One More Reason Not to Wingsuit

By Scott Tunstall on February 21st, 2012

I recall about ten years ago watching a documentary about BASE jumping. It focused on this young Australian dude (his name escapes me) who never met a tower, bridge or mountain he didn’t want to leap from with nothing more than a mini parachute and a prayer. Sadly, the thing he loved doing most is the same thing that ended his life. He bought it free-falling off a cliff.

Wingsuiting is similar to BASE, except instead of falling, you soar through the air with a Batman type suit before pulling the chute. It’s majestic and cool and I assume exhilarating as long as everything goes a-okay. While profiling wingsuiter Jeb Corliss, HBO Real Sports captured what it’s like when things go the opposite of okay. Like when the wingsuiter smashes into the side of a mountain.