Powerline poster pulled due to safety concerns

The poster featuring a man doing a one-armed pull-up on a powerline has been pulled. Photo / SNPA

The organisation behind a poster showing a man hanging from a powerline by one arm have pulled the image and issued a statement against the practice.

The New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) was advertising the National Indoor Bouldering Series, a series of events at indoor climbing walls, with a poster that featured a man appearing to do a one-armed pull-up on a powerline.

The club's general manager Sam Newton said the Electrical Engineers Association (EEA) had contacted the club to say the poster could cause someone to try to copy the action in the image.

Mr Newton said the image was a "heavily stylised cartoon image that is clearly not based in reality".

"However, we have been informed by the EEA that the poster could be reasonably likely to cause someone to break the law by climbing and swinging from the power lines," Mr Newton said.

"So we would like to make it perfectly clear - we strongly discourage anyone from doing one-armed pull-ups and/or climbing on power lines. Common sense really. Use both arms to do pull-ups and stay away from power lines altogether.

"Doing one-armed pull ups is extremely painful and is likely to cause injury. Climbing on power lines is even worse. NZAC is against both."

The poster had been replaced, Mr Newton said.