Printed by the Review
520 feet straight down
ON MONDAY, HE’LL JUMP OFF THE SKYLON TOWER. HE’LL BE HOLDING A ROPE.
Posted By COREY LAROCQUE REVIEW STAFF WRITER
When a hardcore thrill-seeker tries to play by the rules, the paperwork and red tape start to pile up, but don’t get him down.
“You can’t even believe how much work -to do it legally. There’s all kinds of paperwork,” said Dean Sullivan, the 42-year-old daredevil who plans to jump from the observation deck of the Skylon Tower Monday. He’ll be attached to a rope, using his hands as a brake to stop before he hits the ground.
Sullivan now has the approvals he needs to rappel from the observation deck of the 520-foot tower.
His stunt is called rappelling, a technique soldiers, police and firefighters have used for years to descend steep drops quickly.
They tie a long rope from a solid object at the top of the cliff. Wearing a waist harness, they connect themselves to that line through a metal ring.
They use their hands as a brake every 10 feet or so. They’re also trained to go feet first.
But Sullivan goes face-first, turning the traditional method on its head.
And he plans to brake only once -just before he reaches the ground.
“Some people say, ‘You are nuts.’ It basically boils down to a forward, face-first rappel,” Sullivan said.
“Every hundred feet you go, you’re going faster and faster and faster.”
When Sullivan showed up at The Review’s office for an interview, he was running on two hours sleep. His friends have him on a minute-by-minute schedule to get everything done on time.
“I have to make sure every-thing’s good to go, right? Time’s of the essence if something goes on on Monday.”
Insurance. Security. Arranging his gear.
“There’s so many different little things that add up like a phone bill.”
Monday’s jump should take place at about 11:30 a. m., Sullivan said. He’s holding a press conference in the tower at 10:30. The TV show “Inside Edition” is expected to interview him, something he figures will earn Niagara Falls more worldwide attention. Then he’ll jump from the Murray Street side of the tower, meaning the best views are along that street, Fallsview Boulevard or from Queen Victoria Park.
It’s a publicity stunt to raise awareness for Daredevil Days, the second summer festival aimed at revitalizing downtown Niagara Falls. That Aug. 15 to 17 event is being organized by Celebrate Old Downtown, the special events arm of the Downtown Business Improvement Area’s board. The Skylon stunt is a warmup for Sullivan’s plan to jump from a helicopter hovering 1,000 feet over old railway lands downtown.
“A lot of events that are successful are unique,” said Shane Sargant, Celebrate Old Downtown’s executive director. “Nowhere else could do Daredevil days -that’s unique to Niagara Falls.
“Nobody is dialed in with daredevils as much as Niagara Falls.”
Celebrate Old Downtown put up the $3,000 to buy the insurance policy Sullivan needed to satisfy the Skylon Tower owners. He has also signed waivers saying he won’t hold the Skylon responsible if the jump goes wrong.
Daredevil Days was designed as an event to attract people to the Queen Street area, the city’s traditional downtown. But the tourism
industry is supporting it too, especially Monday’s jump from the Skylon in the heart of the Fallsview tourism area.
“Everyone said it makes perfect sense. Whether we like the whole concept of daredevils or not, it’s part of our heritage,” said Niagara Falls Tourism director Anna Pierce.
That connection with daredevils goes back close to 200 years when tightrope walking over the river and swimming the rapids led -to the classic -going over the falls in a barrel.
Celebrating that heritage is long overdue, said Coun. Wayne Thomson, who has talked about a daredevilthemed festival for 20 years. He has been an unabashed booster of wire-walker Jay Cochrane’s exploits. Sullivan isn’t in Cochrane’s league yet, because the “Prince of the Air” has built his reputation as a professional performer over decades.
Thomson first heard of Sullivan about four months ago.
“I’m impressed by his enthusiasm and his confidence in what he’s going to be doing,” said Thomson, the chairman of Daredevil Days.
Daredevil Days is starting as a community event for downtown, but the tourism industry recognizes its growth potential.
“It’s got legs. All great events start off as a local event and then roll into a great tourism event,” Pierce said.
Mayor Ted Salci was outspoken in his praise for Springlicious, the food and music festival Celebrate Old Downtown ran in May for the first time.
But he didn’t have much to say about the impact Sullivan’s jump could have on the city’s reputation.
“We’re always concerned about the safety of these individuals,” said Salci. The mayor said he had not met Sullivan and was not aware of his previous exploits, including a rappel last year from the Table Rock area to the observation deck of the Journey Behind the Falls. A video clip of that surreptitious stunt is circulating on the YouTube website.
City hall wasn’t required to issue any permits or approvals for Sullivan’s planned jumps because they’re taking place on private property, Salci said.
Born and raised in St. Catharines, Sullivan has spent the past 20 years living in British Columbia, making a living as a drywall contractor. But his passion has been in jumping off cliffs, bridges and towers, including a rappel from the Lion’s Gate Bridge in Vancouver.
“I had an addiction problem at some time for jumping off things,” he said.
As a home renovator and drywaller, he would work all day, then rush out to the wilderness to go jumping. It got to be an expensive habit, replacing gear and paying fines.
“I tried to get permission. They’d say no, so I’d go in and do it anyhow,” Sullivan said.
He’s not a household name, but Sullivan’s press clippings show he has considerable experience in rappelling, Thomson said.
“Is he legitimate? Absolutely. Unfortunately, people have not taken him seriously in the past because none of the events have been sanctioned or sponsored,” Thomson said.
Sullivan said he’s a different kind of performer from Cochrane, who wears a blue jumpsuit for each performance. While Cochrane was a consummate showman, Sullivan said he doesn’t like the limelight. Doing media interviews is harder for Sullivan than actually jumping.
“You ain’t going to see me in sequins. No sequins for this kid,” said Sullivan, who plans to wear jeans and a sweatshirt for his jumps in Niagara Falls.
Article ID# 1098044
© 2008 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review articles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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Canada needs more people like this bringing More tourism and putting places on maps. Life is not measured by how many moments we breathe, Its about the moments that take our breathe away! This guy Rocks. We need a new Evil Knieval. Take it away dude!
Comment by Lance Haines — July 9, 2008 @ 8:44 am