Video: A World-Record 164-Person Skydive

Setting up and pulling off a world record skydive attempt isn't easy. There is a lot of preparation and coordination that goes into such an event. This video not only gives us a behind the scenes look at how something like that comes together, but it also takes us into the air to join 164 skydivers as they link-up mid-flight to set a new world record. As you can probably imagine, it is a pretty spectacular sight.

Video: Wingsuit Pilot Flies Through Two-Meter Cave

Precision wingsuit flying rarely fails to impress, and this video is no exception. It features pilot Uli Emanuele sailing through a narrow gap in a rock face that is just two meters in width. Of course, all of the action is captured on GoPro, giving us a first person perspective of what it is like to fly through this narrow passage at high speeds. This is not only very impressive, it is also quite terrifying. Watch at your own risk.

Video: Wingsuits Over Alaska

Considering I just returned from Alaska, this video seemed like a fitting one to share. It features a team of wingsuit pilots that traveled to the 49th state to check out all of the opportunities that it has to offer in terms of BASE jumping and wingsuit flying. The clip features plenty of levity to go along with the great scenery, which gives it a sense of fun that you don't always find in these videos. But the real star of the show is Alaska itself, a place that is simply stunning in scope and beauty.

Alaska! from squirrel on Vimeo.

Video: Mountain Biking Beat Down

This video is a few months old, but I hadn't come across it before and thought it was definitely worth sharing. It comes our way from Camp 4 Collective, who always make high quality outdoor adventure videos. In this case, the video features two mountain bikers racing down a difficult trail while pushing each others skills to the extreme. I won't spoil what happens in the end, but suffice as to say it is pretty cool. The video also includes a heavy metal soundtrack, some adult language, and a random pair of boobs for some reason. But it is all in good fun, and the behind the scenes clips near the end are good too. I hope you enjoy.

BEAT DOWN from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

Outside Profiles Graham Hunt - Dean Potter's BASE Jump Partner

The headlines this week have been filled with stories about Dean Potter, the climbing legend who lost his life in a fatal wingsuit accident in Yosemite National Park last Saturday. A number of those stories offered only a passing mention of Graham Hunt, Potter's companion on the ill-fated BASE jump. But Outside Online looks to rectify that by posting an article that profiles the Other Man in this tragic story.

The 29-year old Hunt is described as someone who was known within the BASE jumping community, but not so much outside of it. He had very little online presence, and did almost nothing to promote the dangerous stunts that he was gaining a reputation for. That meant that when news of his death broke, there was little information that would come up in a Google search. That helped the narrative of the story to become "Dean Potter died, and there was someone else with him."

But Outside says that those who knew Hunt well describe him as a man who had a lot of confidence in his own skills, which were considerable to say the least. He was known for being incredibly calm and reliable on the walls, and someone that other climbers wanted to have with them, particularly in Yosemite. That probably shouldn't come as a surprise considering he was climbing and jumping with Potter, who was known to be selective of the company he kept on his own adventures. The pair made an epic jump of the Eiger back in 2013, although Dean was the one who made headlines, while his partner remained characteristically in the background.


Through quotes from friends and snippets of news on Graham, the Outside profile gives us a better understanding of who the "other guy" truly was. By all accounts, he was an excellent climber and BASE jumper himself, but perhaps even more so he was a good person and friend. His death hasn't gotten nearly the same attention as Potter's, but from the sounds of things, that is exactly how he would have wanted it.

Meanwhile, Outside is also reporting that video footage from Potter's GoPro camera has been recovered as well. It likely holds some clues as to what went wrong on this flight, and what ultimately cost the two men their lives. Preliminary reports say that Hunt may have hit a rocky outcropping and that Dean swerved out of the way to avoid a collision, only to hit another rock on the other side. The two men were jumping from Taft Point in Yosemite and were attempting to navigate through a narrow slot in the rocks when the accident occurred. It now seems likely that they both hit part of the rock face, causing them to crash to the valley floor below.

Obviously  the investigation is ongoing at this time, and more details are likely to be known in the future.

Video: A Profile of Dean Potter

You're likely to see a lot of videos featuring Dean Potter in the days ahead. His tragic death is going to leave the climbing community in state of mourning for some time. This video is a profile of Dean, and his desire to push the envelope to achieve bigger and better things. It shows not only his climbing ability, but adventurous spirit, which will be missed greatly. If you're not aware of Dean's contributions to that community, this clip will help to put it into perspective.

