Following his own oft repeated mandate of “getting your camera in a different place,” world renowned photographer Joe McNally had already climbed such famous urban structures as the north tower of the original World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, and the uniquely beautiful Queensboro Bridge in his hometown of New York City.
One structure was missing from his portfolio of urban mountaineering-the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, the towering centerpiece of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Arching into the desert sky for a little over half a mile, he teamed with superb climbers Mick (Michael Flamson) and Johnny (Johnny Salvador). They began the arduous ascent into the column leading to the very top.
Rung after rung, in blazing heat, they made it up the column to step out onto the roof of the world. The World's Tallest man-made point on the planet. Standing on the railing that holds the aircraft warning lights, McNally made a pictures of Johnny and Mick doing maintenance, as well a picture of his very worn boots, which went viral when published on the Internet. Since then, he has had another adventure on the Burj, going over the side with their legendary team of window washers, who, along with automated washing machines, work to continuously clean the gleaming exterior of the Burj, which is composed of 24,348 windows.
Still photos by Joe McNally and video by Drew Gurian. Music licensing by Triple Scoop Music. TripleScoopMusic.com. #climbingtallestbuilding #burjkhalifa #topofburjkhalifa