Pole sitting is the practice of sitting on a pole for extended lengths of time, generally used as a test of endurance. A small plaform may be placed at the top of the pole.

The world record for pole sitting was set during the World Championship by Daniel Baraniuk, from Gdansk, Poland, who sat on a 16 by 24 inch platform on an 8 foot pole for 196 days from May 15, 2002 to November 26, 2002. Short breaks were allowed every 2 hours. [1]

Pole sitting is related to the ancient ascetic discipline of Stylitism , or column-sitting. Famous column-sitters include St Simeon Stylites the Elder (c. 388-459) of Antioch (now Syria) who sat on a column for 36 years. [2]