BASE Jumper: Carl Boenish
Hurtling towards the ground at speed might not seem like everyone’s idea of fun, but for BASE jumpers it is the only sport that comes close to the thrill of flying. Unlike skydiving, BASE jumpers use fixed objects as the starting point for their aerial stunts. In fact, the name of the sport refers to the objects that avid jumpers use: building, antenna, span, and earth. Utilising lower altitudes than skydives, jumpers control their own freefall until the last possible second. Each jump is a product of absolute precision and nerve. While a jumper may plan carefully, the seconds that they are rocketing towards the ground can be influenced by even the smallest change in weather, equipment, or focus.
The first forays into this extreme sport were historically isolated occurrences in the 1960s and 1970s. Carl Boenish is largely credited as the catalyst for this thrilling sport, having leapt from the peak of El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park in 1978 using BASE jumping techniques. It was upon this occasion that Boenish and his friends devised the BASE number system that would come to dictate success in this sport. Simply put, BASE numbers are attributed to brave jumpers based on the fixed object that they dive from. To be considered a true enthusiast of the sport, you will have to jump from all four categories. Although early versions of this sport typically used skydiving equipment, more specialised gear and techniques have been developed over time to keep up with the unique needs of such a perilous activity.
The film industry has been a large proponent of this sport, often depicting characters in action blockbusters in panoramic sequences that require them to escape dastardly scenarios via the activity of BASE jumping. The actor Tom Cruise is no stranger to this sport with a history of doing his own stunts, including BASE jumping. While its popularity in films can not be denied, this sport is often thought of as an underground hobby by its practitioners. It is very dangerous and often illegal to BASE jump from buildings and other kinds of urban landscape. Hence, the sport has become a more mysterious, covert, and unconventional pastime for those that practice it.
Despite the precarious nature of this sport, both physically and legally, astonishing records have been set globally by jumpers. The highest BASE jump recorded was completed by couple, Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan, from Meru Peak in the Himalayas; the total height of the jump totalled 6,604 metres! The lowest altitude jump was accomplished by Felix Baumgartner, who leapt from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil with only 29 metres in which to complete his freefall. All records aside, crucially the sport has been about challenging the convention of what is possible for humankind to do. From brooding above skyscrapers to plunging headfirst into an alpine valley, BASE jumping reclaims urban and natural spaces.