Climbing Legend Dean Potter Dies in Yosemite

There was incredibly sad news in the climbing world this past weekend as the story broke that climbing legend Dean Potter died in a BASE jumping accident in Yosemite National Park. The 43-year old Potter was known as much for his free spirit and sense of adventure, as he was his incredible climbing and athletic skills.

The details of what exactly happened still aren't clear, but on Saturday evening Potter was making a BASE jump with with Graham Hunt from Taft Point in Yosemite. Hunt was killed int he accident as well, and when neither of the two men showed up at a rendezvous point following the jump, their ground support crew didn't panic. It was thought that they might have made their way out along a different route, or may have been arrested. BASE jumping is illegal in Yosemite, but the two men had made hundreds of jumps in the past, and were very experienced in the sport.

By Sunday, friends and family began to worry about the Potter and Hunt's whereabouts, and a search and rescue operation was mounted in the national park. Their two bodies were discovered later in the day. Both men had fallen to their deaths without opening their parachutes, which only deepens the mystery.

Potter was a well known figure in the climbing and BASE jumping community. Back in 2006 he made a controversial climb up Delicate Arch in Arches National Park which drew the ire of many. He also raised eyebrows when he made a video of a wingsuit flight with his dog – Whisper – last year. But he was incredibly well respected for his fantastic climbing ability that allowed him to free solo some of the toughest routes in the world, and his athletic prowess was displayed only recently when he set a new speed record on Half Dome.

It is impossible to overstate just how much of a luminary Dean was in the adventure sports community. He has been a fixture in the Yosemite climbing scene for decades, and was known for pushing the boundaries of the activities that he loved, which included slacklining as well. To say that he will be missed will be an understatement, and my condolences go out to his friends and family. Dean's ability to follow his own path, pursue his own dreams, and accomplish great things along the way was unmatched. We may never see the likes of Dean Potter again, and the climbing community has lost one of its brightest stars.

Skydiver Will Attempt 25,000-foot Drop Without a Parachute

Luke Aikins is no stranger to skydiving. After all, he has made more than 16,000 jumps in his career. He even played a role in helping Felix Baumgartner make his historic free-fall from the edge of space back in 2012. But now, Aikins is preparing for a daring jump of his own, and it just might be more dangerous than the one that made Baumgartner a household name.

According to this article from Dropzone.com, Aikins is preparing to make a jump from 25,000 feet (7620 meters) without using a parachute at all. Instead, he'll use a wingsuit to control his descent as he attempts to land on a 100x100 foot (30x30 meter) net which will stop his fall.

This event, which will take place at an undermined date later this year, will leave little room for error on the part of Aikins  He'll be traveling at a tremendous speed as he nears the net, and even the slightest error in his flight path could result in disaster. Of course, the jump is set to be aired on television, although it is unclear as to which network will actually show it live.

As Dropzone points out, this won't be the first time a skydiver has jumped out of a plane with out a chute, but in most other cases they had others with them that were able to either grab them on the way down, or hand them a parachute to don as they descended. In this case, Aikins will be all alone, and won't have safety net of carrying a parachute with him. If something goes wrong, he's on his own, and it isn't likely to end well.

The video below is a teaser for the project, which has been dubbed "Heaven Sent." Lets hope that name isn't somehow portentous of the outcome. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this in the weeks ahead.

Video: BASE Jumping From the Space Net in Moab

You have to hand it to the BASE jumpers, they'll go to elaborate lengths to pursue their sport. In this video, BASE-er Matt Blank builds a giant "space net" to extend over a canyon near Moab, Utah. In some ways it looks like a massive spiderweb suspended over the landscape. He then proceeds out to the net, and jumps through a hole in the center. It is a long way down to the rocky floor below, but he pulls his trusty chute in time to enjoy the ride and the view.

Video: Night Time Wingsuit Flight Paints A Vivid Picture

There is no question that wingsuit pilots continue to push the limits of what is possible in the air. But this video takes things in a new direction. The pilot makes a night time flight that doesn't offer much in the way of scenery at first, but delivers a payoff with an excellent timelapse image in the end. It is a good example of what a little imagination and creativity can deliver as he uses a flare to dramatic effect.