Back Arts & Culture » Culture » [Video] Russian Daredevils (Illegally) Climb China’s Tallest Building

If you’re unfamiliar with On the Roofs (OTR), a group of Russian photographers who double as adrenaline junkies, you need only know one thing – they’re not afraid of heights.


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The collective of Moscow-based photographers has made a habit of climbing some of the world’s tallest structures over the past few years, from Egypt and Belgium to China.

To get the best possible vantage point, these daredevils sneak into buildings and construction sites, and make their way to the highest possible altitude.

Their latest stunt, published on YouTube on May 8 already boasts well over three million views and shows Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov climbing the 660-meter Shenzhen Centre, the second tallest building in the word after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

“For more than a year ago we’ve climbed Shanghai Tower certainly not expecting the resonance and the amount of feedback we’ve got. And so, that amount of feedback led us to an idea of making a tradition of roof toping new skyscrapers all around the world. Today’s hero of attention is a new financial center still under construction and is situated in Shenzhen, China,” according the video’s description.

Why do the risk their lives to reach such extraordinary heights?

"There's no philosophy to OTR, we are just a small group of photographers, who like exploration, interesting places and some different countries," Raskalov told CNN last October

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