A TEENAGE climber who scaled a 40-metre crane in Oxford to see the city from above has urged others not to follow in his footsteps.

(Scroll down to see video)

George King, 19, has been tackling risky ascents since he was 13 and in August he climbed the tall crane and then posted footage of the death-defying feat on YouTube on Wednesday.

Oxford Mail:

All pictures - George King

The blue crane, near the Westgate Centre, was a short distance from where Oxford University student Max Mian, also 19, fell to his death on October 2 last year.

An inquest into his death heard he was climbing when he fell.

READ AGAIN: 'Risk taker' dies after falling off Westgate Centre

Mr King's feat has been condemned by the city’s Lord Mayor Colin Cook, who urged others not to try it.

The climber said: “I didn’t know Max - it’s very sad what happened. I wouldn’t want to encourage other people to recreate what I do - I don’t want young people to copy me and I would say ‘please don’t’.

“I would love to inspire people to be passionate and unique but in a different way.”

Oxford Mail:

Mr King said he climbed the crane so that he could see the city he grew up in “from a different perspective”.

He added: “I wanted to share this panoramic view with other people.

“The climb itself - just under 40 metres - took about seven minutes and I had to focus on my breathing - climbing down is even more dangerous than climbing up.

“But once I was up there I wanted to savour the moment and take everything in.

“Normally I tend to climb much higher cranes and buildings but I wanted to see the city I grew up in at a completely different perspective.”

The teenager, a former member of Oxford Boxing Academy, said he trained for about three hours a day so he was physically prepared for the climbs.

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Mail:

His crane-climbing exploit happened before dawn so he could avoid the attention of security staff.

Mr King added: “I had to climb around the side of the canal - I think I was trespassing on private property but trespass is a civil offence so I don’t expect to be prosecuted - I haven’t been so far.

“Of course I fear for my own safety - I am very much a realist and I know that no matter how hard I train it could be fatal.

“Each time it’s a calculation - I look at how risky it is and I calculate if the rewards are great enough for the risk.”

Oxford Mail:

In June Mr King also ‘free-climbed’ the world’s tallest freestanding climbing wall, in Groningen, Netherlands.

The teenager scaled the fence of the Bjoeks Climb Center, at 4am before completing his ‘free-climb’ in under 15 minutes with out any slips.

Mr King has been dreaming of free-climbing the wall since he was 10 and posed at the top after completing the task.

When he was 13 he could not resist clambering onto the roof of his house and has been climbing ever since.

He added: “Of course this is nerve-racking for my parents but it has got to the point where they can’t stop me - they tried to stop me in the early stages - it was a constant battle.”

Mr King said he has no plans to retire from climbing but is also hoping to study business at a college in London.

Lord Mayor Mr Cook said: “I would urge him not to repeat this foolhardy activity in Oxford or anywhere else. He is risking his own life without safety equipment and emergency services might have to deal with the consequences of his activities.

“I snapped a tendon just walking through the city of Oxford so it’s quite possible that the unexpected could also happen to him.

“If he does get caught on a construction site I suspect there are offences he could be prosecuted for.”

Mr Cook urged Mr King to join a climbing club where his activities could be safely regulated.

He added: “Young people in a climbing club can get the thrills they want but achieve them in a safe manner.”

His other videos can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUozvmZgdMo

https://youtu.be/WAqRxS4deek