Base Jumping Stunt In Norway Goes Terribly Wrong

by Jessica Festa on




Ouch! When base jumper Richard Henriksen decided to add a gymnastics element to his daring stunt, he expected everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, Henriksen did not foresee the high bar he was performing his routine on to completely collapse, propelling him head first over a cliff.

According to news.com.au, the father of five was performing the stunt for a television program on the NRK network in Norway when the terrifying incident occurred. In the video, you can see Henriksen make one complete flip around the high bar, the crowd cheers and then everything falls apart.

Luckily, the daredevil survived the 3,937-foot fall. Narrowly missing contact with the rock face of the cliff, Henriksen managed to open his parachute on the way down.

We’re just glad he’s okay.

Video: BASE Jumper Survives 400-Foot Drop When Parachute Fails To Open

by Kraig Becker on

A Russian BASE jumper survived a 120-meter (393-foot) drop from an electrical tower after his parachute failed to open while his friends looked on, filming the entire incident. The video, which you’ll find below, shows the man tentatively shuffle out onto the edge of the tower before throwing himself off. Seconds later we see his parachute deploy but it never opens wide enough to slow his descent and as a result he hits the ground at full speed.

Thanks to a blanket of deep, powdery snow at the base of the tower the man actually managed to survive the fall. He reportedly broke his legs, several vertebrae and his pelvis but after going through extensive rehab he was up and walking again in about three months.

I can’t be the only one who actually said “ouch!” out loud when I saw the impact.


Video: Base Jumping In The Himalaya

by Kraig Becker on

In April, Russian mountaineer and base jumper Valery Rozov traveled to a remote region of the Himalaya Mountains in India to climb a peak known as Mt. Shivling. After spending a month acclimatizing to the altitude and preparing for the climb, he and two companions started off for the summit located at 6543 meters (21,466 feet).

The technically difficult climb took six days to complete but Rozov found a much easier and quicker way to get back down. Clad in a wing suit, the Russian jumped from a ledge and safely glided and parachuted to the valley below. That descent took just 90 seconds with Valery reaching speeds of approximately 125 mph along the way.

The video of this base jump, which you’ll find below, was released earlier this week. At the time it was widely reported that this was a new world record for altitude, but that distinction actually belongs to a couple named Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan. That husband and wife team jumped from the 6604-meter (21,666-feet) Mt. Meru back in 2006.


Video of the Day – Slopeflying in Stryn, Norway

by Stephen Greenwood on

If you’ve watched a Youtube video of wingsuit flying in the past few years, there’s a good chance it’s courtesy of Joakim Sommer. The 25 year-old Norwegian has been making a name for himself by capturing a special wingsuit technique known as proximity flying.

If you’re asking yourself “why is he getting closer to the cliffs?!” – that’s the point. Proximity fliers like Sommer jump off the most scenic mountaintops in the world and aim to skim slopes while only meters above trees, waterfalls, and rock spires – all while capturing everything in 1080p.

This specific flight takes place in Styrn, Norway; a town of 7,000 residents that’s usually written up for its fjords and year-round glacier skiing.

For more videos, check out ‘Jokke’s’ website & Youtube channel, including a series of proximity flights dubbed Dream Lines I & II.

Video: Wingsuits get a little too close!

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past few years, BASE jumping has seen quite a rise in popularity amongst adrenaline junkies and extreme athletes. The “sport” consists of climbing up any tall, fixed object, such as a building, bridge, or cliff, throwing yourself off, and using a parachute to safely float back to the ground.

More recently the activity has evolved to a degree by incorporating wingsuits into the equation. A wingsuit is a specially designed jumpsuit that incorporates fabric between the arms and body, as well as between the legs, in order to facilitate more lift. This allows the BASE jumper to glide through the air for longer distances while controlling direction as well. Eventually they still end up pulling their ripcords, but often not until after they’ve coverd sometimes significant distances at significant speeds.

The video below, which was shot in Norway, shows what happens when a couple of people in wingsuits get a bit too close for comfort with observers on the ground. The video also gives you a good sense of the speed a which they are traveling.