If you are comfortable lead climbing and building gear anchors, then it should be pretty straightforward. If you've only climbed in a gym, or aren't a climber at all, then this stuff will be too advanced for you. Knots, belaying, building anchors, and rappelling should all be second nature to you before heading out for your first crane swing.

That said, here's the specifics regarding crane swinging. First off, pick a crane that has a relatively low bust factor. Almost all construction sites have those portable security trailers, which look ominous, but oftentimes are empty in the middle of the night (especially around UBC). Try jumping up and down on the roof of one for awhile, hooting and hollering. If you don’t attract any attention, you’ll probably be safe for the rest of the night’s activities.

You’ll want to pick a crane that is tall enough that you won’t hit the ground when you swing from the shaft, but not so high that your rope won’t reach the ground when it’s time to get lowered. About 50m is ideal, but less will work. Of course, you’ll also want to pick a crane that has a clear swing trajectory: i.e. no power lines, trees, solid objects in the way. To avoid any uncertainty, it’s best to do a dry run with a heavy pack tied to the end of the rope.

Onto the swinging. You’ll need two people for this, one person (the belayer) to climb up the crane and out to the end of the boom with the rope. The belayer anchors himself, builds a directional anchor slightly above himself, and runs the rope from his belay device, through the directional, and to the ground. The other person (the swinger) grabs the rope on the ground, ties in, and climbs up the shaft, while the belayer brings in the extra slack. This is probably the spookiest, and most dangerous part: the swinger has to climb the outside of the shaft (as opposed to the nice ladder up the center) since he's tied into the rope. If he were to fall low on the crane, before the belayer brought in enough rope, he'd swing out and hit the ground. Luckily most cranes are about as easy to climb as a ladder.

OK, I'm sick of writing "he" and "swinger". You = swinger. (By the way, 2 of the 3 times I've crane swinged have been with girls...I just hate writing he/she, and I'm assuming that the majority of the buildering.net readership is male.) OK, pick your spot on the shaft where you want to swing from. The higher up you are, the crazier the swing. Remember, it's best to do a dry run with a heavy pack, from the height you intend on swinging from. With all of the slack brought in by the belayer, it’s time for fun. Let loose and try not to hoot and holler TOO much. Belayer: don’t be alarmed if the crane rocks back and forth a bit...it happens.

Once you've done your swing, the belayer can lower you to the ground, and it’s time to switch. Save some time and bring the rope up with you for the belayer.

Things to watch out for are friction on the rope: make sure that the rope isn’t rubbing on anything metal! A jagged piece of metal will slice through a rope much quicker than anything you'd experience in rock climbing. Also be sure that the rope is clear of any sort of cables or hooks hanging from the boom. Usually the operator brings these things back close to the shaft at the end of the day, so you should be alright.

Crane swinging is one of the biggest rushes I’ve ever experienced, and perfectly safe if you know what you are doing. If you do decide to do it, take some photos and send 'em my way.