Crazy Russian BASE Jumps From Summit Of Kilimanjaro [Video]
Russian daredevil Valery Rozov recently decided to BASE jump from the highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. He captured the whole thing first on a drone, then on GoPro.
For the uninitiated, BASE jumping is the art of parachuting from a high position, such as a cliff, mountain, or building, using a specially-designed wingsuit. BASE is actually an acronym for the four categories that apply to the sport, namely Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth (as in cliff or mountain). As this is a risky sport, Blinc magazine lists an actual online “BASE Fatality List” which has recorded 248 deaths from BASE jumping since April 1981.
According to RT, Rozov chose Uhuru point on Mount Kilimanjaro for his latest stunt. Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcanic mountain located in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa and is, in fact, the highest free-standing mountain in the entire world, standing at 5,895 meters (19,341 ft.) above sea level.
This is no mean feat for someone wishing to jump off the top of it. Reportedly, Rozov is the first person to undertake such a jump, and it should be borne in mind that he is no daredevil youngster either, as he is 50-years-old.
The stunt was sponsored by Red Bull and Rozov told the company that he had prepared for this jump for one year.
“So it’s a special feeling when you’re successful, as you can imagine.
“The main problem in searching for the ideal jumping spot was that the wall was not vertical.”
Rozov and his crew apparently spent a whole day looking for the ideal spot. Eventually, they missed the opportunity to jump that day and spent the night in the crater of Kilimanjaro. The next day proved to be too windy and cloudy, so they only eventually managed to BASE jump on the third day.
Historic #Kilimanjaro BASE jump Go-pro RAW http://t.co/0eGWicHWG3 http://t.co/AKHNkxSevS pic.twitter.com/qadu1Czr7H
— RT (@RT_com) February 21, 2015
In the video above, we see Rozov and his team ascending Mount Kilimanjaro, gradually making their way to the top. Then eventually we watch Rozov make his record-breaking jump, swooping down to the ground far below. He apparently took some 60 seconds in free fall to cover a distance of around three kilometers (1.9 miles). At the bottom, Rozov is greeted as a hero by a crowd of singing locals.
As mentioned by Slate, the daredevil set another record back in 2013 when he BASE jumped off the north face of Mount Everest. In doing so, he achieved the record for the highest-ever BASE jump – 7,220 meters (23,687 feet).
To see more images and details of Rozov’s latest BASE jump triumph, visit the Red Bull website.
In other extreme sports news, the Inquisitr recently reported on the U.S. student who was gored by a bull during a bull run festival in Spain.
[Images: Valery Rozov screengrab from video, Uhuru Peak in the public domain by Arne D]
