Saturday, September 10, 2011

Anger in Swiss village over BASE jumpers killing themselves...

Before Dominik Loyen, 43, leaps into the abyss, he dons his sunglasses. The German BASE jumper is standing on the edge of an 800 meter-high rock face in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. Beneath him lies the village of Lauterbrunnen. The sky is clear and mountain streams twinkle in the distance. Loyen takes two quick steps forward and flings himself over the edge.

He rushes downwards head first, barely missing a rocky outcrop. After 18 seconds in the air, Loyen deploys his parachute around 150 meters above the ground. Shortly afterwards, he lands gently in a valley field.

BASE jumping is a variation of parachuting, giving adrenaline junkies a buzz that lasts just seconds. But BASE jumpers don't dive out of planes. They jump from tall buildings, bridges and cliffs (BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth). And anyone who really wants to experience the feeling of flying comes here to Lauterbrunnen.

The village is a mecca for BASE jumpers. Enormous rock walls soar vertically at heights of up to 1,100 meters. Extreme sports fans come from around the world to enjoy the ultimate high, and there were around 15,000 jumps in Lauterbrunnen last year. More...

Don't miss:
  1. Base jumping in Switzerland!!! Wow! 
  2. "Flying squirrel" Jeb Corliss in wingsuit demo...
  3. Yves Rossy, bird-man...
  4. Urban swimming in Bern, Switzerland...
  5. Jean-Yves Blondeau body skating down the Swiss Alps...
  6. Skyliners: walking between mountains! Amazing...
  7. Switzerland and the naked ramblers!!! 

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