COLOGNE — I could hear the screaming even before I approached the high-rise. I can’t speak a lick of German, but I could tell this was not a happy scream.
Somewhere 10 stories above Cologne, a woman was about to step off the roof of a building. Let me add that she was not doing this under duress. She was participating in a German phenomenon called House Running.
The name may bring to mind a fictitious European holiday in which packs of adorable moppets run from house to house to collect bars of Toblerone, but sadly this sport involves neither running nor chocolate. Instead it involves scaring the bejesus out of yourself by gingerly walking down the facade of obscenely tall buildings.
People here queue up and pay 60 Euros, (about $67) to take part in the terrifying act. You’re rigged up to an elaborate cage, strapped into a heavy-duty harness and lowered down. The end effect is that you’re walking vertically on the building, but you’re actually horizontal, facing the pavement. It’s like you’re Spiderman, but you haven’t been bitten by a radioactive spider. So good luck with that, meine freunde.
Apparently this is enjoyable because House Running events organized by the company House Running von Jochen Schweizer frequently sell out.
Never one to be left out of a good (or bad) trend, I signed up and decided to find out why 20,000 Germans a year take part in House Running in eight cities across the country. When I thought about it more carefully, I remembered that Germans also love David Hasselhoff and have a museum dedicated to a pork sausage called currywurst. So perhaps House Running was another weird cultural thing. Could House Running be the David Hasselhoff of urban adventure sports?
Despite my misgivings, I showed up at the hotel where House Running was happening that weekend, ready to be brave and adventurous. Instead, something wonderful happened.
“I don’t see your name on the list,’’ the woman at the check-in desk told me.
I spelled my name again and pointed out that it contained no umlauts, just to be sure.
But she found nothing. There had been a problem with my registration and I never confirmed my running time. She apologetically told me the entire weekend was booked. I lost my chance to try.
“Are you sure?’’ I asked, offering an Oscar-worthy performance in the category of disappointment. I was secretly thrilled by this news. Meryl Streep couldn’t have faked sadness better than I did at that moment. “Maybe you could squeeze me in somewhere?’’
She could not, and I said a little prayer to St. Hasselhoff for saving me from this terror. She did, however, take pity on me when I explained that I was a travel writer who had come to Cologne with the sole purpose of trying the sport. She kindly allowed me to go up to the roof of the hotel and watch people who knew how to make proper online reservations give it a try.
House Running began back in the early 1990s when former stuntman Jochen Schweizer was visiting Australia and saw a group of boys rappelling off the side of a building. He said he took the idea back home in 1994 and since then hundreds of thousands of Germans have tried it. His company also offers the chance to bungee jump off of skyscrapers, which sounds about as pleasurable as a play date with a group of surly porcupines.
Once I reached the top of the Cologne hotel, I had a panoramic view of the city. I walked to the edge of the roof for a peek 100 feet down. Sweet Georgia Brown! I would have needed a Xanax and an adult diaper to have successfully participated in this activity.
Instead I watched others turn ashen as they received a safety lesson before they made their descent.
“It’s always full here,’’ said House Running employee Jil Karolin Neusel who was stationed on the roof during my visit. “We have about 160 people who come here a weekend to try it. Most people are really scared, but it’s still fun.’’
She said the most frequent question she’s asked is “Is it safe?’’ That’s usually followed by “Am I going to die?’’
I could see the transformation of terror to joy as people walked 100 feet down the side of the hotel. A woman wearing gold lamé slacks kissed the ground when she reached the end of her journey. I wondered what was more dangerous — putting your mouth on the ground or walking 10 stories down the facade of a building?
Christina Huebner, who was not wearing gold lamé slacks, was House Running as part of her bachelorette party. Her friends watched and cheered as Huebner made her way down. She was unfazed by it.
“I like skydiving and bungee jumping, so they knew I liked this stuff,’’ she said with a smile. “Don’t tell them, but I might have been a little scared at first.’’
Slightly less enthusiastic was Anna Laufer. She was given a gift certificate for House Running as a birthday present three years ago and avoided trying it as long as she could. When she reached the ground after her run she was smiling, but also shaking and crying.
“Look at my hands,’’ she said trembling and wiping away tears.
I wanted to hug the poor dear to calm her down.
I was afraid that the longer I hung around and watched, the better the chance that there would be a cancellation and I’d be offered a chance to try. I cut my losses and bolted, listening to the screams from the high-rise as I walked away. The most adventurous I was feeling that day was to sample some currywurst.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Muther
