Dan Goodwin | |
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| Born | (1955-11-07)November 7, 1955 (age 69) Kennebunkport,Maine, US |
| Other names | SpiderDan SkyscraperMan |
| Known for | Building climber Rock/Sports climber Skyscraper defense advocate Cancer survivor Motivational speaker President and founder of Triple Black.com |
| Website | http://www.dangoodwin.com/ |
Daniel Goodwin (born November 7, 1955, inKennebunkport, Maine) is an American climber best known for performing gymnastic-like flag maneuvers and one-arm flyoffs while free soloing difficult rock climbs on national TV and for scaling towering skyscrapers, including theSears Tower, theJohn Hancock Center, theWorld Trade Center, theCN Tower, and (for the programStan Lee's Superhumans) the Telefónica Building in Santiago, Chile.
On November 21, 1980, Dan Goodwin witnessed theMGM Grand fire inLas Vegas, Nevada,United States,[1] including the inability of theClark County Fire Department and the supporting fire departments to rescue scores of hotel guests trapped inside. Believing he knew how to rescue the trapped people, Goodwin presented a rescue plan to the on-location fire boss. Goodwin's plan included his climbing up the building and connecting cables to the floors to enable rescue baskets to be ferried to and from helicopters. The fire boss responded by threatening Goodwin with arrest and then ordered him escorted from the scene.[citation needed] The following day, Goodwin approached the fire chief of a Fire Department sub-station and presented his rescue plan. The fire chief told Goodwin he needed to climb a building to learn of the dangers of high-rise firefighting and rescue.[citation needed] The followingMemorial Day, Goodwin scaled the outside of theSears Tower inChicago (renamed the Willis Tower in 2009), which at the time was the tallest building in the world.
| History of building climbs[2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name of the building | Location | Height | Tool |
| May 25, 1981 | Sears Tower | Chicago, Illinois | 110 floors | Suction Cups / Camming Device / Sky Hooks |
| November 7, 1981 | Renaissance Tower | Dallas, Texas | 56 floors | Suction Cups / Hands & Feet |
| November 11, 1981 | John Hancock Center | Chicago, Illinois | 100 floors | Self-Made Climbing Device |
| February 7, 1982 | Centro Simón Bolívar Towers | Caracas, Venezuela | 30 floors | Hands & Feet |
| February 14, 1982 | Parque Central Complex | Caracas, Venezuela | 56 floors | Suction Cups / Sky Hooks / Hands & Feet |
| May 30, 1983 | World Trade Center – North Tower | New York, New York | 110 floors | Suction Cups / Camming Device |
| March 9, 1984 | Nippon Television Tower | Tokyo, Japan | 10 floors | Suction Cups |
| February 27, 1985 | Bonaventure Hotel | Los Angeles, California | 30 floors | Suction Cups / Hands & Feet |
| June 26, 1986 | CN Tower | Toronto, Ontario,Canada | 100 floors x 2 | Hands & Feet (scaled twice on same day) |
| September 6, 2010 | Millennium Tower | San Francisco, California | 60 floors | Suction Cups / Hands & Feet |
| March 1, 2014 | Torre Telefónica Chile | Santiago, Chile | 32 floors 433 feet | Suction Cups – Hands & Feet (world's longest lead climb on a single rope) |
On Memorial Day, May 25, 1981, wearing aSpider-Man suit and using suction cups, camming devices, and sky hooks, Goodwin scaled the then-tallest building in the world, the 110-storySears Tower in Chicago, Illinois. For seven hours, Goodwin fought the high-altitude winds, slippery glass, and repeated attempts by theChicago Fire Department to stop him. A few feet below the top Goodwin taped anAmerican flag to the building to honor his father, who fought in theKorean War. Chicago's press dubbed him "SpiderDan". Goodwin said he scaled the building to call attention to inadequacies in high-rise firefighting and rescue.[1][2][3]
On November 7, 1981, wearing a Spider-Man suit and using suction cups along with his hands and feet, Goodwin scaled the 56-storyRenaissance Tower inDallas,Texas. Goodwin said he made the climb to keep a promise he made to a young Dallas resident stricken withcystic fibrosis.[2]
