter rope weighs 27 kilos and could slide sideways fast if they're not properly rigged so sound ties onto a secondary line to hold the ropes in place the soon ready to go over the edge of the safely in position they've now got their work cut out for them about four hours online about two hours to get rigged up and about another hour to break things down the end of the day even when they're in full swing there are unexpected distractions the residents have got used to them they love it first they're a little surprised the first time that they see a guy coming down on a rope but it's awesome they like it kind of entertaining for some people actually for the right amount of money I might I might be a high-rise window washer but probably take a good bit of money for me to do it Eugene may still be learning the ropes when it comes to industrial abseiling but he's been performing at heights all his life as a child Eugene was a gymnast in the Ukrainian national team and he came to Las Vegas to perform the high bar act in Cirque de Soleil it's about 40 50 feet up the high and I was flyer and this act five fires and rotation on one structure so try to do some tricks from the high bar and the kitchen cage and so me left of the back he spent seven years flying through the air in their athletic mr. show I knew before I finish erasing I'm gonna be in the circus Eugene aspires to complex rope-access jobs like the Grand Canyon Skywalk but for now he must build up his experience on jobs like this on this drop the windows double up into two smaller panes per frame so these two twins are there these to take out windows sides of just one regular window but it takes more time than just one regular pane of glass sometimes when we get spread out across the building one guy I'll get the shaft and he'll have like two full-sized windows and then two sets of the fake-out windows all the way down to the ground and that that's usually the short end of the stick if you're on that drop they may be hard to ignore but at least now they can concentrate on finishing the job that's the first time I've actually seen him under I know somebody's got to do it but it won't be me and I can tell you bang on schedule one job moves closer to completion but the Sam tomorrow brings a whole new challenge at dawn the team sets out for the Grand Canyon and the most dangerous cleaning job of their careers the Skywalk dangling over a thousand meters above the Colorado River will they conquer the highest rope access mission ever attempted the legendary Grand Canyon stretches more than 400 kilometres from Nevada to Arizona today specialist rope access crew Absalon USA is headed to the canyons edge for the toughest job they've ever attempted [Music] difference between there's something like this and something I do on a day-to-day basis I mean I could do that with my eyes closed I've heard of something like this everybody's really excited there was a little anxious this is just on a whole nother level the Skywalk viewing platform created by the native Hualapai tribe in 2007 this is home of the Hualapai people it's something sometimes you have no words for it is very beautiful we were actually done as a people as we've actually opened up this portion of our whole and to the rest of the world it's a national treasure the glass platform hangs over the canyon edge one kilometer above the Colorado River the unique view draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year the Skywalk gives you a whole different feel different dimension and it adds even more to your experience while you're here but in the six years since it opened the underside of the glass has become dirty and weathered this is uncharted territory so the company has picked its best technicians for the job fresh from the panorama towers Sam's been battling deadlines with nothing else on his mind for days I'm dying like I'm willing to do a damn near anything to get myself out there leading the team today his crew boss Ricky Dillman he's been tackling high altitude jobs for seven years but facing the edge without his harness the immense height is playing with his mind you know most building seats stand six feet back from the leading edge and you walk up here and it's like damn there it is I got rock climbing and stuff when I get to the very top I just feel like I something pushing me I'm drowning it out you know it's weird Ricky's right-hand man is Mike Duran it's his first visit and like Ricky he's feeling daunted by the drop you look down especially out there how far it is it plays with dries a little bit so they can make it a little bit dizzy and finally you recruit Dillon who they've been training especially for the job I want nothing more than to be able to get over the edge and and do work on the Skywalk in the six years since the Skywalk opened no one has ever worked out how to clean the glass underside now operations manager Roberto Martinez is depending on the team to bring the Skywalk back to its former glory the reason I asked you all to come out here you know we have a problem one of the issues that we've had and we haven't been able to figure out just cleaning under the glass I mean the Skywalk sits 4,000 feet above the Colorado River it's not something that just anyone could access row boxes technician out here or anyone over the edge doing any kind of maintenance on the structure not on the structure or the glass we haven't found anyone that could access it every tourist who visits the attraction wants an eyeful of the ground plummeting away beneath and a photo to remember it by they get all the glass cleaned all the way out so we can shoot through the floor and we'll be absolutely amazing it'd be like when the bridge was brand new and it actually looked like you were flying above the canyon to protect the top side visitors are required to wear soft covers over their shoes but the underside of the