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A free-climber who was jailed for scaling The Shard has admitted “I could die” after conquering his second London skyscraper in two weeks.
George King-Thompson, 21, climbed the 23-storey Unex Tower in Stratford, east London, without ropes on Thursday morning, nine days after ticking the neighbouring Stratosphere Tower off his list.
The former personal trainer, from Oxford, said he aims to raise awareness about climate change through his climbs, and chose to scale what he calls the “Stratford duo” because they overlook the railway station, which was deluged by flash floods at the end of July.
After climbing the 305ft (93m) Unex in around 10 minutes just before 6am, Mr King-Thompson said he feels “calmness” after each “near-death experience”.
The climber, who stopped for a vape two storeys from the top of the residential block, said: “You go through an initial stage of shock – and for me that element of shock is calmness.
“It’s never a throwaway comment to say that I could die. I’m not a pessimist, nor am I an optimist – I’m a realist.
“I could train all I like, but there’s always that little percentage of a chance that I could die.
“So that’s in the back of your mind, but, once you’re on the building, once you’re doing your thing, there’s no room for any thoughts like that; it’s just you in the moment, getting what you’ve come here to do.
“Once you’ve come out of that, the feeling is an overwhelming sense of, you’re free.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub
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