r/nextfuckinglevel • u/AniStormS • 9h ago
Castellers de Vilafranca successfully dismantling for the first time in history a "9de9f" at the Catalan human towers contest.
For context:
- "9de9f" translates to 9 floors with 9 people at each one of them (without counting base, upper-base and top floors).
- Until today this tower was only crowned once (not successfully dismantled).
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u/jport500 9h ago
Shout out to the absolute units at the base of that!
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u/ObsidianArmadillo 8h ago
As someone who regularly stacks 2 other people on his shoulders like this, thank you for the recognition lol The guys at the bottom gotta be made of stone to hold that, especially for that long!! That's why you see the flyers (kids at the top) only stay up there for a second for it to count
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u/Darth_Draper 8h ago
What a unique hobby!
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u/ObsidianArmadillo 6h ago
I started with acroyoga as a hobby, and it became full on standing partner acrobatics as a profession! Lol
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u/Jamb9876 8h ago
That was my thought, that is a lot of weight quite a while. Even with the additional people helping those in the center must be very strong.
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u/Ok-Personality-6630 7h ago
I think at the bottom they are more supported by lots of people pressing in though? Isn't it harder for the first stack up who have no support carrying the weight of all the layers above? I would love to see the physics and calculations of loads for each tier would be interesting!!
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u/ObsidianArmadillo 6h ago
There's only so much people standing from the side can do, but both of the bottom 2 layers are absolutely feeling it. Being on the 2nd tier is much harder though because you can't adjust your feet almost at all; they're flying AND basing at the same time, which is harder (not heavier) than just basing.
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u/I_Feel_Rough 6h ago
I would think the first level up from ground would be harder than ground level because you don't have that stable platform to stand on.
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u/waaaayupyourbutthole 9h ago
My back already hurt, but it hurts even more thinking about being on the bottom of this lol
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u/bob_apathy 9h ago
I don’t quite get it but that doesn’t make it any less impressive!
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u/Malich 9h ago
You climbs on each others shoulders, then back down.
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u/jcoddinc 9h ago
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u/Stupidobject 9h ago
Ascending to new heights as a species, even if it is upon eachothers shoulders. We will probably see a higher tower in the next 5 years.
These people are all coming together as a team and celebrating an achievement they can say only they have done. Maybe just good ol' camaraderie and social fun
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u/hallerz87 6h ago
To see how tall you can make the tower? It seems pretty obvious just from watching the video
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u/turbanned_athiest 4h ago
Before ladders were invented, they had to do this to reach high up. Much like the Amish and technology, these guys refuse to accept ladders and so have kept pace in their own way.
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u/A_little_more_left 9h ago
I think they usually end up falling.
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u/AniStormS 9h ago
Nope, the bast majority do end up succefully dismantled! Of course, the one in the video is one of the most complex ones, and these are more prone to collapse obviously. But during the same contest only a couple ended up collapsing!
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u/A_little_more_left 8h ago
I guess I usually catch the "highlights" where everyone is falling lol. I've only seen a few videos of these being built over the years, it's still crazy to me that people manage to do it.
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u/GogglesTheFox 3h ago
I remember seeing a compilation of these on a show (I think it was Maximum Exposure) and it was just group after group falling with stacks like 7 high just falling like buildings.
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u/Whiskyhotelalpha 9h ago
Helmets only. Fuck your limbs at that height.
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u/Malich 9h ago
The old fragile people are not falling that high. The kids are limber enough.
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u/delta__bravo_ 5h ago
And, when you fall from that height, you have more control over how you hit the person you land on than the person you land on has on how you hit them.
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u/iRedditJustForYou 9h ago
"honey, why do your hands smell like dude ass?"
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u/Apart-Gur-9720 9h ago
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u/Ducman23 9h ago
What does not successfully dismantled mean? They all fell down?
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u/AniStormS 9h ago
Yes, sometimes towers do get crowned but fall down during dismantling. Here's the same tower but only crowned, only achieved once until today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV3Cr166BAI
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u/Thog78 8h ago
Are there a lot of serious injuries when it falls down like that?
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
Nope, over 10k of these towers are lifted every year, the bast majority at the catalan territory, and the injury to tower ratio is very low. Whenever a tower "collapses" it really helps people fall together into other people, sort of like a human pillow. Of course injuries do sometimes happen (a lot of those being back injuries from the people at the base) but medical assistance is also always on site just in case.
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u/DandimLee 8h ago
Was the 'crowning' different in that one than in this one? In the linked vid, there was that one climber transferring between the three towers, where this one, the towers were done and dismantled right away.
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
Oh yeah, forgot to mention there's actually 2 variants for this type of tower, one with 3 crowners and another one with just a single one. Here's the actual previous attempt with 3 crowners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQnqoAnBpxY
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u/Jumboliva 1h ago
Sometimes people at the top get scared and won’t come town. If that happens, the tower stays there forever. That’s where we got the idea for buildings
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u/sn0m0ns 9h ago
Here kid put on this helmet you'll be fine, finish your wine and put out your cigarette before you climb
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
You'd be surprised how uncommon injuries actually are during these (if they end up collapsing). A lot of people together do make for a nice pillow to fall into.
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u/sn0m0ns 8h ago
We have a similar activity here in Philly. We climb poles, competitively and in celebration.
I Never thought about it this way but it probably brings multiple families and friends together throughout the year. Now you have this huge network of people you can rely on basically forever.
