Published: July 03, 2008 11:45 pm      

STUNTS: Daredevil to plunge from Skylon Tower

When a hardcore thrill-seeker tries to play by the rules, the paperwork and red tape start to pile up — but they don’t get him down.

“You can’t even believe how much work — to do it legally. There’s all kinds of paperwork,” said Dean Sullivan, the 42-year-old daredevil who plans to jump from the observation deck of the Skylon Tower Monday. He’ll be attached to a rope, using his hands as a brake to stop before he hits the ground.

Sullivan now has the approvals he needs to rappel from the observation deck of the 520-foot tower.

His stunt is called rappelling, a technique soldiers, police and firefighters have used for years to descend steep drops quickly.

They tie a long rope from a solid object at the top of the cliff. Wearing a waist harness, they connect themselves to that line through a metal ring.

They use their hands as a brake every 10 feet or so. They’re also trained to go feet first.

But Sullivan goes face-first, turning the traditional method on its head.

And he plans to brake only once — just before he reaches the ground.

“Some people say, ‘You are nuts.’ It basically boils down to a forward, face-first rappel,” Sullivan said. “Every hundred feet you go, you’re going faster and faster and faster.”

Monday’s jump should take place at about 11:30 a.m., Sullivan said.

He’s holding a press conference in the tower at 10:30. The TV show “Inside Edition” is expected to interview him, something he figures will earn Niagara Falls more worldwide attention. Then he’ll jump from the Murray Street side of the tower, meaning the best views are along that street, Fallsview Boulevard or from Queen Victoria Park.

It’s a publicity stunt to raise awareness for Daredevil Days, the second summer festival aimed at revitalizing downtown Niagara Falls. That Aug. 15-17 event is being organized by Celebrate Old Downtown, the special events arm of the Downtown Business Improvement Area’s board. The Skylon stunt is a warmup for Sullivan’s plan to jump from a helicopter hovering 1,000 feet over old railway lands downtown.

“A lot of events that are successful are unique,” said Shane Sargant, Celebrate Old Downtown’s executive director. “Nowhere else could do Daredevil days — that’s unique to Niagara Falls.

“Nobody is dialed in with daredevils as much as Niagara Falls.”

Born and raised in St. Catharines, Sullivan has spent the past 20 years living in British Columbia, making a living as a drywall contractor. But his passion has been in jumping off cliffs, bridges and towers, including a rappel from the Lion’s Gate Bridge in Vancouver.

“I had an addiction problem at some time for jumping off things,” he said.