A 33-year-old, thrill-seeking, British man died after BASE jumping from a cliff edge in the Italian Dolomites.
The Dolomites are a beautiful mountain range in northeastern Italy. The region is also very popular for thrill-seeking adventurers. According to UNILAD, the fatal accident took place around 1800 m, at Pala di San Lucano. The area is a popular one for BASE jumpers, and other extreme sports participants.
The now-deceased jumper's body was recovered 80 m from where he had first taken off from. The recovery of his body was plenty tricky. Rescue crews used drones, helicopters, and GoPro footage, which was captured by the other two jumpers in the deceased's group. Notably, those two jumpers alerted emergency crews of the accident after their jumping buddy never made it to their planned rendezvous point.
Diego Favero, who works on the mountain rescue crew in the area, said the recovery was tough to pull off. Favero made the point that the crews first received the call around 10 AM, and were not off the mountain after the recovery until around 4 PM. The tough terrain certainly made things complicated for the crew.
According to Favero, this is the second death of a BASE jumper within a month in his local area. Moreover, the tragedy marks the fourth BASE jumper to die across the Dolomites region this summer.
BASE Jumper Dies in Italian Dolomites
The death of the 33 year-old British man is still under investigation by local police in Belluno. In a statement, Belluno authorities did confirm the accident, and subsequent death, took place on Wednesday morning - September 4th. It was also confirmed that the two jumpers who were with the deceased that day are being questioned by the investigating prosecutor.
Extreme sports certainly carry innate risk. Those who chase such thrills as BASE jumping are seemingly wired just a bit differently than the average individual. BASE jumping is a particularly wild way to spend a September morning. The act involves leaping from a cliff, while wearing a specialized suit. The suit is intended to act as "wings," allowing a jumper to steer their "flight," which is really just a controlled descent. Eventually, the goal is to open a parachute and land safely. On Wednesday, this process went awry, and tragedy struck.