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u/PyroDragn 9h ago
What's the requirement for crowning? Does the top floor not need to all be in place simultaneously? Seemed like the two (I don't know what they're called) spires reached the top and then started dismantling before the third even finished. There was never a point where all three of them were up top.
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
This tower is a special one since it has 3 crowners (anxenetes) but the rest of the more common ones only have 1 crowner. Succefully crowned means the crowner has stepped over the "raiser" (aixecador) and lifted his/her hand. In this case the 3 of them must do it in order to be a sucessful attempt, just not required to do it at the same time.
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u/somedude456 3h ago
and lifted his/her hand.
More so, they left three fingers, to represent the Catalonian flag. :)
Source: I watched them in Barcelona twice now.
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u/VonHitWonder 9h ago
Catalan people are great. Weird as fuck but great and the type of people you should befriend to enjoy life better
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u/Catinkah 9h ago
I saw this live once in a Barcelona neighbourhood. Ofccourse not the 9de9f but nevertheless very impressive!
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u/some_where_else 8h ago
What the hell happens when it is not successfully dismantled?? Does it just collapse, and they collect any survivors??
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
Why do you make it sound like people do die in these? lol
Here's the same one but just crowned, you can see people are actually just fine after the collapse.5
u/some_where_else 8h ago
Ah haha nice! Very impressive actually.
So I guess most people/kids survive then, good to know!
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u/DJ_BIG_VIC 8h ago
Is there a video out there of it NOT going right?
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u/AniStormS 8h ago
Here's the same one but only crowned! Only achived a single time in history until today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV3Cr166BAI
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u/out_of_shape_hiker 8h ago
Will they remember how to do that id they become zombies? If so I need to change some plans.
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u/Some-Seaweed6858 8h ago
I've been to Vilafranca when they do this, they get into different formations and sometimes walk around, giving just as much care to the deconstruction as the construction. Its essence is about cooperation, trust and physical capabilities, and it's a contagious vibe. Even if you're not Catalan you feel part or something bigger, especially if you have the chance to support the base as part of the crowd.
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u/BurntLocal 9h ago
Praise to the few guys holding up the fat ass cheeks of the bottom of this human column.
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u/Mr-Derpity 8h ago
I have no idea what this is, but it makes me happy to see them so happy.
Congrats
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u/MonsieurGump 8h ago
The two kids on the very top were laying down on the kid below (who was also laid flat).
If that’s allowed, why not just pile up a load of people that way?
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u/ImageAvailable7003 8h ago
Midlevels are unappreciated. Second level is less assisted and with cutting only wrestlers can appreciate.
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u/TongZiDan 8h ago
So the first time this was done it collapsed? Potentially with kids falling like 4 stories and people at the bottom being crushed?
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u/Purplepanda7351 7h ago
Most of the times there are no injuries or only minor injuries. Playing football is much more dangerous than this.
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u/ChewyChagnuts 8h ago
Are they not going to take a goat up there to chuck it off the top? Or do they only do that from church towers?
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u/Laffenor 7h ago
So the guys at the first floor just casually stack 3 - 400 wobbling kgs on their shoulders?
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u/just-a-simple-song 7h ago
There is something so simple and pure about this human teamwork to pull together anything even for a moment even to accomplish the most simple or strange of goals. beautiful. Teared up a bit. You can tell how much it meant to them.
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u/Aromatic-Ad8230 7h ago
How wonderful, listen without knowing any Catalan and then understand the presenter perfectly, in fact it has been a funnier video for that, at least in my case.
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u/dm-me-obscure-colors 6h ago
Striking images! Little girl going down the tower, face-credit-carding each buttcrack on the way down
Holding each buttcheeck, with each thumb in butthole
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u/catchup4thegoodtimes 4h ago
looks like some of them have to be super comfortable with multiple hands pushing into your glutes!
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u/chillzwerg 3h ago
Another video, where you see their own excitement pretty good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6NxmvPWmuw
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u/Lazy_Palpitation7807 3h ago
lol I think I was most impressed with how easily they slid down at the end. That shit is so cool.
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u/scorchedTV 3h ago
Whenever I see stuff like this I imagine elite medieval mercenaries doing this to sneak over walls into forts to open the gates from the inside, or do assassinations.
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u/AGrandNewAdventure 1h ago
Having children involved in this seems like a massive lapse in judgements.
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u/JapanEngineer 9h ago
Unnecessary risk. Yes, it is amazing.
Japanese schools used to similar things for their sports festivals but most have banned it because kids where falling and breaking their bones every fkn year.
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u/AniStormS 9h ago
It is a tradition officialy listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Yes, sometimes injuries happen, but the crowned towers to injuries ratio is very low (over 10k human towers are done every year in Catalonia). Medical assistance is also always present in-site on the days these happen around the territory and the little children and more vulnerable ones do also wear helmets and facial protection.
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u/universe_from_above 8h ago
In Germany, we have beer-crate stacking. You build a tower out of beer crates while climbing up on it. In recent years, it has become standard to use climbing gear for safety.
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u/PreperationOuch 9h ago
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u/Degovan1 9h ago
Terribly sexist of them to use men for the base and women and children only allowed to be on the top…. There is nothing men can do that women couldn’t do better after all.
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u/-Moebius 8h ago
You don't know what you are talking about. Its not about gender. Its all about size. I know a lot of women that usually go on the base.
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u/Brownie-UK7 9h ago
When the aliens finally show up, I want them to watch this video first.