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Dan Goodwin

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Dan Goodwin
Born (1955-11-07) November 7, 1955 (age 68)
Other namesSpiderDan
SkyscraperMan
Known forBuilding Climber
Rock/Sports Climber
Skyscraper Defense Advocate
Cancer Survivor
Motivational Speaker
President and founder of Triple Black.com
Websitehttp://www.dangoodwin.com/

Daniel Goodwin (born November 7, 1955, in Kennebunkport, Maine) is an American climber best known for performing gymnastic-like flag maneuvers and one-arm flyoffs while free soloing difficult rock climbs on national TV and for scaling towering skyscrapers, including the Sears Tower, the John Hancock Center, the World Trade Center, the CN Tower, and (for the program Stan Lee's Superhumans) the Telefónica Building in Santiago, Chile.

Building climber

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On November 21, 1980, Dan Goodwin witnessed the MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States,[1] including the inability of the Clark County Fire Department and the supporting fire departments to rescue scores of hotel guests trapped inside. Believing he knew how to rescue the trapped people, Goodwin presented a rescue plan to the on-location fire boss. Goodwin's plan included his climbing up the building and connecting cables to the floors to enable rescue baskets to be ferried to and from helicopters. The fire boss responded by threatening Goodwin with arrest and then ordered him escorted from the scene.[citation needed] The following day, Goodwin approached the fire chief of a Fire Department sub-station and presented his rescue plan. The fire chief told Goodwin he needed to climb a building to learn of the dangers of high-rise firefighting and rescue.[citation needed] The following Memorial Day, Goodwin scaled the outside of the Sears Tower in Chicago (renamed the Willis Tower in 2009), which at the time was the tallest building in the world.

History of Building Climbs[2]
Date Name of the building Location Height Tool
May 25, 1981 Sears Tower Chicago, Illinois 110 floors Suction Cups / Camming Device / Sky Hooks
November 7, 1981 Renaissance Tower Dallas, Texas 56 floors Suction Cups / Hands & Feet
November 11, 1981 John Hancock Center Chicago, Illinois 100 floors Self-Made Climbing Device
February 7, 1982 Centro Simón Bolívar Towers Caracas, Venezuela 30 floors Hands & Feet
February 14, 1982 Parque Central Complex Caracas, Venezuela 56 floors Suction Cups / Sky Hooks / Hands & Feet
May 30, 1983 World Trade Center – North Tower New York, New York 110 floors Suction Cups / Camming Device
March 9, 1984 Nippon Television Tower Tokyo, Japan 10 floors Suction Cups
February 27, 1985 Bonaventure Hotel Los Angeles, California 30 floors Suction Cups / Hands & Feet
June 26, 1986 CN Tower Toronto, Ontario, Canada 100 floors x 2 Hands & Feet (scaled twice on same day)
September 6, 2010 Millennium Tower San Francisco, California 60 floors Suction Cups / Hands & Feet
March 1, 2014 Torre Telefónica Chile Santiago, Chile 32 floors 433 feet Suction Cups – Hands & Feet (world's longest lead climb on a single rope)

Notable building climbs

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Sears Tower

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On Memorial Day, May 25, 1981, wearing a Spider-Man suit and using suction cups, camming devices, and sky hooks, Goodwin scaled the then-tallest building in the world, the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois. For seven hours, Goodwin fought the high-altitude winds, slippery glass, and repeated attempts by the Chicago Fire Department to stop him. A few feet below the top Goodwin taped an American flag to the building to honor his father, who fought in the Korean War. Chicago's press dubbed him "SpiderDan". Goodwin said he scaled the building to call attention to inadequacies in high-rise firefighting and rescue.[1][2][3]

Renaissance Tower

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On November 7, 1981, wearing a Spider-Man suit and using suction cups along with his hands and feet, Goodwin scaled the 56-story Renaissance Tower in Dallas, Texas. Goodwin said he made the climb to keep a promise he made to a young Dallas resident stricken with cystic fibrosis.[2]

John Hancock Center

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On November 11, 1981, wearing a wetsuit disguised as a Spider-Man suit and using a climbing device he designed for the building, Goodwin scaled the 100-story John Hancock Center in Chicago. To elude firemen who were descending toward him in a window-washing machine, Goodwin swung across the building with a rope. The fire department, on the inside of the building, used fire axes to shatter window glass near Goodwin and then through the openings attempted to dislodge him from the building with grappling hooks attached to long poles. Chicago's mayor, Jane Byrne, intervened, allowing Goodwin to continue to the top. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to successfully fight fires in high-rise buildings.[2][4][5]

North Tower of the World Trade Center

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On Memorial Day, May 30, 1983, using suction cups for the first four floors before switching to a camming device he connected to the building's window-washing track, Goodwin scaled the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Goodwin attached an American flag, the same one he taped to the Sears Tower in 1981, to the upper-most floor of the North Tower in tribute to Americans who died in war. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to rescue trapped occupants from the upper levels of skyscrapers.[2][6][7]