glass between them and the view just keeps getting dirtier and dirtier today Sam and the team plan to test a radical system to reach under the walkway if it works they'll win the valuable contract to do the whole job now is there a reason why there wasn't a cart system built for this because another's anchor is a rail system but there's no car for it why it wasn't built is the million dollar question a rail is welded to each side around the base of the entire structure ready to hang a safety basket for the cleaners but no one's ever managed to come up with a way of doing it if there's one thing this crew loves its window cleaning but it's the underside beyond even their long reach almost setting a record for rope access this is the highest structure in the world yeah and it's gonna take definitely a lot of attention to be able to get those details you know make to look have the glass look really good for you so as an Operations Manager I want to give the customers the best experience possible and without the glass being crystal clear I just don't feel I can deliver that if the team can get to glass hanging 21 meters out over the Grand Canyon it would be the most audacious job ever tackled by a rope access company they want more than ever to prove to people that this crew is about much more than just window cleaning for most people you know they look up and I see is hanging the first thing that comes to mind is window cleaner and you know to us it's a little upsetting sometimes because you know then we got to explain what we do just because we have a squeegee in our hand and a strip washer doesn't mean we're window cleaners it's just a different job you know we can self rescue we can rescue others we can you know we can ascend ascend which reverse side to side whatever it is we can do it up there's basically like walking around for us up there the access problem the team faces is there are two steel skirts hanging beneath the walkway on both sides the only way to get to the underside of the glass is to climb up inside the sheer tunnel of Steel right now all they have to protect themselves from a one-kilometer drop into oblivion is a steel rail and for minds working on the plan nerves are gonna be a little rough for the first ten minutes I think just going from flat ground to 4,000 feet up in the blink of an eye instead of gradually building up the dose of exposure yeah right like your feet are gonna be on the cliff face as you're setting your nets grow you know and you can come right off of it four thousand four thousand feet and for the most part the tube and the square part there the track the most good a tie off on yeah I mean we have a certified welder over here maybe can answer the steel rail looks like the only thing they can tie themselves to but they need to be sure the welds are still solid new recruit Dylan spent seven years repairing high access signs above hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip this is his chance to prove his value to his new crew in order to be a sign guy you got it you got to be able to do it all I do a lot of welding a lot of steel fabrication a lot of sheet metal basically everything from my professional opinion we got 3/8 gussets 2 inches on center 18 inches on Center apart that that's that's more than enough maybe you know just run your hand across a real nice and slow you know before you run a webbing across it or anything like that you know other than I'll see any hazards watch out for sharp edges it's time to put their plan to the test they hope to clamp a heavy-duty ladder below the steel curtain walls straddling the gap acting as a temporary floor for one of the team to reach up and clean the windows but it's still only a theory it's never been tried before we'll have two guys in the outside or on the inside of horseshoe in the outside horseshoe and then one guy in the middle the Industrial ladders are rated for 170 kilos vertically not horizontally they don't know for sure how they'll bear up when they stand on them now they need to decide who will put them to the test and take on the job of cleaning some of the highest windows in the world who's going to volunteer for that position might be best for the light has got to get on the on the thing and I definitely want to be out there I'll be on one of the sides help out inside as the lightest and most experienced climber on the team Sam knows he's the obvious choice for the job keep saying victim you can just say Sam so if I fall off the ladder and deploy my screamer pack now I'm hanging fifteen people a letter I mean even that should be pretty simple I'm gonna be scared to death but I'm still gonna be alive still be terrified if I fall off that damn ladder 4,000 feet above the river but I'm not gonna be able to have a cool story about it but I don't think I'm gonna fall off the ladder instead of tying off the safety ropes overhead this time they can only anchor them below Sam speed on the welded rail that will put slack in the rope so if Sam did fall it will be several meters before he's caught and at this height there's no one to rescue them they're relying on each other just keep this in mind even though we're using a ladder it was signed off by a engineer full of trust in him that the creation that we were coming up with is gonna work so believe in me and believe in him it's all gonna come together and work the ladder design is the brainchild of structural engineer Matt Matt Oberg he's one of the few people with the background to pull this off I'm involved in emergency management emergency response and rope access and technical rope rescue the reason I got into those things was to allow me to get to areas more safely than most any other people can and to be able to do jobs that few people can do and even fewer Engineers can do to reach every pain in the Skywalk they intend to use the ladders like stepping stones Sam