BASE jumping—or parachuting off fixed objects like buildings or cliffs—is obviously a wildly dangerous prospect. But while literally every video of BASE jumping is thrilling, a new demonstration from BASE (which stands for buildings, antennae, spans, and earth) jumper Airborne Ben is on a whole new level. Or two, as the daredevil performs a “double jump” onto a rock tower and then, from there, back onto the ground.
The BASE jumper recently shared video of his extraordinary double jump on his YouTube channel. Ben has released the video as the first episode in his “project series,” The Salamander Project. (It’s unclear what other episodes in the series will entail, but we’re guessing a lot more gnarly BASE jumps.)
In the video above Ben first gives an overview of his double jump. He shows the game plan, which consists of him leaping off a cliffside in the Swiss Alps, parachuting onto a 3,200-foot-high “rock tower,” then repacking his parachute so he can skydive back down to the ground.
Just about every second of Ben’s double jump is thrilling. Even the four hour hike to the first cliffside jump point. He manages to execute both jumps perfectly, with, of course, zero room for error. But what’s perhaps most incredible is just how nervous the BASE jumper is throughout his demo.
At just after three minutes into the video, Ben sings out the word “nervous” before leaping for his first jump. At the 4:50 mark, he shows his hand shaking to demonstrate that he is indeed intensely amped by the experience. And, incidentally, reveal to us viewers that BASE jumpers are (somewhat) mortal too.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear when the second episode of The Salamander Project will hit the internet. But anybody who wants to thrill themselves vicariously through Airborne Ben can check out his Instagram account. Almost every post shows him doing something beyond terrifying.
