Near-Death BASE Jumping Experience

I would think that the last thing you'd want to do while BASE jumping is run into problems with your gear, aka the parachute that keeps you from plummeting to your death. Especially while riding something called "The Death Swing." But that's what happens in the video below, which I present as Exhibit A in the Case For Why I'll Never Go BASE Jumping.

Thanks to the Goat for sharing!



BASE Jump Chute Failure, Miracle Save! from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.

BASE Jumping Off Mont Blanc

Last week, Russian mountaineer and BASE Jumper Valery Rozov climbed up Mont Blanc, perhaps the most famous peak in Europe, and jumped off the Italian side of the mountain. According to Red Bull, the sponsor for the event, he then proceeded to make an 800 meters (2625 ft) free fall in his wingsuit, before opening his chute and drifting gently to the ground.

Watching the video of the jump below, it's clear that he didn't go to the summit, but he did climb a big wall on the mountain, where he finds a small ledge to leap from. Still, watching Rozov zip through the air is an impressive sight, and of course, the Alps always look nice too!

BASE Jumping, Slack Lining, High Lining... This Video Has It All

Looking for a bit of an adrenaline boost to get you started this morning? Then check out the video below, which features all kinds of high altitude craziness, including BASE jumping, high lining, and a whole host of other activities that I didn't even know existed. The highlight? The last guy BASE jumping off a cliff, to swing on a line out into the air, then releasing himself to parachute back to Earth. Just watch, it'll make more sense!

Thanks to reader Emmanuel for sending this in.

Skiing and BASE Jumping Fun!

Outside Online has posted a great interview today with skier and BASE jumper Suzanne Graham, and also included a fun video as well. The video was shot at "Pooper's Point" in Utah and begins with the crew building a little ski-jump off the cliff. They then proceed to ski down the hill, hit the jump, and fly off into the nothingness, only to release their parachute on the descent. It looks like insane fun. Enjoy!

The Ten Biggest and Best Jumps of All Time

Okay, so it's a bit of a slow news day on a Friday before the holiday season really kicks into gear. So to wake you up, I present the video below, which comes our way courtesy of Adventure World Magazine and my friends at the Aussie adventure mag Outer Edge.

The video is the Top 10 Bigget and Best Jumps Ever, and it crosses disciplinary lines without regard. You'll see ski jumps, BASE jumps, motorcycle jumps, and so much more. You'll even see some dude jump out of an airplane without a parachute. Crazy stuff, but kind of fun too.

Even More BASE jumping Fun Caught On Video (With A Rockin' Soundtrack!)

Our friend Steve Casimiro over at the Adventure Journal posted another beautiful video today, this time perfectly blending spectacular shots of those daring young men (and women!) flying through the sky in their wingsuits err... BASE jumping chutes. The video is made all the better by a great soundtrack, courtesy of Boards of Canada, which just sets the mood so very well.

A real breathtaking video in every way. Enjoy!




Last Walk Around Mirror Lake - Boom Bip (Boards of Canada Remix) from FroschYankee on Vimeo.

BASE Jumping Antarctica

With the Antarctic season in full swing, we all know there are plenty of adventures underway at the bottom of the world. One of those took place last week when Russian climber and BASE jumper Valery Rozov climbed up the 2931 meter (9616 ft.) Mt. Ulvetanna in -22ºF temperatures, just so he could jump off the top in his wingsuit and glide back to base camp. The video below captures all the fun, which includes some rather technical rock climbing in very cold conditions.

Wingsuit Video Offers New Perspective On Falling Through The Air

I caught this video last week over at the Adventure Journal, but forgot to post it at the time. It's a fantastic look at Steph Davis doing what she loves, namely BASE jumping and floating through the air in a wingsuit. What makes this video even better though is that Steph placed a couple of GoPro cameras in some very unique places, catching interesting perspectives of the scenery around her, but also the expressions on her face as gravity takes over. While she has far too much experience at this kind of thing to get over the top expressive, the look in her eyes at certain times speaks volumes as well.



Children of the Sky from steph davis on Vimeo.

Sender Film's First Ascent Series Comes To Travel Channel!

Sender Films has been making excellent climbing videos for some time, but starting this week, their fine work is going to garner a much larger audience. The Travel Channel has picked up Sender's First Ascent series of videos and will begin airing them this Thursday night here in the states.

The network is certainly dedicating some time to the program, as they are planning on airing four half-hour episodes back to back. For some inexplicable reason they're playing them out of order, showing Episode 3, followed by 5, then 6, and finally Episode 1. The shows will cover a wide range of topics and climbing personalities, including Alex Honnold's rock climbing exploits and Dean Potter's free flying/falling adventures.

For an idea of what to expect from the show check out the First Ascent trailer below, and don't forget to set your DVR!



"First Ascent: The Series" Trailer from Sender Films on Vimeo.

More Climbing, and Falling With Dean Potter

A few days back I posted a video of Dean Potter free climbing the Eiger and using a BASE jumping parachute as his safety net. Today we have another video of Dean, this time mixing in a bunch of his passions, including rock climbing, BASE jumping, slack lining, and so on. A word of warning though, there are some amazing shots of Dean climbing, but also some scary drops too. I'm just glad he decided using the 'chute!

Also, after watching this, does anyone else want to know the story between Potter and the cop that takes place part way though? Very interesting! :)

Dean Potter Free Climbing The Eiger

I caught this video over at Backcountry.com's Goat Blog yesterday and wanted to share it here as well. It's of big wall climber Dean Potter, as he makes an amazing free climb of the Eiger using a BASE jumping chute as his life line in case he falls. Potter has combined two of his major passions, rock climbing and BASE jumping, to ensure that he can get a the challenge of one, while using the other for safety purposes.

Some of the images in this video are simply stunning. Great stuff. I hope you enjoy.

dean potter from cl1 on Vimeo.

Whoa!

Check out this amazing photo courtesy of the Wend Blog. You see that little black speck? Yep, that's someone going off the top of that mountain. Presumably he or she is wearing a parachute and is doing a little BASE jumping. If not, I don't want to hear about it.