Climb the Great Pyramid of Cheops

Climb the Great Pyramid of Cheops, January 21-22, 11p.m. - 1a.m. 2001
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If living for ultimate thrills is your thing, then come skate up and down the Great Pyramid of Cheops! You'll make the assault in the middle of the night, riding the back way through the desert on camel and donkey to get to the base of the big one. If you're lucky, no one but the foxes will see you.

Even though you're on skates, rest assured, you won't want to roll too much on the narrow ledges of each successive level of stones. One slip from up high and you're bound to meet certain death below and cause a lot of problems for all concerned.

There is no staircase. You'll have to get a leg up on massive granite blocks and push yourself up with all your might, over and over again. Be careful not to make any loud scraping noises with your skate frames while you're at it. If the chief of police catches wind of your renegade climb, you might find yourself in jail for years upon years.

You'll heave yourself onto the flat top and look out over all of Cairo. Brace yourself against the wind. Stand against the stick whose top indicates the original height of the summit. Marvel at how in God's name those stones got up there. Steal a photo with the forbidden flash.

Make an offering. Whip out a tool and take out a wheel from your Mg-Lite skates. Extract the TWINCAM bearings and stash them deep within the rocks. Do the same with your Explore wheel and Salomon hardware. Thank your sponsors. Thank Cheops for letting you live the greatest adventure in the world. Now comes the hard part: getting down! If it doesn't kill you, it can only make you stronger.

Initiation	Cairo from tippy top	The stick
Summit smile	Summit shoes	My guide
Base camp	Papa Sultan	Scrambling
Ahmed rides	Light show	Climbing practice
Where's the wheel?	Getting snippy	P.B.P. (post bagging pic)

Explore the mystery of how Cheops (Khufu) was built
Read a fascinating theory of how Cheops was built with interior ramps
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