That wall looks solid but I see a chink in it,

better hope the Mongolians don't find out about this

It doesn't look all that hard

jaytkay: That wall looks solid but I see a chink in it,

aaand thread

Nice that they blocked out her face, but listed her name. Top notch top notch!

jaytkay: That wall looks solid but I see a chink in it,

ultraholland: better hope the Mongolians don't find out about this

Wow...just....wow, yeah, thank you both. I needed that.

jaytkay: That wall looks solid but I see a chink in it,

That is so wasis.

Pretty nice wall, got a bit of a slant to it though.

No one has chimed in as to what Darwin thinks of this? Interesting...

5.2 tops

jabbedxorz: No one has chimed in as to what Darwin thinks of this? Interesting...

Maybe because broken legs don't prevent people from passing on genes?

All in all it's just another dick on a wall.

That's like climbing up a ladder. Color me not even remotely impressed.

I'd desperately want to try it too, but I'd be afraid security would shoot me.

I thought those walls were built for defense? And they cant even keep a chinese tourist out?

Bonus points for doing it in Mom Jeans.

Not particularly useful against an insurgency.

/got nothin'

video man: ultraholland: better hope the Mongolians don't find out about this

[www.thecrazygang.btinternet.co.uk image 50x82]

The Chu Ko Nus will take care of 'em.


/AOE2 > SC
//Dealwithit.

Can you still buy those evil assault weapons?

namatad:

free-climb? meh
it is a scramble which doesn't require any skill other than balance and stepping strength

Two qualities tourists are noted for.

namatad: VTGremlin: That's like climbing up a ladder. Color me not even remotely impressed.

this
this is less climbing a wall, and more stepping up a REALLY steep set of stairs ...
free-climb? meh
it is a scramble which doesn't require any skill other than balance and stepping strength

Did you miss the part where a bunch of people tried and fell, breaking themselves? Did you also, perhaps, read the part where they looked at the prospect, underestimated its difficulty, and then failed to repeat her success? No? Well, then, I invite you to give it a try...

Break a leg!

(some?) chinese are notoriously cheap. My college roommate's parents would sleep on freaking styrofoam pads on the floor in his tiny room when they came to visit to save a few bucks for a hotel.

They weren't poor or anything. His dad had a Ph.D and worked for a large corp. They bought my roommate a brand new BMW. But they slept on the freaking floor.

/still boggles

Superman sure can be a dick sometimes.

DynoFARKjr: 5.2 tops

5.2 maybe if you climb no-hands. Otherwise just call it scrambling.

Gaylord Fister: (some?) chinese are notoriously cheap. My college roommate's parents would sleep on freaking styrofoam pads on the floor in his tiny room when they came to visit to save a few bucks for a hotel.

They weren't poor or anything. His dad had a Ph.D and worked for a large corp. They bought my roommate a brand new BMW. But they slept on the freaking floor.

/still boggles

It's a cultural thing. I am Indian and it wouldn't even cross my (or my parents') mind to have them stay anywhere but with me. Holidays/special occasions/whatever when everyone gathers=everyone staying in one house. People are stashed in every place you can think of and no one one would ask or even think of getting a hotel. You accommodate your family, even if a hotel would be more comfortable for everyone involved. It has nothing to do with money. Some people in my family are rich as all hell and they'll be sharing a room with their adult children (who would sleep on foam pads).

By the way, those foam pads are normal sleeping mats in many Asian countries. I slept in those when I lived in India and I have one in my apartment for my parents when they visit.

Still wondering why a castle in China uses UK Pounds Sterling for its admission fee. Tradition?

//the currency is called the Yuan, DM editors.

NMuntz: All in all it's just another dick wang on a wall.

Amishrabbit: Still wondering why a castle in China uses UK Pounds Sterling for its admission fee. Tradition?

//the currency is called the Yuan, DM editors.

I'm sure they translated it for their readers who wouldn't be likely to know the value of the Yuan.

Loren: Amishrabbit: Still wondering why a castle in China uses UK Pounds Sterling for its admission fee. Tradition?

//the currency is called the Yuan, DM editors.

I'm sure they translated it for their readers who wouldn't be likely to know the value of the Yuan.

Well it takes yuan to know yuan.

As a boulderer and a freeclimber, I strongly approve of this endeavour

Loren: Amishrabbit: Still wondering why a castle in China uses UK Pounds Sterling for its admission fee. Tradition?

