Wingsuits Over Canada

The lovely and talented Steph Davis posted this great video of her and Mario Richard having some fun in their wingsuits over Quebec, Canada. In the description for the video she describes it as capturing "A fine day in the sky where no one has any parachute malfunctions, and nothing bad happens to anyone." Which of course begs the question, how often do you have parachute malfunctions and what bad things occur on a regular basis? Those comments don't exactly inspire confidence in this sport.

Still, it makes for a lovely video on a Thursday morning.




Pas de Deux from steph davis on Vimeo.

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Skydiver Set To Break Altitude, Speed Record

Austrian Felix Baumgartner is set to challenge two amazing skydiving records later this year, as he attempts to jump from the edge of space, setting a new record for highest altitude, and while in free fall, he hopes to break a 50-year old speed record, by breaking the sound barrier.

Sponsored by Red Bull (Who else?), Baumgartner hopes to ascend to 120,000 feet with the help of a giant balloon filled with helium. The 600-foot wide balloon will carry a specially designed canister up to where the atmosphere is thin, with Baumgartner tucked away inside. It is estimated that it will take roughly three hours for the skydiver to reach the designated height, at which time he'll rotate the capsule's door open and leap out, setting the new record for high altitude jump in the process.

He'll then proceed to free fall for some time, and with the air so thin at that altitude, Felix's support crew expects him to reach supersonic speeds in about 35 seconds or so. If their calculations are correct, he'll set a new speed record as well. As he descends, He could drift as much as 150-200 miles from his starting point. The team hopes to prove that an astronaut could survive a similar jump were they forced to abandon a spacecraft on re-entry.

As of now, there is no target date set for when he'll make the jump. The team is hoping that it will happen this year, but they are still clearing some logistical hurdles. They will be conducting a number of test jumps at lower altitudes while they work out the final details and look for a proper weather window to make the leap.

For more on the story, check out the Fox News article found here.

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Top Ten Most Beautiful Sky Dives

Forbes Traveler has posted another fun article today taking a look at the Top Ten Most Beautiful Skydives in the World.

Making the list are Mt. Everest/Nepal which kind of speaks for itself. I can only imagine skydiving over the Himalaya, and the sites you'd see from 8000 feet up. Lido Lakes, Indonesia gets a mention as well, as two volcanoes, and beautiful tropical forests are the highlight here, while in Swakopmund, Namibia it's all about the stark landscapes of the desert dunes.

Most of the locations on the list seem to fit the requirements, offering beautiful, exotic places for those brave souls who think that stepping out of a perfectly good aircraft is somehow a great idea. But the one that struck me as a bit odd was the inclusion of West Tennessee. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's quite lovely there, but the text for this location seems to indicate that the best part of the jump is the HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) thrill ride, and not the scenery. Maybe this one should be part of their top ten adrenaline rushes, and left off the scenic list.

As alway, it's still a fun read, and offers up some great ideas for adventure travel. I, however, will plan to stay on the ground in these locations and enjoy the scenery at a more leisurely pace, rather than having it hurling upwards at me at 60 mph.

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