CN Tower

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On June 26, 1986, Goodwin scaled the world's tallest structure (not building) at the time: the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario. Using his hands and feet, Goodwin climbed one side, rappelled down, then climbed the far side of the tower, followed by another rappel. Goodwin's climb was a sponsored publicity event celebrating the CN Tower's tenth anniversary.[2][8]

Millennium Tower

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Dan Goodwin outside the 50th floor of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco (September 2010)

On September 6, 2010, Goodwin scaled the Millennium Tower in San Francisco, California, United States. In tribute to the United States, Goodwin attached a United States flag to the top of the Millennium Tower, the same flag he attached to the top of Chicago's Sears Tower in 1981 and to the top of the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center in 1983. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to conduct rescue operations in the upper floors of skyscrapers.[9] In addition, as a Stage Four cancer survivor, Goodwin wanted to inspire people throughout the world who have been diagnosed with cancer.[10][11]

Torre Telefónica Chile

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On March 1, 2014, Goodwin scaled the Torre Telefónica Chile in Santiago, Chile to establish a new world record of 433 feet (132 m) for the longest lead climb on a single rope. On average, the safety anchors were 4 to 6 floors apart, raising the possibility of a 180-foot (55 m) fall or more. Commentators believed the weight of the rope (42 pounds (19 kg)) made his ascent considerably more dangerous. The ascent was recorded for a TV show that was planned to be aired in the fall of 2014.[12]

Rock and sports climbing

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As a rock climber, Goodwin made several first ascents. Frequently, he broke with rock climbing tradition by climbing without a rope, performing acrobatic maneuvers including the one arm fly-off and flag maneuver. In response to those in the rock climbing community who called Goodwin's acrobatic moves "stunts", and therefore unworthy of recognition, Goodwin stated he was "sport climbing" and not bound by the rules of traditional rock climbing.[3][13]

Rock climber Jeff Lowe, along with Dick Bass, the owner of the Snowbird ski resort, invited Goodwin to build the climbing wall for the world's first International Sport Climbing Championship held at Snowbird, Utah, United States, in 1988. Goodwin did not participate in the championship, serving instead as a commentator for CBS Sports.[14]

History of First Ascents[2]
Date Location Climb Rating
January 1980 Joshua Tree National Park, California White Rasterfarie V3+
November 1980 Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada Ixtlan 5.11c
February 1984 Joshua Tree National Park, California Apollo 5.12d
July 1984 Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah Fallen Arches 5.13c
August 1984 Quoddy Head State Park, Maine Maniac 5.13d/5.14a
August 1984 Quoddy Head State Park, Maine Stiletto 5.12b
August 1984 Quoddy Head State Park, Maine Yellow Dagger 5.11c
August 1984 Quoddy Head State Park, Maine Triangulation 5.12b
November 1986 Tahoe Donner, California Neanderthal Man 5.12a
November 1986 Smith Rock State Park, Oregon Sign of the Times 5.12d/5.13a

Skyscraper defense bill

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Following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Goodwin wrote a bill he called the "Skyscraper Defense Act", calling for an agency within the United States government entitled "Skyscraper Defense" as well as teams of "Skyscraper Defenders", individuals trained in skyscraper defense, security, and safety protocol, to be stationed within major cities of the United States.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Builderers Wanted for the Skyscraper Defense Act". Buildering.net. August 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Skyscraper News, Videos, Statistics, and Forum". Skyscraperdefense.com. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  3. ^ a b "Skyscraperman". Archived from the original on 2011-01-06.
  4. ^ a b "Skyscraper News, Videos, Statistics, and Forum". Skyscraperdefense.com. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  5. ^ "Skyscraperman a.k.a. SpiderDan scales John Hancock Center with Spider-Man's Stan Lee interview". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  6. ^ "Kansas City High Times – News". Pitch.com. November 10, 2008. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  7. ^ "Skyscraperman a.k.a. SpiderDan scales World Trade Center with Spider-Man's Stan Lee interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  8. ^ "CN Tower opens to the public". Archives.cbc.ca. June 26, 1959. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  9. ^ "Police arrest man who scaled Millennium Tower". The San Francisco Chronicle. September 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
  10. ^ Bob Egelko; Kevin Fagan (2010-09-06). "Man scales S.F. tower to publicize his message". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  11. ^ "Breaking News". Archived from the original on 2011-01-06. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  12. ^ "Skyscraperman". Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Skyscraperman a.k.a. SpiderDan scales Mickey's Beach Crack without a rope for National TV". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  14. ^ "First International Sport Climbing Competition in Snowbird, Utah". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
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