how to climb

The White House fence is a pretty standard wrought iron with a spear-point finial on each spindle. It stands about 7 1/2 feet above a 1 1/2 foot sandstone base into which it is anchored. There are a few ways you can leap over without too much trouble.

You can reach up to the horizontal tie that runs about a foot below the top of the fence, and then pull yourself up and over

You can use a towel or heavy cloth to "lasso" a finial and pull yourself up, and then over.

You can drape the towel of heavy cloth (like a jacket) over the top of the fence, climb and roll over the top with the cloth protecting your body.

Finally, if you go to one of the posts, you can also shinny up like climbing a tree, then pull yourself over

There have been almost two dozen people who have scaled the fence at the White House since it was constructed back in the 1960's. What is supposed to "stop" them are the sensors along the fence line that detect movement and intrusion. There also supposed to be lookouts along the roofline of the White House whose job it is to scan up (into the sky) and down (on the lawn) for intruders.

If the President is not there, the security is not as tight, but the recent incident indicates the sensors are not working as intended, and the back-up measures to keep a safe perimeter around the building are not tight enough. Sadly, I can see a day pretty soon where today's fence will be replaced with something more "secure" looking.

That will probably mean the fence top will be raised up to 8-9 feet, and also have a curvature towards the street at the top of each spindle at minimum. They can also space fence sensors embedded into the rails that can detect weight and motion without making the fence look too imposing, so hopefully the place won't look like Fort Knox when they're done.

 

The fencing that is almost impossible to climb that is popular these days is vertical iron with horizontal sections at the top and bottom only. The top is curving out towards you and comes to a sharp point. The White House is not curved out towards you and the top is pointed but doesn't look that sharp.

 

Depending on where you and the deer live. It's REAL UGLY when a deer tries to make the jump and doesn't make it. They usually live for quite a while and keep struggling till the end. Local ordinances have been passed near by to require some type of blunt guard be fastened to pointed fence posts. GTS Bruce

 

I vote for a nice, inviting looking moat lined with razor sharp metal not too deep under the surface of the water anchored into the soil below.


Mark

 

So in other words just leave the gate open.......