Abseiling Off a Perfectly Good Euromast

I stared down at my shoes, bright red splotches of colour on an otherwise monochrome rainy day. Their grip on the sloping, slick metal held — just — as I tried to steady myself. Being steady was a difficult proposition since, no matter how much I tried to focus on my shoes, I could still see the 100m drop just below them.

Just a small drop.

“Now what I want you to do is slowly lower yourself down so you’re almost in a sitting position!” the guide yelled down to me. Easy for him to say, since he was standing on firm ground while I was slowly lowering myself off the edge of the Euromast, Rotterdam’s answer to the Space Needle and the SkyTower.

The Euromast, home to Europe’s highest abseil off a building. At least the restaurant is only halfway up!

Yes, I knew I was firmly attached to a rope and heavy supervision meant I wouldn’t fall more than a few feet, but rational thoughts were about the furthest thing from my mind at that point. In fact, most people would believe that there hadn’t been a rational thought in my head when I agreed to go abseiling off the Euromast, as evidenced by these comments I received (after the fact) on Facebook:

“Are you mad??? What’s wrong with lifts?”

“OMG, very brave! Or is it stupid??? Well done.”

“I get acrophobia just looking at that pic!”

Jumping over the barrier and getting myself in the right position had been the easy part. Moving my feet once I’d gotten comfortable on the ledge — not so much. I somehow managed to lower myself into a sitting position — stopping to smile when Michael from Art of Backpacking, who kindly followed me and captured all of my scared expressions on camera, told me to — before yelling up to the guide that, you know, I think I’m comfortable just staying here for the rest of the day.

I’m totally putting on this face for the camera.

“You’ll be there quite a while then! The only way out is down!” he yelled back. Comforting.

Slowly, with my feet feeling like lead, I took one step down off the ledge and onto the windows of the Euromast’s restaurant. A couple of women sat calmly eating their breakfast as I inched past. Perhaps I was just an oddly-dressed window-washer that had forgotten her tools. Or maybe they’d had meals up in the sky over Rotterdam so many times that scared abseilers dropping by just seemed like old hat.

Just a normal day at the Euromast restaurant…

The next few steps didn’t seem so difficult. Memories of my only previous abseiling trip — down a cliff face in Australia’s Blue Mountains — came flooding back to me and I started to feel a bit more confident. So much so that I was happy to wave at the camera…with my right hand.

Waving with your right hand isn’t a good idea, since that hand is the one that is supposed to be holding on to the rope at all times to make sure you move towards the ground at your own pace instead of uncontrollably hurtling towards it. Multiple guides immediately screamed, “RIGHT HAND!” at me as I frantically reached for the rope, which had stayed firmly in place from the sheer weight of the 100m of rope hanging below me.

The faces I made when I wasn’t being told to smile.

Once I calmed my jangling nerves, the next instruction came down from above: “Now just bend your knees until your feet come off the window!”

My legs didn’t want to bend, but I forced them to anyway. No longer touching the windows, which sloped inwards and eventually disappeared into a narrow column of concrete, I found myself floating above the skyline of Rotterdam. Below me was a small field and a few tiny people staring up into the rain; behind me was the famous port and harbour.

Floating above Rotterdam with only a rope to hold me up. Apparently the only clear spot on the window was next to my foot…

All fear had drained away as soon as I’d left the windows of the restaurant behind; I was now confidently tugging at the remaining rope, feeling its tension fade as I pushed it through the figure-eight carabiner. I hardly even noticed the steady drizzle as I alternated between dropping as fast as I could (a speed that got quicker the closer I got to the end of the rope) and jerking myself to a stop so I could look at anything that caught my eye. It was exhilarating.

I couldn’t help but smile when my feet touched the ground. The happiness was infectious; all six of us were bouncing off the walls, so excited about what we’d just done despite (and because of) the fear we’d set out with. Knowing what a thrill it was probably wouldn’t keep me from feeling that same trepidation if I were to go again, but I’d probably be able to pick up my feet a bit quicker…and I’d definitely know that my right hand always stays on the rope!

Would you go abseiling off a 100m building, or would you like to try it off a slightly smaller drop (with less people watching) first?

Jai from Savoir There and one of the guides on their way down.

Thanks to Travel Bloggers Unite and Rotterdam Tourism for attaching us to ropes and sending us over the edge, and thanks to Michael for taking photos of me!

Abseiling off the Euromast — the tallest abseil off a building in Europe — costs only €49.50 per descent and includes entry to the Euromast itself. All of us were astounded at the price, especially compared to similar trips in places more known for “adventure” activities. It’s available on weekends from May to September, and the guides said you often have to book in advance to ensure a spot. The only exceptions to these dates are every last Sunday of the month, when the abseil is replaced by the fastest zipline in Europe, where you travel at speeds up to 100km/h!

About Kristin
I'm Kristin, and I'm one of the clumsiest people you'll ever meet. I've given myself a concussion by falling into a parked car in England and have broken my leg chasing a bus in Arctic Sweden. Regardless, I keep travelling the world in search of my next adventure (and my next photo opportunity). You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.
View all posts by Kristin →