Just watched the video and all I can do is shake my head. I have been rock climbing for a few years and when I saw those guys free climbing (we call it free solo), I was like you gotta be crazy to do that. No amount of money is worth compromising your safety because you can't spend something if you are dead. These type of accidents could be minimized immensely if people were properly trained, have proper climbing and safety equipment and the climbing equipment is replaced and inspected regularly. The pay that these subcontractors get is just ridiculously low and that needs to change. If for instance that one subcontractor near the end couldn't even replace his equipment on a regular basis, then something is very wrong.
Anyway if one of those guys offered me that kind of pay and that kind of substandard equipment, they would get the middle finger. That and I don't climb anything unless there is redundancy in the system.
Tragic that those guys died...
@2fastkustoms
Ridiculous the amount of free climbing those guys had to do to get up there. That and that 'biner was way to big to be clipped on one of those climbing studs. Even if it did catch your fall, it could easily slip off the stud it was attached to. It looks like to me there are serious flaws built into these towers for climbing and maintenance work.