We’re staunch advocates for the safe use of ladders, but we also like to have a laugh at the mad things some people do with ladders, that most definitely fall into the unsafe or jaw dropping category.  The best place to go online for the daftest ladder users is Vertikal with their Death Wish series.  One of the best recent examples, which left us with our heads in our hands, was a three-ladder set up where safety had been thought about, but only for approximately ten seconds. 

The ladder lunacy in question was two long, fully extended ladders that had been cable tied together to reach over 12 metres, with a third ladder used as a bulge brace – that’s the ten seconds of safety consideration.  The main extension ladder looks to have around 16 rungs per section and is fully extended, making it perhaps 8 metres in length.  The top five rungs are overlapped with the second ladder and cable tied or strapped together.  In fairness, the people responsible for this have used several cable ties per rung, and on the stiles which shows a flicker of recognition that this might not be safe…

We can only imagine the ordeal it took to get this lengthy ladder standing upright, but at some point health and safety has crept back in, because a third ladder is used as a brace against the lower section of this metal monstrosity.  Quite how well it would prevent the ladder from bulging is beyond us, and beyond whoever dreamt up this nightmare.  It is a useful reminder that ladders aren’t always the most appropriate height access equipment, even if you use loads of them…

A workplace ladder hack with a happy ending comes from Australia, where a tradesperson, or “tradie” as they say down under, uses a stepladder in lieu of decorator’s stilts to finish a ceiling.  Stilts are commonly used by finishers and plasterers to reach ceilings without having to continually move a ladder, but this guy used one in place of the other.  Straddling the double sided step ladder he deftly manoeuvred his way around the room, picking up the ceiling sheet and carrying it to where it needs to be. 

We have to admire the balance skills and the leg strength this tradie showed, as well as the quick thinking to use a piece of height access equipment in a new way.  He wasn’t strapped to the ladder at all, so moving it around really did come from his own muscular strength.  Being strapped to the ladder would actually be more dangerous than not, in this case, as he’d be able to jump free if the ladder toppled.

Perhaps he’d heard of a ladder safety hack used by roofers in America to improve their grip?  This trick was shared on Instagram but is used by roofers and parkour experts alike, and it involves soft drinks.  Pouring fizzy drinks on the rungs of the ladder (or other surface) creates a sticky layer that improves grip.  We’re not sure how safe this is in the summer months, factoring in the attraction of wasps when you’re up a ladder, but it’s one to bear in mind for the winter.

Now to some daring feats with ladders, starting with some zipliners in Slovenia who attached a ladder to the wire spanning a river.  The pair both get on the ladder at one end, clinging to a side each as it hurtles across the gap.  When they’re above the deepest part of the river they each backflip off, landing neatly with a small splash.  As ever, don’t try this at home, or anywhere else, unless you’re trained in stunts like these.

Lastly we have a Guinness World Record, set by Nigerian Tonye Solomon, for the most steps climbed on a ladder while balancing a football on his head.  He’d previously claimed a 60km journey across land while balancing a football, but officials were unable to verify the stunt.  The ladder climb was easier to attempt again and verify, so in September 2023 he scaled a 250 foot radio mast (via a cage ladder) with a football balanced on his head.  He completed the mission in 12.5 minutes, and is now an official Guinness World Record holder.

Have you done anything incredible (and safe) with ladders?  We’d love to hear about it and feature your feat in one of our blogs.