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Thanks to excellent equipment provided by BASK, climbers and steeplejacks succeeded to accomplish unique recovery works at 550-metres elevation. They had to struggle with extreme weather conditions to restore damaged with fire Ostankin Television Tower. Steeplejacking of this level had no precedents in world engineering practice and obviously required higher qualification than that of ordinary fitters. That’s why direction of Russian Tele-centre decided to apply to company `Palmero’, which includes former Tashkent climbers. In these works have participated following employees of the company: Oleg Pischakin (technical director of `Palmero’), Oleg Konovalov, Vitaly Krylov, and steeplejacks from Ioshkar Ola: Sergey Smirnov, Leonid Vassiliev, Vladimir Kropotov, Sergey Sokolov. Company BASK took care of all the workers and provided them with complete sets of clothes: from warm base layer to windproof down jackets. BASK equipment gave the best account of itself in the extreme conditions.
That’s how it was: (by participants of recovery works at the TV-tower)
“We were invited because it proved impossible to use in-service mobile platform: wind was too high and, moreover, all gears were iced up. As ill luck would have it, time was pressing and weather didn’t wish to change. Initially, we were entrusted only assembling of equipment, leaving connecting and porting to engineers. But during the latest week weather had dramatically spoiled and we had to do everything ourselves. While we were connecting feeders, temperature was about –200C with wind up to 25 mps. Truly speaking, in mountains we prefer to wait such weather over in a tent, or, better, in a snow cave. But we did it! It was not so easy, especially minding our 550 metres elevation above Moscow. If we lost fixation, we (with our 20 metres ropes) were immediately side-swept with wind for 5 metres. But we had managed this work. We used and enjoyed the following BASK clothes: Power-stretch base layer `Alpine’ combined with windbloc `Eagle’ suit, which provide us with maximal level of comfort. Pole Helmets resisted wind and didn’t sweat as well. Your polar balaclavas were used too and we find them nice. `Ertsog’ down jacket presents an optimal combination of low weight, warmth and wind-resistance. Of course, we couldn’t do without losses: two jackets were pierced, though we had much more opportunities to scratch everything all over. I, as a climber, was upset to use such excellent equipment not in mountains, but for technical works! Windbloc gloves were indispensable for fastening and assembling works, especially when dealing with bolts, nuts and screws at keen wind. It was wonderful! Many thanks to Russian company BASK for producing such equipment which permits to forget cold even when working in such conditions!»
21.05.2002
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