Jobs: "If you are always afraid of something, then there will be no life" - an interview with Vitaly Raskalov, a rufer

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

About people like Vitaly Raskalov, they usually say that "he will outgrow it." Vitaly is a roofer. He climbs high roofs without belay. And he really outgrew his hobby, but not in the sense that they put into this word. Raskalov was able to capitalize on his hobby and showed by his example that the best tactic in any endeavor is to take it and do it.

Vitaly, is Roofer your main job? How can you make money on this?

Not certainly in that way. I earn money from photography, advertising, filming, collaboration with brands, exhibitions. But my occupation led to this - roofs.

How it all began, do you remember the first roof? How did you understand that you will climb there again?

It started about seven years ago in Moscow. I bought my first camera, I just had a desire to start photographing. At first I was shooting absolutely ordinary things. Everything that is photographed by amateurs at the beginning of creativity. And then, quite by accident, my friends took me to the roof. There I realized that this is wow, that I want to shoot cities from a different angle in order to see from above all the things that are not visible below.

Now these personnel are bought by well-known companies and brands. Do you have to climb up to get a shot that the BBC or Canon will buy?

If we talk about the BBC, then the photo should cause a public outcry. You need to shoot something extraordinary: a celebrity in an unusual situation or a president. Or climb into a place where no one has been.

Why climb the roof at all? For emotions, adrenaline?

Now it is already a commerce, but at first there was drive and passion. There were other roofers, there were competitions, who is the best, who is the first to climb a complex building. The adrenaline has remained even now, but this is adrenaline not because it is scary and high, but because I break the law and run into the guards.

By the way, about the security. Security guards are punished for breaking into an object up to and including dismissal. Don't you feel sorry for them?

I have a twofold attitude towards this. If I could get through, then the security is bad. On the other hand, I really feel sorry for them. And sometimes it is a shame in front of these people. Companies from Russia and Korea often contacted me, asking to tell me when I got to the facilities in order to understand which shift worked.

I will never say this, because I know that it threatens people with dismissal. Therefore, we never have a date on photos and videos. I'm ashamed that people are losing their jobs because of me, it sucks.

What did this hobby give you?

I liked my occupation when I just climbed onto roofs. I like it now, it just began to bring money. And I am glad that I make money thanks to a hobby: I do what I like, and I get paid. Really cool.

I've been to places that no one else has been. For example, on the tallest building - the Shanghai Tower in China. The most difficult was the Lotte World Tower in Seoul.

Do other roofers, fans write to you, asking for advice?

They write, ask for an opinion, but I'm not a big fan of communication on the Internet. If they meet me on the street, I will be happy to talk, maybe even become friends.

In general, the Internet pisses me off.

We have to maintain social networks, publish something, because this is how the audience grows. And the larger it is, the higher the chances that you will be offered a project. This is the only thing I don't like about work.

How many hours a day do you spend on social media?

In the evening I sit down and think: damn it, I need to sit for two hours. But not every evening. It all depends on the mood, sometimes I don't pick up the phone for a long time.

My favorite way of communication is mail, I love it. There is no idle chatter.

You sat down, wrote a letter and received a special response.

You have a lot of expensive travels, and no one gives you an advance payment and a salary according to the schedule. How do you control finances?

I earn enough to pay for travel. For example, I recently signed a contract and it so happened that I was paid a year in advance, I can do nothing for a year. But I still have a bunch of suggestions. It is unstable, sometimes you can earn more in a month than in a year, sometimes for three months without a salary.

Of course, I have no family and children. If I had them, I would have to radically change my life. But as long as I am mobile, I can enjoy what is happening around me.

How long does it take to plan your travels and ascents?

A little, although sometimes we develop a trip in 6 months. We plan a trip, buy tickets. And at the location itself from day to five, it depends on the place.

There are often situations when it is not clear how to get to the roof. We climbed in Brazil to the statue of Christ the Savior. And the door to get inside is on a pedestal, 9 meters to it. No rope to throw, nothing. We examined the territory and found a staircase under the statue, which was just 10 meters - the workers left it.

At night we returned to the place and took it. At this time there was a football match, Brazil was playing. And all the guards watched football. They are all fans there and are obsessed with football. We had two hours when no one was looking at us.

This is the same luck: stairs and football. I think there are no more stairs.

How do you buy tickets, where do you look for them?

There is also SkyScanner. And there are tricks. I will give one example: if you fly from Asia, for example, by a Shanghai-Moscow flight, it will be direct. Usually it costs 20 thousand rubles. But there is a flight from Shanghai to Berlin, which flies through Moscow. It no longer costs 20, but 12 thousand. The difference is big because companies want to fill flights and attract more foreign customers. It turns out cheaper than a direct flight, but you can safely go to Moscow and not fly to Berlin.

How do you deal with jetlag?

I have a special hack for Lifehacker. If you are flying from east to west, in order to quickly integrate into the time zone, you need to take an evening flight and sleep no more than four hours the night before the flight, so that the plane will crash.

I recently flew from Auckland to Moscow, spent 24 hours on airplanes, and I did just that. I fell asleep at 9 o'clock, then there were still transfers and flights, landed in Moscow at 23 o'clock and went to bed, woke up in the morning. And I don't feel any change in time zones. You just need to stay awake the night before.