will balance on one ladder to clean while the team repositions the other ahead of him to change ladders Sam will have to cross the void with no line above him to hang on to over and over again until he's cleaned all 46 panes should be pretty smooth you know it's it's smooth up here it's through the my head but who knows it might be a question once we get out there it's a simple plan but it's never been tried will the ladders hold up under pressure a kilometer above the void above the Grand Canyon the skywarp looks down over a kilometer into the ravine rope-access specialists Absalon USA are about to witness the view while cleaning the glass from underneath they have an untested design for a working platform but before Sam risks his full body weight on it far above the canyon floor it needs a full dry run [Music] we want to give it a quick test run make sure it's gonna hold the guy is gonna be on it make sure the way we're gonna secure it is gonna be you know a good way and make sure everything's gonna work the way it's supposed to work you know the way we have it you know pretty ideally in our head jump up there Samba don't like jump up and down on sir go and would be to do gonna test out any words finding of that standing up on the deck the 4000 good I like that it looks pretty good it's not bullets you bad yeah man feels pretty solid on a perfect height to hit this glass and this is gonna be an easy window-washing job if you don't look down yeah everything on the ladder looks pretty good too I don't hear anything I don't see anything we don't have a big bow in it it's all pretty straight all right 5 - Matt how do you feel up there Sam I feel good right here 3 feet up I'm gonna be a slightly more puckered when I slide about 20 feet over you know me give it a little jiggle go know the ladder is holding fast but it's critical they work out every detail now how far out do you feel comfortable going Levi set the ladder here right underneath the seat here's pretend letters here yeah right you can clean one and two so your next section is gonna be way over there yeah so don't set it next you know platform you stay on that one we break that one down move it over you know we're just rock it won't be a whole lot of downtime it should be pretty efficient working not it ready team ready but the real challenge will come when they go over the edge will Sam be left dangling a kilometer above the void before they try it for real above the bass drop they need a rescue plan it'll be Sam's life on the line and in an emergency he'll rely on his teammates to save him back in Las Vegas they practice their rescue drill Sam will pretend to be injured while Ricky races against the clock to recover him I know we've done in the past three half minutes so maybe we can try and shoot for better than that the best they've managed is three and a half minutes but every second counts when you fall itself if you're lucky enough to fall straight down the same equipment that's saving you is injuring you because of the sudden stop just like if you're in a car wreck or anything else you're propelled into your equipment this isn't just about beating personal records when a climber is hanging in their harness speed is critical to avoid further injury but what happens when you're hanging in your equipment is your blood doesn't flow like it's supposed to your blood has to circulate when you're suspended because of the pressure of the the harness and the equipment itself it begins to restrict that blood flow so one of the first thing that that happens called compartment syndrome blood goes down into your large muscles in it and it stays there and your large muscles actually start to swell the muscle tissue and nerve cells in the trapped area a starved of oxygen and begin to die when those cells die they actually start creating certain chemicals all those chemicals that are in your bloodstream start circulating and they start getting into your organs but those same chemicals will actually kill your organs so a lot of times people will survive Falls they'll go to the hospital for treatment and they'll die 12 hours later if Sam was really injured it up about half an hour until toxic chemicals began to seriously endanger his body at the Grand Canyon he could be much harder to reach but to get him back to safety it's vital that Ricci attaches himself to Sam and takes over his harness fast the team strives to shave seconds off their drill timings [Music] back in Phoenix Ricky's right-hand man Mike has his own method of mentally preparing himself this little piece of rope here is a reminder of what can happen when they're not careful up there on that line what happened was I forgot to put my rope guard on here and what we're working has this really sharp flagstones and things like that know around the building and then we'll had caught one of the stones I knew it was it must have been cutting so when I look up all I see is this white core shining in the sunlight and I like a ditch for myself was I'm gonna fall I took this piece off basically as a reminder you know to look and see how easy it is that for that rope to bust open after that day I don't think I've ever you know forgot to put my rope guard on or protect my line or double-check or whatever it is because you know basically I want to come home every day to my family to me this is his life I mean this is my husband and my son's father right here on this room back in Boulder you recruit Dillon as a memento he keeps even closer he won't start any job without it the sticker right here is for my cousin my best friend Donny Leesburg he was uh he was a parachute instructor skydive instructor you know he uh he was driving back from a air show one day in Arizona he fell asleep while he's driving he crashed his truck and he died he passed away you know I keep this the sticker on my helmet just as a reminder you know that you