Risk, Immortality, and the Terrifying Pulpit Rock

Thanks to my friends Tim, who held the camera, and Matt, who got the shot from the boat below. Tim did manage to dangle his legs off the end: I got a photo of him, while muttering "no, no, no, no" under my breath...

[ZCubing]

I was watching this video with the man sitting on the edge. I scrolled down to the comments and when I came back up, he was gone...

[KelsomaticPDX]

Tom's palpable anxiety about the guy sitting at the edge throughout the video makes this all the more enjoyable.

[YannickoYT]

That guy in the background is freaking me out.

[mandel]

I went there a few years ago, and was astonished by how carefree everyone seemed there. There was a 9-10 year old kid who just walked out to the edge and stood there - maybe about 10 cm from the edge? I could help thinking about what would happen if a gust of wind made you take a step forward, or if you stumbled over a fold in the rock on the way to the edge.. it stressed me out a lot. It's unbelievable to me that only one person seems to ever have fallen off by accident.

[Deathnotefan]

I'd be less afraid of falling and more afraid of someone pushing me off (intentionally or otherwise)

In fact, I'm hesitant to stand near high edges whenever there are people close behind me, but if I'm by myself or far away from others, I have no problem with it at all

I mean, I _know_ that I'm less likely to be pushed off (as most people aren't complete monsters or that careless) than I am to slip and fall, but if I fall it's my own fault, and if I'm pushed its someone else's fault, and the idea of something bad happening to me as the result of my own actions is far more palatable to me then the idea of someone else doing it

[JugglingGamer]

"Only one person has died here"- the Asian guy in the background drops down -" make that two "

[abcdefghilihgfedcba]

More than being scared of falling off, I’d be more paranoid about some crazy dude pushing me off while I was on the ledge. Actually think it’s surprising it has never happened before…

[mimikyoo]

tom casually discusses risk with the beautiful desktop wallpaper behind him

[natsharpe]

I like to imagine him there with no camera. Just talking intensely to the air.

[danieln]

Got there in April, when the whole upper area was covered in ice and snow and there was fog everywhere. The visual experience was way different than on a sunny day, but the feeling of unease when standing over the icebound edge and knowing that there's a 600 meter drop behind that fog was very much there.

[lednerg]

0:55 I turned away for a couple seconds and when I turned back, the guy sitting on the ledge disappeared. It was a bit disturbing, lol.

[phantomstrider]

I like this one particularly. It's a simple but beautiful monologue that says a lot about risk and the human condition.

[michaelsensky]

That's a very tolkien-esque question. In his books because Elves basically lived forever they never really did anything. They just kind of stagnated and because humans lived "short" lives they accomplished things and moved the world forward. The lord of the rings takes place as the the magic in the world is ending and the age of man and their innovation is beginning.

[countertop]

Keep in mind, this rock only holds one "Accidental" death, but several more on purpose (suicide, etc.)

It's also debated wether the accidental death was really accidental.

[FOLIPE]

"I've been thinking a lot about risk recently", and by recently I mean the last five seconds I've been siting on this rock.

[RobertHeadley]

They should make a movie called "Unrisky Business" where functionally immortal Tom Cruise lives in a bunker, terrified of the world.

[JHA]

Knowing my luck, the rock would collapse when I went to see it.

[hans.schuelein]

In Germany there would be a fence 2 meters away from the edge. And warning signs everywhere

[luistomasorozco]

"Ultimately: which is more human? The desire to experience, or the desire to survive?"

[jmz]

Imagine, you're on this rock, terrified... And someone just *jumps* - with his parachute but you don't notice it.