Sydney Monfries, a 22-year-old senior, was taking part in a 3 a.m. climb when she fell through an opening on the first landing of the tower, plummeted 40 feet and struck her head, the New York Post reported. Her condition had been listed as critical at a hospital in the Bronx not far from the Fordham campus, but on Sunday evening, the university's president announced her death in an email to students.
&
“I think they were posting on Instagram when it happened.”
perfect.
https://www.foxnew...wer-to-take-photos

Every step counts.
Hellholes don't care...

Rough terrain such as a step slope or just navigating rocky slopes can maim or even turn turn deadly.
●Control your speed and movement even if takes extra time.
●Wear high top lace up boots to help protect your feet/ankles and knees; lace them fully and tight.
●A sturdy oak walking stick is recommended and is excellent for run-ins with dogs or wild animals like feral pigs as well.
Oak long shovel handles work well if you're not too tall. Sharpen end to a crude point.

Experienced jogger/hiker 24-year-old Jerika Binks apparently lost her life by misstepping.
https://www.foxnew...ns-utah-canyon-run

Rest in Peace

Every time I see something like this, I think of this thread. This was a school in Eastern Louisiana. The hallways were solid and reinforced with cement. Obviously, the individual rooms were not, as every single one was missing a floor.


Hell Holes by Dee Ashley, on Flickr

Walk, don't run...
https://www.google...eath-Waterloo.html

Gravity is neither friend or foe but it's omnipresent and immutably intolerant to fuck ups.
Take your time.
If something seems like a bad idea, it probably is... bug out and live to splore another day.

I see a hellhole and inevitably feel compelled to post it on this thread.
This is from my annual pilgrimage to Ord last week (California). This was also the only 3-4 hour window (Turkey Day) that didn't include 75mph wind gusts and torrential rain for the entire week I was there:


Hellholes by Dee Ashley, on Flickr

Lastly; a bonus feature.

by Dee Ashley, on Flickr

I've lost count of how many of these catwalks I've crossed about 1,000 of them ago. This one seemed pretty solid but I've been fooled by these things before. Don't think that because they are metal they are more solid than other things (like wood). They can be extra tricky because they tend to corrode, oxidize, and become brittle and can break without warning. This is especially bad if you happen to be half way up a ladder that isn't connected at the top! Been there, but I was luckily only one story up when I realized that there was one nail holding the entire thing to the wall. Cement and concrete can also become brittle and break without warning.

I just wanted to throw out the info because sometimes I think that after we've been doing this for a while, we often forget that people new to this stuff don't know these (very important!) little tidbits. I find it is best to learn vicariously from the mistakes of others whenever possible!

^Catwalks can be some of worst hellholes and give way with no warning.
Just because the steel is solid doesn't mean it's safe...
Corroded anchor bolts; beware anytime they're anchored into concrete or brick especially if it gets wet.
Pop-pop-pop etc as they fail in sequence and you go into a freefall, worst case scenario some here have experienced.

Missing sections; Ryan at Hearns. I came within one step to oblivion via a missing midsection of steel staircase at an Atlas F site.
In the dark especially all too easy to do.

Always keep at least a firm handhold on one handrail; keep your hands free when moving whenever possible.
Bag the cam when moving on these and keep your eyes where your feet/hands are going next!!!

I would highly advise against walking through an area covered in thick snow. I explored the top an old boarded up school. The whole roof was covered with snow but I still walked over.
Actually, now that I think of it, that was insanely stupid of me to do. I wiped my foot over one part of the roof only to discover it was hiding a broken sun window overseeing a gym. Had I not done that, I probably wouldn't be alive today. My guess would be splattered y some of the metal poles in the gym beneath me

You say this couldn't happen to you.
Unfortunately humans make errors and when the margin for error is small, errors occur more frequently.
Highly experienced workers, climbers, hikers etc have done it many times with fatal or life altering results.

As you get fatigued or if tired/sick your reflexes slow, your reasoning abilities and judgement are impaired.
Most don't readily notice it as it's happening.
Errors become more likely and common.
Physically our bodies can fail us in many ways, unpredictably in a split second although rare in a healthy person, it happens.
By not taking this into account, you increase your risks.

Even fully alert and on your best day, you can make a fatal mistake.
Leave room for error whenever possible.
Showboating has killed countless people.
Perceived danger vs real danger; avoid the latter as much as possible in shoots!!!
Plant yourself so you can't fall before fucking with the cam, every time you shoot at height.