//the currency is called the Yuan, DM editors.

I'm sure they translated it for their readers who wouldn't be likely to know the value of the Yuan.

A better newspaper would have written "25 Yuan (£2.50)"

/I looked it up on the internets

Oh and while I'm at it, unless pay rates in China are truly shiat, then £2.50 is a pretty reasonable cost of admission. Do you know how much it costs to get in to
Edinburgh Castle? Fourteen quid. Fifteen if they decide it is peak hours.

For that you can walk ten minutes down the Royal Mile to the Whiski Bar and enjoy one of the finest and most comprehensive selections of whisky in Scotland.

/never been inside the castle and now you know why

namatad: this is less climbing a wall, and more stepping up a REALLY steep set of stairs ...

What kind of a stupid castle builder builds their outer walls with bricks stepped-back like that? It's like inviting any invader to climb right up. No ladder or seige engine needed.

Alien Robot:

namatad: this is less climbing a wall, and more stepping up a REALLY steep set of stairs ...

What kind of a stupid castle builder builds their outer walls with bricks stepped-back like that? It's like inviting any invader to climb right up. No ladder or seige engine needed.

Assuming the guys on top of the wall just stand around watching you do it and don't decide to drop rocks, flaming oil, or the contents of their chamberpots on you while you're 50' up.

hehe, at 1:00. Stealth mode... (new window)

maxheck: Assuming the guys on top of the wall just stand around watching you do it and don't decide to drop rocks, flaming oil, or the contents of their chamberpots on you while you're 50' up.

Assuming they are watching. Or it is daylight. Or they are not busy elsewhere. Or there are so many of you climbing up that you overwhelm them.

Remember, that the entire invasion force wasn't in the Trojan Horse, just enough to open the gate from the inside and let the actual much larger invasion force in who were outside wating. All you need is one or two people over the top to open the gate in most instances. Why make it easier for them?

Alien Robot: Remember, that the entire invasion force wasn't in the Trojan Horse, just enough to open the gate from the inside and let the actual much larger invasion force in who were outside wating. All you need is one or two people over the top to open the gate in most instances. Why make it easier for them?

We could make a giant wooden badger.....

Alien Robot:

maxheck: Assuming the guys on top of the wall just stand around watching you do it and don't decide to drop rocks, flaming oil, or the contents of their chamberpots on you while you're 50' up.

Assuming they are watching. Or it is daylight. Or they are not busy elsewhere. Or there are so many of you climbing up that you overwhelm them.

Remember, that the entire invasion force wasn't in the Trojan Horse, just enough to open the gate from the inside and let the actual much larger invasion force in who were outside wating. All you need is one or two people over the top to open the gate in most instances. Why make it easier for them?

So there's an invasion force outside the gate but no one is bothering to patrol the walls? If you're that lax you probably deserve to be overrun. Your hypothetical "guy over the wall" still has to make his way through a fortress full of soldiers to get to the guarded gate and open it. While that might make for a great video game, in actual practice... Ummm... You can go first.

One can picture all sorts of "what if's", but from what little description of it I could find it doesn't sound like the builders were naive about fortress design.

According to the article the woman is a local and not a tourist. £2.50 a time can get very expensive if you want to visit the castle in your own back yard every weekend, especially if you're earning Chinese wages.

Haven't been there for 9 years but when I was there I bought a cast iron wok and loads of kitchen equipment for under £5, so £2.50 may be prohibitive.

/just saying

Alien Robot: maxheck: Assuming the guys on top of the wall just stand around watching you do it and don't decide to drop rocks, flaming oil, or the contents of their chamberpots on you while you're 50' up.

Assuming they are watching. Or it is daylight. Or they are not busy elsewhere. Or there are so many of you climbing up that you overwhelm them.

Remember, that the entire invasion force wasn't in the Trojan Horse, just enough to open the gate from the inside and let the actual much larger invasion force in who were outside wating. All you need is one or two people over the top to open the gate in most instances. Why make it easier for them?

The invasion force does not have to go through this "castle". It's actually not really a castle but a gate on the south side of the city. the first emperor of hte Ming dynasty build a wall around the city of Nanjing, and there are about a dozen gates, this is merely the most elaborate gate.

To defeat Nanjing all you needed to do was scale the wall, not this gate, so the fact you can climb up the gate doesn't really matter. there are much lower walls all around the city that are not only easier to scale but that are not as well guarded.

So for this gate, a stepped wall makes perfect sense.