The mechanics are simple: Enter a tall building, unlock a set of elevator doors, hop down onto the roof of the elevator cab waiting below, and hold on

Inside the resurgent, often deadly craze of 'lift surfing,' where thrill seekers sneak into skyscrapers to ride on top of speeding elevator cabs

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2022-08-06 11:00:05

The mechanics are simple: Enter a tall building, unlock a set of elevator doors, hop down onto the roof of the elevator cab waiting below, and hold on tight as the cab rushes up and down at speed. 

Over the past three decades, dozens have died or been injured due to the stunt, and often in gruesome fashion. From New York City to Leeds, people have fallen down elevator shafts, collided with hefty metal counterweights, or gotten squashed between elevators and shaft walls.

Nevertheless, it has a devoted following, especially in the UK, where a series of recent stunts — in Kent, Essex, and central London — have drawn substantial online attention and widespread media coverage.

On October 4, a lift surfer known as Ryegi surfed the elevator in London's luxury Landmark Pinnacle apartment block, which, at 767 feet high, is the tallest residential building in Europe.

Ryegi also recently surfed the Madison and the Wardian, two apartment blocks next to the Landmark that stand well over 590 feet. Properties in the blocks sell for as much as $3.3 million.

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