This invention relates to an emergency escape system for escape from elevated structures such as sky-scrapers, high-rise apartment or office buildings, etc., which system enables one to lower oneself from any level of a high-rise building to ground level all by oneself without requiring any help from rescue crews wherein, with the minimum amount of physical effort, the descending motion and speed is completely controlled by the descending person. The sky-ride emergency system comprises a closed loop of rope or cable wound on a friction drum over a number of complete laps in a substantially tight relationship. The cylindrical surface of the friction drum nonrotatably secured to an elevated level has a high friction coefficient. The closed loop of rope depending from the friction drum includes at least one securing means such as a hook or ring affixed to the rope. The lower extremity of the closed loop of rope depending from the friction drum reaches down to a lower level such as ground level. A rope guide means slidably guides and confines the portion of rope wound on the friction drum. The frictional grip of the rope on the friction drum resulting from a pull on one rope member depending from the friction drum by the weight of an evacuee secured to said one rope member can be altered to a great extent by exerting a weak pull of varying magnitude on the other rope member depending from the friction drum. As a consequence, an evacuee wearing a harness secured to one of two rope members depending from the friction drum is able to suspended oneself in midair or lower oneself by controlling the small amount of pull exerted on the other of two rope members depending from the friction drum by the evacuee.