Standing on the rooftop of a 70 storey building may seem terrifying to some people but for one urban explorer it’s just another night out.
His name is Dave but he goes under the alias “Freaktography” in order to keep his personal life confidential. He’s been climbing to the top of some of Toronto’s tallest buildings for more than three years.
It’s a hobby called ‘roof-topping’ and it sees thrill-seekers climb to the top of city buildings with little-to-no safety equipment. Once they make it to the top, their goal is to take stunning photographs of city skylines.
He told CTV Toronto that what he loves about roof-topping is how peaceful it is.
“A lot of people don’t get the chance to see Toronto from this perspective,” he said, adding that when he’s up top he can hear conversations happening below him, he can smell the food from nearby restaurants and he can follow traffic throughout city streets.
He began exploring urban areas more than three years ago after a friend told him to check out an abandoned house in Niagara on the Lake.
The house piqued his interest, causing him to do more research on abandoned areas. He then came across a website devoted to abandoned houses, which led him to plan future explorations.
He began exploring industrial sites and abandoned hospitals. It was shortly after those explorations that he began climbing some of Toronto’s tallest buildings on cold winter nights.
His roof-top images offer a rare bird’s-eye view of the foggy, busy, well-lit Toronto streets below him.
“A lot of people say they get a feeling of vertigo when they see my photographs,” Freaktography said. “But it’s not like that when you’re up there.”
Freaktography says that roof-topping is unique because not a lot of people get the chance to experience Toronto from that high up.
The CN Tower offers the EdgeWalk, but a single ticket costs just under $200. Freaktography says the view from atop the CN Tower is fantastic but it’s not as good as the view roof-toppers see.
Most of Freaktography’s pictures can be found on his Instagram account along with images of his other explorations (including images of abandoned buildings, Toronto streets and still photography). He said the feedback from his followers has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
He said that he hopes to continue exploring and to find even more stunning views of Toronto.
“Roof-topping to me is about the thrill of the chase, the heightened sense of danger and those moments when I’m up 50, 60, 70 storeys above the city and nothing else matters,” he writes on his website.
You can follow the adventures of Freaktography and many other urban explorers on their Instagram accounts.
Below are some roof-top photos from other urban explorers across the city:
Do you have or know of anyone who has eye-catching photos of Toronto? Share them in the comments section below.