know anything could happen you always need to be alert you always need to be aware of your surroundings rope guys don't fall and get hurt rope guys fall and die so that's why I always got him with me you know keeps me safe the day the Fullman crew has been preparing for is finally here at the Grand Canyon Skywalk tourism is ever more important to the Hualapai tribe who own it and they want the hundreds of thousands who flock here each year to experience the breathtaking views cleaning the glass would make a huge difference here like I said it would add more to their experience visitors want to remember the day and expect to take home amazing photos this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most people most people come here from all over the world clear on the other side of the planet this could become the highest rope-access job in the world and the day just got even more special for Mike his wife and son have dropped everything to be here with him for the day you know we just need to go we can't miss this it's never probably gonna happen again you did good getting up getting this is jocelyn and michael juniors first time at the canyon - welcome to the Grand Canyon whoa oh my goodness that's cool Zed's goes deep I mean it is way down there you'd have enough time for 20 prayers way down Schwann if you're lucky see Matt it's not different than a picture it just makes me want to tell you not to go a Skywalker ambassador for the tribe Wilfred what an army Junior knows the full extent of the task the personnel that are here to to clean the Skywalk have a very difficult job to do rick has asked Wilfrid for some unusual support I know it's one of those things where you know we're on their land and you know respect it and they bless us with you know the same and you know we're obviously risking her life to do something for you know the tribe and you know I asked you know the Great Spirit to oversee you in this endeavor here and that you know everything we say and everything work out good uniform you while you are here in in our territory the word you know honkin our language is it it means thank you but it also means welcome to some no hunter with Wilfred's blessing it's time to get to work Sam we'll be cleaning the glass standing on a platform built from heavy-duty ladders it will be strapped beneath the Skywalk but the unconventional design has never been tried at this height to get into place Sam and Dylan will pass everything out to Mike and Ricky first they need to edge their way out into position Mike is the first one to step out above the chasm Mike is unusually quiet it was a really a deep focus and at the same time a little bit you know a little bit on edge because you don't know what to expect as you start to move out you know you take a quick look down and you're hanging over the Grand Canyon man it's a long way down ricky joins mike as they heave their bodies out inch by inch along the steel rail like in my ass foot out there lives are hanging from three straps that they have to juggle very carefully as they go getting in that rhythm sometimes could be a little bit tricky because you are dealing with so much and it's like you know and then you know what's at stake and you know how high you're hanging so everything's kind of running through your mind it's not about just unclipping moving on heavy moving it's if you're constantly recounting you know you can't just start disconnecting things next you know you're hanging by one rope or something or you accidentally disconnect the one attraction to hanging on he's gonna give you a little bit of a jolt not to mention you know you can fall yeah when I finally got sick and I was able to relax for a second and take a deep breath just a common feeling that I get from being up there and it's just an amazing sight since sarva has spiritual experience now they need to fly all their gear 21 meters out across the Grand Canyon to Mike and Rick in a maneuver called a cross haul I'm gonna use this orange line to send out the other rope through to the other red rope to to Rick we have one person on a cliff or whatever on one side and somebody like me out and out in space and we have to be able to transfer equipment know to and from each other so we do cross all is to you know move equipment you know to each other the ladders the buckets etc you could ride you back yourself the first thing to go is the ladder Mike and Rick have carried out a rope for Sam to attach the whole line and lower out the ladder to them Sam has to make certain it's tied securely if the ladder crashes to the canyon floor it would destroy their reputation in a heartbeat with every rope they add to the rigging they have a harder time keeping the tangles out of their system well my biggest worry was that we were not going to be able to secure the platform the way it was gonna be needed and be able to get on top of me they need to secure the ladder type to the steel rail it will be holding Sam's weight above thin air yeah all relatively speaking they're doing the hard work and then once they get the second platform out they're gonna be my turn to fly they're ready to cross hold the second ladder Dillon is on the front line securing the final rigging you guys are all set they're using gadgets called IDs as breaks on the ropes but Dillon has threaded his back to front it's the wrong way wrong direction I'll be all right now the tails gotta come in with the weight of the ladder on it the Rope could run straight through his hands my bad and the ladder could swing into the cliff you're all good sir yes sir good looking out boss man this ladder is proving a bit tougher to release the ladder Sam has to step right out over the ledge it's only a taste of what's to come we're gonna drop like good right there stay there Sam and Dylan have to make sure the ladder hangs nice and level if they don't lower at exactly the