BridgeClimb Sydney celebrated its 10th anniversary of operation last month by assembling 137 climbers each carrying a flag onto the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The flags represented every part of the world that climbers have hailed from since the company started 10 years ago.
From Azerbaijan to Zambia, BridgeClimb has safely guided more than 2.2 million climbers from 137 different countries and territories to the summit of one of Australia’s biggest tourist attractions since its opening on October 1, 1998.
“We are delighted to be celebrating BridgeClimb’s 10th Anniversary and extremely proud to be able to share this
unforgettable experience with Australians and visitors from all over the world,” said BridgeClimb’s founder and chairman Paul Cave.
“It has been very rewarding to witness the business evolve over the past 10 years and I look forward to seeing how we can further develop our experiences and keep giving back to the community in the future.”
BridgeClimb started off arranging a guided sole day climb only, but now everyone healthy and over the age of 10 can participate in various climbs offered during dawn, day, twilight and at night – and this includes wedding climbs for couples wishing to exchange their vows at the summit of the bridge.
The company celebrated its first Australian Tourism Award for ‘Major Tourist Attraction’ in 2007. The event has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as a new world record for ‘most flags flown on a bridge’.
More than 2.2 million people have scaled the 1,437 stairs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the company, and of those 57 per cent are international visitors while 25 per cent live in Sydney. On July 6, 1999, Chris Muller aged 100 became the company’s oldest climber. Around 2,000 couples are thought to have become engaged while climbing the bridge, according to the company.
Celebrities who have climbed with the company include Will Smith, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Robert De Niro, Will Ferrell, Pierce Brosnan, Cate Blanchett, Prince Harry, and Crown Prince Fredrick and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.