Video Credit:CEN
A British man was among an international group of 27 BASE jumpers who reportedly risked their lives to grab the world record for the most BASE jumps from a bridge in a single jump.
British BASE jumper Mark Andrews was one of those that travelled to the Skypark bridge at a bungee jumping park set up by New Zealand entrepreneur AJ Hackett in the Olympic city of Sochi.
Speaking to Central European News (CEN), the Skypark marketing and communications manager Olga Poletyko said that they had beaten the previous world record for the most number of BASE jumpers from a bridge by one, which had allegedly been made a year earlier.
She said that they had not registered the jump with Guinness as they did not want to pay the fee, but said the global community of BASE jumpers of which they were a member had allegedly accepted it was a World Record, and had already started to pass on congratulations.
And she added: “We are delighted and proud that it all worked out so well and we were able to perform this stunt. It was particularly great that there were so many international participants who took part and entrusted their lives to our organisers.”
This video of the incident shows a carefully coordinated leap by the 27 BASE jumpers including Mark plus others from Russia, Denmark, France, India, Brazil and Turkey.
It also included two from the US, including Johnny Utah Winkelkotter who notched up numerous world records often for multiple BASE jumps such as a 49-way Cliff Jump at Eikesdalen in Norway in 2009.
Also present was fellow American Katie Dainson, who works in her day job as an emergency helicopter rescue pilot in New York.
The video was shot while the “Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi-adventure Park” was hosting the International BASE Jumping Festival in the Adler district of the city of Sochi, south-western Russia.
The 27 BASE jumpers from all over the world simultaneously jumped off the Skybridge located 207 metres (679 feet) above the ground, allegedly beating the previous record by one person.
Local media report that during the four days of the festival there was a total of more than 800 jumps were done from the Skybridge which is popular for BASE jumpers because of the picturesque gorge and beautiful mountain river beneath it.
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Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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