Many have died by going right to the edge of oblivion and making ONE mistake.
This accident was completely preventable...
https://www.foxnew...rk-fall-queen-seat


Note: I'm an adrenalin junkie.
Over the decades I've walked the knife's edge in many different ways pushing my limits and physics.
Sometimes death licked me hard when I wasn't even knowingly pushing the limits.
Sometimes when I was and thought to myself "Not could go wrong now..." except there always is.
If you respect nothing I hope you respect blinding white hot pain.
Pain does come in colors too.
If you survive, this kind of pain is an excellent teacher... I sincerely suggest you don't show up for class.
Death isn't the worst result; being permanently crippled is.
Death is a trip we all must eventually take; being a crip is not.

CONTROL the heat as Pappy Boyington would say.

Posted by MysteriousExpedition I would highly advise against walking through an area covered in thick snow. I explored the top an old boarded up school. The whole roof was covered with snow but I still walked over. Actually, now that I think of it, that was insanely stupid of me to do. I wiped my foot over one part of the roof only to discover it was hiding a broken sun window overseeing a gym. Had I not done that, I probably wouldn't be alive today. My guess would be splattered y some of the metal poles in the gym beneath me

Stories like this always make my stomach drop a little. Probably because I can so clearly see myself making a similar mistake (but probably not with snow since I live in Texas).

Posted by Dee Ashley Stories like this always make my stomach drop a little. Probably because I can so clearly see myself making a similar mistake (but probably not with snow since I live in Texas).

Oh yeah it's bad. The worst part is that it's so tempting. It's like your mind is playing a tug of war on whether you want to ask risk something like that.
Here's the roof I was talking about. Also, underneath all the snow was extremely slippery ice. As if it wasn't already bad enough to walk on, one wrong imbalance and you could very well fall the whole roof itself.
I had to almost crawl my way back since I made it almost towards the latter at the end before finding the sun roof
1.

Posted by MysteriousExpedition Oh yeah it's bad. The worst part is that it's so tempting. It's like your mind is playing a tug of war on whether you want to ask risk something like that. Here's the roof I was talking about. Also, underneath all the snow was extremely slippery ice. As if it wasn't already bad enough to walk on, one wrong imbalance and you could very well fall the whole roof itself. I had to almost crawl my way back since I made it almost towards the latter at the end before finding the sun roof 1. click to view

MysteriousExpedition, many here have had floors and roofs collapsed under them... me tooooo.
Before you walk on a roof, it's a good idea to walk under it first.
If you can directly inspect it from below even better.
Indirectly, moderate to severe water damage below should make you concerned.

Roofs aren't suppose to have open holes, right?
Trust nothing, floors and roofs can have anything from a small to a huge hole.
Sometimes by design, or because equipment was removed, decay, etc.
At night these can impossible to see without light.
Or they could be covered with cardboard/dust etc that won't support your weight.
Darkness is your enemy when it comes to hellholes.

Or the Nike Missile Master Blue Room with the tile floor except it has a subbasement and the access door was gone.
And you're looking all around in wonder and amazement... when you need to be looking down!!!
With every step...
even just one step back to take a shot.
Look first. Verify.

Posted by Ground State I'm one of the lucky ones. I lived, but this is me now.... click to view After six months of physio, my arm is 100% again as of about 3 weeks ago. Thankfully, I had full coverage. Otherwise, I'd be out 57 visits x $55 each = $3,135. And that's in Canada, where I had free health care for the initial treatment and surgery. All this because I chanced a floor that I already knew was weak. But after visiting hundreds of locations, my overconfidence caused a momentary lapse of reason... and that's all it took. Dislocation, fracture and shoulder pins aside, if there had been a nail or wire inside the floor that I went through that tore my femoral artery, I would have died for sure.

i mean im in class so i can't show any pic but i may upload it later. so i dislocate my elbow and seriously thanks to canada making the free health cover seriously my elbow isn't 100% functional but if redo some physio i can be 100% functional. Now i got srews and a plate in it (hurts a lot). I mean just be carefull around hellholes

i may not have died but seriously don't mess around hellholes

(i speak french so excuse my spelling and grammar)

Posted by blackhawk MysteriousExpedition, many here have had floors and roofs collapsed under them... me tooooo. Before you walk on a roof, it's a good idea to walk under it first. If you can directly inspect it from below even better. Indirectly, moderate to severe water damage below should make you concerned. Roofs aren't suppose to have open holes, right? Trust nothing, floors and roofs can have anything from a small to a huge hole. Sometimes by design, or because equipment was removed, decay, etc. At night these can impossible to see without light. Or they could be covered with cardboard/dust etc that won't support your weight. Darkness is your enemy when it comes to hellholes. Or the Nike Missile Master Blue Room with the tile floor except it has a subbasement and the access door was gone. And you're looking all around in wonder and amazement... when you need to be looking down!!! With every step... even just one step back to take a shot. Look first. Verify.