same rate they could tangle the lines and become hard to control yeah you direct this with hand signals yeah all right so Dylan go ahead and start to lower nice and easy Sam you're doing a little bit too fast man you got to keep up with Dylan good keep you on TV on Dylan's speed up a little John yeah yeah I can't see the ladder anymore got it all right block it off hit the ladders are set now all Mike and Ricky can do is wait for the most important piece of the puzzle one Sam will lower himself over the ledge to meet them from the lip of the Grand Canyon the ground plummets away over a kilometer down to the valley floor and Sam Shannon is perched on the edge to become the first man ever to clean the glass beneath the Skywalk viewing platform he has to step off I'm happy safe as a well-armed pirate on the high seas this is freakin rad this is one of the coolest places I've ever been Sam's load himself far enough out to be leveled with Mike and Rick he's too heavy for them to lift now he has to haul himself 12 meters up into position oh yeah moly I want to just like hang Mission Impossible style in his Buster bus but I'm gonna do it safely what are you the best move up top with anxious sightseers watching closely Sam must drawn every ounce of rock-climbing experience to clamber onto the ladder these hundreds of metres above the canyon floor and all he has to prevent himself slipping his skill and a strong grip you know I wanted to make sure that I had enough slack in my system that I wasn't gonna get halfway up with just my waist they're not quite all the way on to the deck and it could be short ropes I didn't want to have so much slack either that if I did screw up somehow and you're gonna take a great big ride I'm gonna fall today this is what I'm gonna fall nuts life is good alright go ahead and undo that yellow line pass it to me so I can get your bucket over to you they're using the same squeegee in the bucket as every other window cleaner but the similarities stop there gravity all right buddy you're on your own we're taking off see you later don't eat all the pizza now he has to stand up [Music] he has no safety line attached above him he's tied to the rail beneath the jolt from a fall could leave him injured swinging in space sits on the ladder that's supporting my bodyweight but if the ladder fails or if I get dizzy and fall these are my two lines that are gonna keep me going home tonight if somehow I were to fall off or somehow the ladder were to fail it's definitely a couple thousand feet over over the river and things you know it's not in the back of your mind it's kind of right up there in the front you know I'm just thinking like I could certainly fall here yeah just give me a moment he is relying completely on his own balance [Music] Sam's found a metal rod inside the edge of the walkway he can't be sure that's strong enough to tie himself to but right now he'll grab anything that eases his mind have you got them the system seems to be working and Sam is cleaning windows in a 1200 meter deep canyon there's some guys dangling on those little straps over there and the first ledge is 2,000 feet away that's a long ways to fall we've actually clocked it with snowballs and the winter time takes 10 to 11 seconds for a snowball to hit the first ledge beneath the walkway the team prepare for the next pain while Mike's wife keeps a watchful eye from above it was something else just you know it's almost like putting a movie on you know you creating a show you know for everyone photos say a thousand words yes yeah I've taken as many photos as possible and I just people are blown away by it half the time people don't even believe you the next step is the biggest yet when we move to the next ladder you need another set of lines my friend yeah ready Sam prepares himself to walk across the void to the next ladder [Music] that's a lot of my legs the ladders are a success their design works and they prove they can do the job it's gonna make my life a lot better it helps me sell photographs and I like that the day is almost over but the jobs only just begun they're the first people ever to reach the glass and they have another 44 panes to clean they'll be back every day until it's done pretty cool well right now I feel exhausted but it feels great it feels awesome I mean couldn't ask for a better feeling just to know that you accomplished it I'll never forget today you know just just the whole experience this was the first for me being even being out to the Grand Canyon so bad on top of being able to hang under the Skywalk and never gonna forget yeah I didn't wanted to end wanted to get out there just keep working no I I'd probably be happy just to just be like in a continuous loop just watching the underneath of the glass you know do that for the rest of my life at least for the next couple of years the Skywalk is a major trophy in that portfolio with repeat contracts and the growing reputation company boss can and his team are hungry for more impossible jobs see the sign there on the mingoes how in the world you possibly get to that look at the face of this building well here to a man set exists on that is that that's got to come off sooner or later the more you look the more work you find we just got picked up and dropped into heaven rope-access heaven

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 467,726

Rating: 4.8447018 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), most dangerous jobs in the world, most dangerous jobs, window cleaner, skyscraper, skyscraper window cleaning, skyscraper window cleaner, skyscraper window washer, skyscraper documentary, toughest job in the world, tough jobs, Fearless Workers in Great Height, Fearless Workers, giant mirror, cliff hanger, grand canyon, grand canyon walkway

Id: ZtVqVAEkMSM

Length: 43min 51sec (2631 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 29 2020