Rather you than me! The real-life spidermen who get their kicks climbing cable car wires and cranes


This is the real cable guy - as a fearless free-climber scales a 3,491-metre metal wire using just pick axes for grip.

The spectacular shot - snapped on a ski lift half way up the Grimselwelt mountains in Switzerland - shows daredevil Stephan Siegrist, 39, edging his way along the cable car wire while upside down 25 metres above the ground.

It is one of five hair-raising climbing stunts carried out by five climbers, who all compete professionally for the Mammut Pro Team.

Fearless: A courageous free-climber scales a 3,491-metre metal wire using just pick axes for grip snapped half way up the Grimselwelt mountains in Switzerland

Each one shunned the traditional rock faces and deep gorges they carved a name climbing - and picked a unique challenge to conquer.

And they all did it with just a thin string of rope tied around their waists for protection.

Professional climber David Lama, 20, swapped craggy mountainsides for the unfamiliar surroundings of a blast furnace in industrial Duisburg, Germany.

Spectacular: Norwegian Magnus Mitboe, 23, scales a 38-metre crane - with the sprawling mass of Berne, Switzerland, stretching into the distance

He can be seen deftly clinging on as he negotiated the huge iron girders protruding from the former iron ore melting station.

And after traversing the massive girders effortlessly while dangling an incredible 70-metres above the ground, Daredevil David said: "In climbing there are no limits. Whether you're in a city, the countryside, on rocks or metal, in the end what matters is the result."



In another spectacular show of strength Norwegian Magnus Mitboe, 23, scales a 38-metre crane - with the sprawling mass of Berne, Switzerland, stretching into the distance.

Dare-devil: Anna Stvhr climbed over dozens of crushed cars in a Swiss scrap metal yard to create this dramatic effect

And Swiss champion Christina Schmid can be seen desperately clinging onto pipes as she is swamped by magnesium fog from above in another image - a far cry from the tranquil cliff faces.

But despite the problematic gas, she successfully reached the top of the towering 120-metre lift shaft at the Grimsel Hospice hotel, in Switzerland.

And the world's best boulder climber, Anna Stvhr, 23, switched deep gorges for a stack of over a dozen crushed cars in a Swiss scrap metal yard.

Success: Swiss champion Christina Schmid desperately clinging onto pipes in a 120-metre lift shaft

Brave: Each climber shunned the traditional rock faces and deep gorges they carved a name climbing - and picked a unique challenge to conquer

The spectacular series of images was captured by Austrian snapper Rainer Eder, who followed the intrepid climbers around Europe in a bid to document their efforts.

Rainer, 47, who now lives in Switzerland, first took up professional photography in 2004, said of his stunning series: "It was all about being in the right place at the right time - and then doing the right thing at the right moment.

"With this sort of photography, it is very unpredictable - but these guys are some of the best around.