Ken Stornes is not your average bear. The Norwegian veteran is well known for his incredible feats of athleticism following his time in the military. Calling himself a "Viking on adventure," Stornes has become famous for posting videos of himself working out, taking cold plunges, and climbing mountains—all viewed by his nearly 800,000 followers on Instagram.
He's also celebrated for his heart-stopping "death dives." Death diving is a form of extreme freestyle high-diving in which the diver jumps with stretched arms and belly first (a belly flop, essentially) and then lands in either a cannonball or a pike position. It's a popular sport in Norway, where is it known as Dødsing; the world championship is held in Oslo, Norway. And, while Stornes hasn't won the world championship, as of Dec. 3, he held the record for the highest death dive in the world.
Stornes uploaded the video of his record-breaking death dive on his Instagram. In the clip, he stands on a small, man-made ledge on the side of a cliff in what appears to be one of Norway's famous fjords. Huge plates of ice float in the water below him, indicating just how cold the water is that Stornes is about to enter.
Stornes throws a large rock off the ledge, supposedly to break the water's tension below, as well as create some texture so he can see the surface coming. Just after the rock hits the water, Stornes throws himself off the ledge, body outstretched until the last moment.
A team of people waits in the icy water below to ensure he can get out safely.
With that one dive—measured at 132 feet high—Stornes officially broke the world record. In the caption, he writes, "Once again we take the deathdive world record back to Norway where it belongs."
The women's world record is 100 feet, held by another Norwegian, Asbjørg Nesje.
