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I just got a call from Outside Magazine. They are doing an article that will include the "Baddest BASE Jump". They need some help and I offered to post it here for everyone to vote.

Initially, they spoke of BJ Worth's jump into the Hole from a helicopter (not really a BASE jump anyway) and Felix's Christ Rio Jump (NOT the lowest, or baddest jump out there). Gotta love all that press that some of those sponsored guys get!

I told him a few that I thought were the baddest and they include:

-Mark H's first ever jump into the Hole
-Owen's first ever WTC jump (anyone remember his full name?)
-Steve B's 63' cliff jump in Ohio in the early 1990's.
-BASE 428's gainer through the small triangle at the Green Giant (sorry, another shameless self promotion)

I need your help with this. Got any more "bad" BASE jumps that you think should be on the list? Outside Mag needs to know ASAP, as usual. Post 'em here or email me ASAP. Thanks.

Robert Pecnik's wingsuit flight from the Eiger.

4-way head down shuttlecock from KL tower (2001).
(the shuttlecock BASE jump was actually an April fools joke ad in Parachutist a number a years back.)
19-way from perrine (2003).
24-way from Kjerag (1999).
26-way in Moscow (2003).
Johnnie 9lives fire truck ladder jump (80-feet over 3 feet of water).

Here are some that quickly come to my mind.

Johnny Utah
the Venetian #1

Good ones.

I think Robert's flight from that massive Switzerland cliff was impressive, but Yuri had a longer flight.

I almost forgot about DW's double gainer from 180'.

Any more bad jumps?

Yeah, I basically think that any wingsuit BASE jump is bad-ass. Robert and Yuri are definitely two masters of that incredible discipline.

BASE #230's jump off the whispering gallery of St Paul's Cathedral...

http://dougblane.members.easyspace.com/..._pauls_cathedral.htm

Quinn

The cathedral jump was pretty insane.

I'll throw in the Harrison's train jumps for consideration as well.

As long as you're talking wingsuit BASE, I think Lukas Knutsson should definitely be remembered. And if you're talking badass videos, The Fastest Motherfucker In the Valley comes readily to mind.

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Yo !

I do not believe that the first dozen of the baddest jumps that come to mind should be mentioned in Outside magazine ;-)

Well, maybe Thor Alex NYC story... it fits the "baddest ever" from every angle three times over. Just a brief outline:

Coming and jumping 3 of the best, most famous and secure buildings in the country that nobody dared to touch for years (WTC, Empire and Chrysler)

Exchanging insults with a nazi mayor Gulliani on prime-time TV, then coming back to jump more

Getting away with it, while having a team of detectives working 24/7 on the case

...a bit later a TV program sets up an interview with Owen Quinn but instead steals the video and sends cops. Still, it takes police an hour to find and arrest Thor Alex after they arrive at his hotel room: it was too low to jump from the window but he climbed up and managed to hide for quite a while. Finally he is taken in to face multiple felony charges, prison time and a personal wrath of Gulliani. Then the most amazing part follows:

Getting out of jail a few days later

Partying like a rock star for a month waiting for a trial

Having all charges dropped (nothing is more corrupt than NY)

Having TV station sued for 7-digit numbers and taking a very, very substantial settlement

Coming back home a hero having made the best jumps on Earth, a hardcore month-long party and more money than anybody i know ever made on a base jump. Oh, and he did have a dinner with Owen Quinn before leaving New York.


bsbd!

Yuri.

Now that is badass.
Sounds like the makings of a movie...

I like thor alex's WTC jump, not only because it was badass, but also, with both Thor Alex and the WTC being gone, nothing/nobody gets burned. Let's preserve what we have by being selective what we give to the media machine!!
mh

Jason,
Perhaps it is best to offer a story about a legal "Bad to the bone" BASE jump. Otherwise it will be one more article that makes BASE jumpers look like criminals. Just my 2 cents...i could be totally wrong...and I probably am.

Legal jumps sound much better.

While Thor's jumps were definately cool, our pre-planned trip to NYC the following weekend had to be cancelled. There was a lot of bad press over those jumps.

Thanks for your input everyone.

I'd vote for that one.

Don't forget DW flying a wingsuit between the guy wires of a TV tower. Just on "who's willing to give that a shot?" factor, that one has to be included.

Legal ones sound nice, but the illegal ones usually make better stories...

How about Nick Feteris jumping Lady Liberty because he had no money to get back to Oz, and was seeking to be deported? (Click your heels and repeat after me, 'There's no place like Oz....')

In 1975 Bill Eustace, a construction worker on the CN Tower, took a round military surplus canopy off a crane sticking out from the tower at 1500'. He lost his job for it. At the time Bill had only about 30 skydives...

