Rotterdam mayor abseils from Euromast despite fear of heights
Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten descended by rope from the Euromast on Thursday morning. The mayor completed the drop in a few minutes despite her fear of heights.
Schouten, wearing a sporty outfit, spoke to the large group of journalists gathered at the base of the tower shortly after her flawless landing. “I was insanely well helped,” she said, according to Rijnmond. “That was really nice. They talked me through it.”
“I’m glad it worked out, but up there it was indeed exciting,” she said. “In the beginning it was scary, but at a certain point you get it, and then it goes fine.” She laughed and added, “I need to let my adrenaline come down a bit, I think.”
She had been dreading the descent because of her fear of heights. The most tense moment came when she stepped off the crow’s nest at 100 meters. “You have to step over that edge. That is so unnatural,” she told reporters. “You have to step over that edge, and that is so unnatural. You think: how do I do it with my feet? And you have to trust that the rope holds. That was a moment.”
Spectators below began cheering when they saw her. Schouten heard them. “I don’t remember anymore at which moment that was, because I was so focused on myself. It was, I think, when I went over the edge. It was very kind and sweet.”
Schouten had promised to abseil from the 185-meter Euromast if the March municipal election turnout topped the prior vote; it reached 40.7 percent, up from 38.9 percent in 2022. Jetten had separately pledged to join if national turnout improved, which it did, climbing to 53.7 percent from 51 percent in 2022.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten said Monday he will not join Schouten in abseiling down the Euromast. His schedule has no room for the event, the municipality of Rotterdam said.
