Some people go the extra mile for the perfect Instagram photo of themselves hiking or scaling the side of a cliff, but this latest attempt by someone hanging onto the side of the ominously-named ‘Suicide Cliff’ was a bit too far for some netizens.
Photos of a man wearing a red jacket hanging onto the side of the famous spot on Kowloon Peak were posted on a Facebook group dedicated to hiking in Hong Kong on Sunday under the caption “is this really necessary for a photo?”
The shots quickly prompted outcry from avid hikers who criticized the people in the photos for not taking safety seriously.
The pictures show a man dangling off the precipice, gripping the hands of another man lying on the rock. At one point, he holds on with just one hand.
A large number of netizens expressed concern. “I’m all for taking risks to get ‘the’ shot, but not worth risking your life for a photo,” said one commenter.
“What is wrong with their brains?” remarked another.
Others used the moment to reference an astonishing scene from TVB crime thriller Sniper Standoff where one character played by actor Michael Tse Tin-wah hangs onto the side of a cliff with one hand, uses his free hand to accept a phone call.
The outrage comes months after a 48-year-old female hiker scaling the same cliff lost her footing and then fell. She was taken to the hospital but died hours later.
Conway Leung Nim-ho, a professional climbing instructor who was interviewed by on.cc when the photos emerged, warned others not to copy the climbers, calling the 16 meter-high Suicide Cliff “dangerous”.
He added that anyone interested in climbing should take a mountain climbing course first and, where appropriate, safety equipment would be provided.
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