And I'm free, free fallin'...into a power plant stack
What’s the best thing to do with an abandoned power plant stack? Turn it into a playground for adrenaline junkies, of course. Originally the site of a coal-fired power station, the Orlando Towers in South Africa are now the go-to spot for extreme sports like bungee jumping, zip-lining, SCAD falling, and much more. Please, don’t try this at your plant.
According to AWOL: "SCAD, or suspended catch air device, is the name of the game – willing participants are placed in a controlled free-fall harness, which is essentially a belt clipped into a quick release hook. Five seconds later you’re dropped, falling 70 metres down the tower towards a suspended safety net. The elaborate catching device is made of air-filled tubes and a sophisticated brake system so it’s completely safe and you’ll barely feel a thing as you plummet backwards towards the base of the tower."
According to the Gauteng Tourism Authority: "Once the cooling towers for the Orlando Power Station, both of the 33-storey towers are completely covered in brightly coloured murals, one of which depicts scenes and images from township culture and the other with the corporate branding of South Africa’s FNB bank. The Orlando Towers extreme sports site was opened in 2008 by local company Skyriders to develop the neglected cooling towers into a vertical adventure facility and one of the most distinctive tourist attractions in South Africa."
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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