Base jumping is probably the most dangerous sport in the world, determined medical doctor and mountaineer Erik Monasterio at ExWeb last year. Specializing in Forensic Psychiatry the doc said that a comprehensive data base of base jumping fatalities reveals that 175 jumpers have died since the sport began (approximately 30 years ago).
“The surprising finding is that only 123 of those deaths were directly related to base jumping, the other deaths were related to other accidents, drug overdoses and suicides,” said Monasterio.
The first BASE jump from Cerro Torre!
So where’s ExWeb’s favorite base jumper Valery Rozov now? Mountain.ru reports that Valery is neither hanging from a beam nor has vanished in Nirvana land. He is in Patagonia - ready to jump Cerro Torre - for the second time!
In 2004 Valery made a new route on Amin Brakk’s (5850m) west face in Pakistan, considered the most technically complex wall in the world - and then jumped down. In 2006, Rozov made the first BASE-jump from the Alps’ Grandes Jorasses, following a climb on one of the face’s hardest routes: The Croz Spur.
February 24 last year the Russian X-gamer base jumped off the 1400-m face of Torres del Paine in Patagonia.
And this week a message arrived from the climbers that Valery had jumped Cerro on Monday, 9 am local time. The point of jump was located a bit below the “Compressor” route traverse. The flight lasted 1 minute and 20 seconds with an altitude difference of about 1450 meters.
Valery said he opened a bit higher than planned, was caught by a gust and flew and and down for 15 minutes in the last 200 meters before finally and fortunately hitting ground.
Due to bad weather and falling ice the team didn’t reach the summit and will therefore make a second attempt during a forecasted weather window March 3-5, to see if conditions have improved and whether it would be possible to jump from the top.
“Otherwise, the previous point will become the only possible to make a jump on this route,” they report.
Steve Brown has released The Inner Triathlete, a collection of multi-sport articles, interviews and short stories that speak to the human side of the sport of triathlon and to the spirit of the triathlete. The pieces, previously published by the author over several years, have been brought together as a fund raising effort and dedication to the life and mission of Jon “Blazeman” Blais, the first patient with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) to cross the finish line at the legendary Ironman Triathlon World Championship, in Hawaii.Blais won the hearts of millions through the story of his will to live life to the fullest despite the inevitable, nearing end. In May, 2007, he lost his battle with ALS, but Blais’ poetry writing and war against the disease is carried on through The Blazeman Foundation.
A portion of all book proceeds will benefit The Blazeman Foundation which raises money and awareness to find a cure for ALS. Although not a book about Blais’ life, the collection connects with the spirit of the multi-sport athlete, which was evident also in Blais’ writing. The book’s foreword is written by longtime triathlon writer Bob Mina.
Brown, of Philadelphia, has raced, worked and volunteered at hundreds of endurance sports events since 1987, from 5-km to marathon running to Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run). Over the years, he’s also used his racing as a platform to raise funds and awareness for charitable causes. Brown is also a USA Triathlon Regional Board member and a coach with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s TEAM IN TRAINING triathlon group.
Married, and a father of twins, Brown also finds time to write for regional and national publications, typically on sport and the human condition. The Blais production is his second book. In Brown’s first, My New Race, he chronicled his journey from leukemia diagnosis to Ironman finish line.
Both books are available through Lulu Publishing, and both benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Founded in 2002, Lulu is the world’s fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace for digital publishing needs. Visit Lulu.com or www.remissionman.com to preview and order Brown’s books.