On November 11, 1981, wearing a wetsuit disguised as a Spider-Man suit and using a climbing device he designed for the building, Goodwin scaled the 100-storyJohn Hancock Center inChicago. To elude firemen who were descending toward him in a window-washing machine, Goodwin swung across the building with a rope. The fire department, on the inside of the building, used fire axes to shatter window glass near Goodwin and then through the openings attempted to dislodge him from the building with grappling hooks attached to long poles. Chicago's mayor,Jane Byrne, intervened, allowing Goodwin to continue to the top. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to successfully fight fires in high-rise buildings.[2][4][5]
On Memorial Day, May 30, 1983, using suction cups for the first four floors before switching to a camming device he connected to the building's window-washing track, Goodwin scaled theNorth Tower of theWorld Trade Center inNew York City. Goodwin attached an American flag, the same one he taped to the Sears Tower in 1981, to the upper-most floor of the North Tower in tribute to Americans who died in war. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to rescue trapped occupants from the upper levels of skyscrapers.[2][6][7]
On June 26, 1986, Goodwin scaled the world's tallest structure (not building) at the time: theCN Tower inToronto, Ontario. Using his hands and feet, Goodwin climbed one side, rappelled down, then climbed the far side of the tower, followed by another rappel. Goodwin's climb was a sponsored publicity event celebrating the CN Tower's tenth anniversary.[2][8]
On September 6, 2010, Goodwin scaled theMillennium Tower in San Francisco, California, United States. In tribute to the United States, Goodwin attached a United States flag to the top of the Millennium Tower, the same flag he attached to the top of Chicago's Sears Tower in 1981 and to the top of the North Tower of New York's World Trade Center in 1983. Goodwin said he made the climb to call attention to the inability to conduct rescue operations in the upper floors of skyscrapers.[9] In addition, as a Stage Four cancer survivor, Goodwin wanted to inspire people throughout the world who have been diagnosed with cancer.[10][11]
On March 1, 2014, Goodwin scaled theTorre Telefónica Chile inSantiago, Chile, to establish a new world record of 433 feet (132 m) for the longestlead climb on a single rope. On average, the safety anchors were 4 to 6 floors apart, raising the possibility of a 180-foot (55 m) fall or more. Commentators believed the weight of the rope (42 pounds (19 kg)) made his ascent considerably more dangerous. The ascent was recorded for a TV show that was planned to be aired in the fall of 2014.[12]
As arock climber, Goodwin made severalfirst ascents. Frequently, he broke with rock climbing tradition by climbing without a rope, performing acrobatic maneuvers including the one arm fly-off and flag maneuver. In response to those in the rock climbing community who called Goodwin's acrobatic moves "stunts", and therefore unworthy of recognition, Goodwin stated he was "sport climbing" and not bound by the rules of traditional rock climbing.[3][13]
Rock climberJeff Lowe, along withDick Bass, the owner of theSnowbird ski resort, invited Goodwin to build theclimbing wall for the world's first International Sport Climbing Championship held at Snowbird,Utah, United States, in 1988. Goodwin did not participate in the championship, serving instead as a commentator forCBS Sports.[14]
| History of first ascents[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Location | Climb | Rating |
| January 1980 | Joshua Tree National Park,California | White Rasterfarie | V3+ |
| November 1980 | Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area,Nevada | Ixtlan | 5.11c |
| February 1984 | Joshua Tree National Park, California | Apollo | 5.12d |
| July 1984 | Little Cottonwood Canyon,Utah | Fallen Arches | 5.13c |
| August 1984 | Quoddy Head State Park,Maine | Maniac | 5.13d/5.14a |
| August 1984 | Quoddy Head State Park, Maine | Stiletto | 5.12b |
| August 1984 | Quoddy Head State Park, Maine | Yellow Dagger | 5.11c |
| August 1984 | Quoddy Head State Park, Maine | Triangulation | 5.12b |
| November 1986 | Tahoe Donner, California | Neanderthal Man | 5.12a |
| November 1986 | Smith Rock State Park,Oregon | Sign of the Times | 5.12d/5.13a |
Following the1993 World Trade Center bombing, Goodwin wrote abill he called the "Skyscraper Defense Act", calling for an agency within the United States government entitled "Skyscraper Defense" as well as teams of "Skyscraper Defenders", individuals trained in skyscraper defense, security, and safety protocol, to be stationed within major cities of the United States.[4]