That's really scary! This whole roof screamed "death tramp" the moment I saw it and my legs still carried me there to capture footage. The explorer I was with also warned me not to tread further... but being the stubborn person I am, the allure of adventure was just too strong for me. Man, the stuff we do for excitement is also the beginning of a trap.
Also, as a side note, if you aren't careful enough, the camera itself could fall easily into these hellholes if trying to capture a shot of one. I lost one camera, although that camera wasn't too good anyways lol. But anything can happen, it's crazy.
But yes, I shall take your advice to heart

Posted by MysteriousExpedition That's really scary! This whole roof screamed "death tramp" the moment I saw it and my legs still carried me there to capture footage. The explorer I was with also warned me not to tread further... but being the stubborn person I am, the allure of adventure was just too strong for me. Man, the stuff we do for excitement is also the beginning of a trap. Also, as a side note, if you aren't careful enough, the camera itself could fall easily into these hellholes if trying to capture a shot of one. I lost one camera, although that camera wasn't too good anyways lol. But anything can happen, it's crazy. But yes, I shall take your advice to heart

Sometimes if you react very quickly and correctly you can outrun a collapse if it's going slow enough.
Sometimes it's just *bam*, gone.
I outran a collapsing floor in the whiskey barrel aging warehouse at Linnvilla barely. It was only a 3 to 4 foot drop but to what?
The blind terror you feel as the floor starts downward is indescribable... and very real.
Did it once on a piece of steel grating that wasn't secured properly at an active pumping station... assholes.
Barely got off it and nothing but steel to catch me if I failed.

To see the vintage X-ray machine power supply/control console once at Pennhurst I took unwise risk(s).
Had that nailed me it would have been a rough landing from 12 feet.
What seems important at the moment needs to be kept in perspective to that white hot pain that can come in colors and keeps giving until you pass out from shock.
Even a few seconds of that kind of pain will stayed hardwired with you for future reference



Severe injuries from falls are more common than I realized in this community of seasoned explorers.
Thanks everyone who shared their zero G stories

Posted by blackhawk Sometimes if you react very quickly and correctly you can outrun a collapse if it's going slow enough. Sometimes it's just *bam*, gone. I outran a collapsing floor in the whiskey barrel aging warehouse at Linnvilla barely. It was only a 3 to 4 foot drop but to what? The blind terror you feel as the floor starts downward is indescribable... and very real. Did it once on a piece of steel grating that wasn't secured properly at an active pumping station... assholes. Barely got off it and nothing but steel to catch me if I failed. To see the vintage X-ray machine power supply/control console once at Pennhurst I took unwise risk(s). Had that nailed me it would have been a rough landing from 12 feet. What seems important at the moment needs to be kept in perspective to that white hot pain that can come in colors and keeps giving until you pass out from shock. Even a few seconds of that kind of pain will stayed hardwired with you for future reference Severe injuries from falls are more common than I realized in this community of seasoned explorers. Thanks everyone who shared their zero G stories

I've been in free fall while mountain biking. It was off a huge hill. Luckily, there was some soft dirt I landed on. But man, the sheer terror I had from that was probably scariest feeling I had in my life. The paranoia, the stomach butterflies, everything...
Having that happen in Urbexing though, I an only imagine that that's a whole new level...

Recently in Alberta a photographer fell into a well while taking photos of an old farmhouse. This occurred roughly 15 feet off the roadside. The well had a thin sheet of plywood covering it and then some snow on top of that. I've never expected to see a well that close to the roadside. I've always expected it to be closer to the buildings. I've stopped hundreds of times and ran across a ditch to take a photo of old farmhouses and never would have a thought a well was sitting there like that.

This was a very experienced photographer (Not really an Urban Explorer but tonnes of experience photographing derelict locations).

It cost him his life.

Stay Safe Out There!!!

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Sometimes, you get to a place and realize it's just not worth the trouble. This was one of those places.



My decision was solidified when I was attacked by an angry bird while standing at the doorway taking this shot.

Posted by Dee Ashley Sometimes, you get to a place and realize it's just not worth the trouble. This was one of those places. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49539286882_182f185740_b.jpg My decision was solidified when I was attacked by an angry bird while standing at the doorway taking this shot.

Aye caramba a Hell hole + rusty nails where nobody can hear you scream...

Nothing was safe there. Not even the desks.

This one doesn’t look too terribly bad...


Until you realize what’s on the other side of that wall.

This is a good example of how wise it is to never make assumptions about something you can’t see with your own eyes. I would have totally assumed the ground on the other side of that 10-12’ wall was the same level on both sides, but it was actually 60’ farther down on the other side (my friend in the first photo is on the rim of the very top (center) of the second photo).

Incidentally, this also happened to be my first experience rappelling down a hellhole.