(CNN) -- Do not try this on your next vacation. Egyptian authorities cracked down on climbing the Pyramids at Giza in the 1980s, but that didn't stop adventurer Vitaliy Raskalov and his friends from dodging local guards this year to take a few very hard-to-get shots from atop the Great Pyramid. The Russian photographer said his motivation was simple: "We saw the old photographs of the Pyramids and decided to climb on it." He also said he wasn't aware of the risk and illegality, but reports that Raskalov's previous daredevil activities (skywalking on the Russky Island Bridge) landed him in custody suggest otherwise. But there's no denying that the photos from his latest illicit romp are spectacular. Is the photo better than the vacation? CNN's Steve Tuemmler contributed to this report.
A Russian photographer scaled Egypt's Great Pyramid on a recent visit . Climbing the Pyramids has been forbidden for decades . The resulting photos provide a rarely seen perspective .