The Big Rappel at The Empire State Building

On Monday 6th May 2024 a fearless few made a rope descent of the world’s most famous skyscraper, The Empire State Building - to raise vital funds for Outward Bound.

The Big Rappel was a challenge that had never been attempted before and may never be attempted again. 23 participants started their descent from the spectacular uppermost platform immortalised by the 1930s film ‘King Kong’ – a total height of 1,454 feet (381 metres).

This amazing endeavour raised over $3M for Outward Bound – the largest amount of money ever raised for a charity abseil, supporting over 10,000 young people to have their own life-changing adventures globally. In the UK, this will support 3,500 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country to experience the power of the wild outdoors for the very first time, enabling young people to realise what they are truly capable of.