What's in your bag when you travel?

Three passports (I have a lot of visas), a bank card, a MacBook, a phone, two cameras and a drone. Without a tripod, it all fits into a small backpack.

Travel kit for Japan / This is what I usually have in my backpack during my travels, everything to a minimum: laptop, camera and documents. What do you usually take with you on a trip? By the way, there is a competition where you can win a free visa to Europe from @visatohome plus 15,000 rubles for booking from @ostrovok_ru simply by uploading your layout with the tag # to travel ready. You just need to subscribe to their accounts.

A post shared by Vitaliy Raskalov (@raskalov) on Feb 2, 2017 at 4:48 am PST

Do you also climb mountains without insurance?

If insurance is needed, then I will use it. If not, I won't. Insurance is very burdensome, you can climb on the roofs everywhere without insurance. My approach is this: if I doubt my abilities, then I will not do it. If I understand that this is too far away for me or too dangerous, then I will retreat and find another way, a workaround.

Do you train on purpose? Do you lead a healthy lifestyle, do you eat right?

Previously, yes, now I just run, swing abs, do push-ups. With age, proper nutrition has come.

When did you realize it was time to take care of yourself?

I just started watching what I was eating. It's like starting to love olives. As a child, you hate them, and at 20 you like them. I just decided that I need to eat normal food, healthy, because food is a very important element.

This is what upsets me in Russia and in Moscow - there is a big problem with healthy eating. This is compared to countries like New Zealand or European countries.

Would you like to settle in some place?

I love Hong Kong, New York, but these are cities that only an energetic young man can live in. I think that in old age I would not be able to be there all the time. Moscow is similar in dynamics and pace. I like Paris, because it is the most moving city in Europe, at least something is happening there. I also like Kiev very much. Vienna is a cool city, calm and pleasant, but there are also events there.

China is a great country, but it pisses me off. Especially people. It's funny, but I find in them a lot of similarities with the Russians. Rude, aggressive, unfriendly, they drink. There is a list of the worst tourists in the world, in the first places are the Chinese and the Russians.

Where are the kinder people?

Europe is polite, but it's superficial.

I noticed the difference that in Russia you can catch sullen looks, it is not customary to smile on the street and dance in the subway. This is perceived as stupidity. But if you have a drink with a person, in five minutes you will be best friends. In the West, everything is different. Everyone will be friendly and have fun, but beyond that they will not let you in, they will not open up.

But I like the western approach more, which is more respectful. This can be seen not in the way they communicate, it can be seen both on the road and in many areas of life.

I ride a motorcycle in Moscow, here they undercut, they don't give in. And if in New Zealand I stand at a traffic light in front of someone, then I will be ashamed. And all people will look at me and think: "What kind of idiot?"

Do you have a theory why this is happening?

This is precisely because people treat each other with disrespect. And this is reflected in everything.

What books and films do you recommend for Lifehacker readers?

Films:

1. Gattaca.
2. The arms baron.
3. Manchester by the sea.
4. Prestige.
5. Great expectations. Not sure if everyone will like it, but the movie is good.

I can name two of the books that influenced me the most:

• "A Hero of Our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov. In it Pechorin and his attitude to life. I tried to find similarities with him when I read the book.
• "The Moon and the Penny" by Somerset Maugham. Struck by the will of the protagonist. He was driven by a force with which he could not control. A strong person who was unhappy because he couldn't control it.

Did you think you'd get tired of sitting on rooftops? What will you do?

I plan to develop myself as a director or cameraman. I will shoot videos, short films, clips, maybe even a movie.

When I started roofing and filming, I didn't know who I would be in the future. I had a choice: go to university, do something that I'm not sure about, or do what I love, to which my heart lay. I made a very right choice when I left the university and started working in the Federation Tower, and this led me to what I do. Now I know what I want to do next.

How do you learn this new business? What are you reading, watching?

I have always done what I want. I just try a lot on my own. If I like it, I continue. For example, I don't consider myself a photographer. Everyone told me that I had disgusting photos, and in the end I became the advertising face of the largest manufacturer of photographic equipment in the world.

The main criterion of assessment is only your attitude to what happens?

Exactly. Naturally, everyone wants to be recognized in their hearts. But I don't really think about popularity and how to make money. I take interesting projects myself almost for free, if I know that I will not be ashamed of them.

How do you plan to move on to filming?

You just need to start. When I start, I will have an understanding. Maybe I will think that this is not mine or I will be disappointed. I set myself the goal of trying everything new.

Not everyone can just take it and do something, they are afraid. What do you advise them?

I perfectly understand this feeling, I have experienced it a thousand times. When there is an opportunity to kiss a stranger in Paris at Notre Dame, but you do not do it because you are afraid.

At some point, you need to tell yourself: let it be, what will happen, you need to try. If you are always afraid of something, then there will be no life.

And then there's procrastination. When it appears, you just need to step over yourself, collect your thoughts and say: "I will do everything." Think less about what didn't work out. Don't regret anything, just try. There are tons of opportunities around that we don't know about, and suddenly this is exactly what you will be doing for the rest of your life.

It's easy for me to say, and I know that many people think this way: "It's easy for you to say, you are minding your own business."

But I had moments when I realized that I was clearly doing the wrong thing. I succumbed to the desire, it led me to something good.