How about the best ones that didn't happen? A jumper I know climbed the cleaner's ropes on the Sears Tower in the early '80's, then didn't jump because he was worried the cop climbing out on the platform to talk him back in might try to stop him and fall off/get hurt... He helped the guy back into the building....

Another jumper climbed the cleaning ropes outside the CN Tower and was stuck just below the restaurant trying to get turned around for the launch... The cops took out one of the windows and said 'Don't jump from there - it's too dangerous... Come on in and we'll let you up onto the roof so you can jump and we'll arrest you when you land on the street... The jumper was later seen on the news coming out the doors at the bottom of the tower, handcuffed, saying "The suckers lied to me!"

1800' A. DW filming in a wingsuit, name-not-mentioned sort of freeflying (DW keeping flying his ass off keeping him in frame), DW breaks off, flies through guy wires, dumps too low to unzip the wings and face plants into a cactus.

I never saw "Fistful of F-111", but I think that jump made it in. DW flew through guy wires on at least two occasions, right?

The 180' double gainer is definitely up there, but wouldn;t be appreciated by a general audience.

I think you may be confusing parts of two different jumps.

The "freeflying" filming was spectacular, but I'm pretty sure none of it was done in a wingsuit.

I only saw it once. I may have been tricked by a combination of editing and alcohol. I like the way I remember it better.

Hey, I only saw it once, too.

I've watched the video a few dozen times, though.

The way I remember it is pretty impressive, too.

Wingsuit flights from Eiger

That one's on my all time top ten list, too.

"Why'd you do it?"

"I was out of cash, and needed a ticket home. Figured they'd deport me for sure..."

Only tell OUTSIDE magazine about the legal jumps.
Some of that wingsuit flying by the waterfall in Norway would really wow the masses!

By far, the baddest one I think is the one done by David Adcock in the mid-80's. He climbed the exterior of a 970' Houston building using suction cups and exited 20' below the rooftop on a small platform jammed between floors. The cops were waiting at the top of the building as he waved a single reply to them using a single finger.

List was submitted to Outside this weekend.
Only legal jumps were named.
Thanks for your input everyone.
We'll see if they'll pick from my list, or if all the energy drink hype will overwhelm them enough to unfortunately choose the Christ Rio jump.

Did he get away?

Any idea where I can get footage of that? (preferably for free on the web )

Sounds like it would really wow me...

Caveat - not a BASE jumper but aspire to be...

One of the coolest I have seen is (as fas as I am aware) the only ever jump off a rather prominent tower in Sydney, Aus. Looks to be late seveties if not earlier from the footage although i was a bit pissed when I saw it. The jumper exits a helicopter at c. 3K. Lands on the top of the tower (c. 1000 feet). Cuts away his main. Runs around like a fool for a bit then hoofs himself off and dumps his reserve. Lands in the park and cracks a bottle of Champagne open.

Pretty badass in my book...

I'll second that. Can you say "legend"?

Leg End

Yes indeed. It is showed on "A Fist Full of F-111" Australian BASE video.
Jump performed by W.A. about beginning of 80's. Really OUTSTANDING is the landing on top of large cylinder nearly touching with his Parafoil the side of small cylinder.
OUTSTANDING jump!!!!!
Me too think it is one of the coolest BASE jump ever
As far as the writing on the video says, it is the only BASE jump done by W.A. but Aussie BASE jumper think that, due to coolness of object jumped (and also to the way the whole action was performed), W.A. is a legend!!!!! And I agree with Aussie jumpers!!!

i think Marc(spell?) who showed a perfect headdown,pitching on his back,getting an 180 and mannegede to land and joke about it afterwads deserves the price(is it in f-111?,or another Aussi vid?).

"A Fistful of F1-11"

All the jumps I did with Dwain and some with Johnny Utah were a hell of a lot of fun.

Some that come to mind:

-The Low Pull Comp over about 6 rounds (slider still up on impact on the last round)
-The Double Gainer from 57m
-The Aerobatic Skysurfing jumps with me wearing & freeflying ( ;) ) a wingsuit (before Birdman started selling) & Dwain doing his magic
-The 4way linked head down shuttle cock off KL Tower (+Slim & Johnny & Dwain)
-The 3 way tube exit off KL Tower (+Slim & Dwain)
-The 9 and 11 way world records off that dangerous but beautiful cliff in Oz (including wraps & cliff strikes)
-The fog jump at Smellveggen - a week after Thor Alex - beautiful sunset, 1500 feet of cloud, Ed Trick with sprained ankle, Ed + Johnny + myself deciding to go for it. Visibility < 50 feet. Johnny & I made it (good balanced harness flying) - We found Ed hours later. The Norgies were NOT impressed.
-24 way at Kjerag

p.s. KM was the guy with 180 + upside down exit - I filmed it.

etc etc etc

I have been blessed with many great jumps. I am sure DJ would have some great stories of his adventures with DW.