B.A.S.E JUMPING: The serene side we have never seen

  • Author Image
    Talia Avakian
Short film about B.A.S.E jumping runner up in Vimeo video awards
Slow motion B.A.S.E jumping in Norway Switzerland and France

 

…courtesy of BBC Travel

 

Watching base jumping films can be a nerve-wracking experience, but this video captures the sport’s often-unseen serene side.

Created by long-time base jumper and skydiver, Ossie Khan, and shot over a two-year period, Experience Zero Gravity reveals some of the most stunning base jumping locations in Europe. What makes the film special, however, is that the footage is played in slow motion, allowing you to revel in the splendour of each place while feeling as though you’re experiencing the magnificence of human flight.

“There’s a really beautiful side to base jumping and to being able to fly through the sky in what becomes a very non-stressful headspace,” said Khan, whose goal with his filmsis to challenge the misconception that base jumping is all about adrenaline.

The video’s four main locations are Switzerland’s Eiger Mushroom (six seconds in), a 335m-high base-jumping and rock-climbing mecca; Switzerland’s popular High Nose jump in Lauterbrunnen (22 seconds in); Norway’s 900 to about 2,000m drops from the Fjord Mountains in Lysebotn (30 seconds in); and the majestic mountainsides of Annecy in France (35 seconds in).

Each location has its own special beauty, but for Khan, base jumping is unique because it provides a very different travel experience.

“I am looking at the city from a bird’s eye view and jumping directly down … not many people get to see it from that perspective,” said Khan of his experience jumping from the Eiger Mushroom in the Bernese Alps.

For those interested in base jumping, Khan recommends beginning with skydiving, then travelling to jumping points via tour groups such as Stevanger Base Klubb in Norway.

Thank you to BBC Travel for featuring this story
  • Author Image
    Talia Avakian

Read more

More Blog 1

CHUTE THE BREEZE

  • Author Image
    Craig Tansley

Craig Tansley steps out into thin air and drops in for lunch at Rochford Wines. At 2400 metres, as the Yarra Valley and its 141 wineries appear as specks below me through the window of our tiny propeller plane, my tandem skydive instructor advises it’s time to relax and compose myself. But there are some […]

Read Post
More Blog 1

WORLD RECORD: Greatest number of skydives jump simultaneously (unofficial)

  • Author Image
    Nir Davidson

  For the past few weeks, the team from Melbourne Skydive Centre and Go Wild Ballooning have been making balloon jumps over the Yarra Valley and learning the art of dropping a large amount of skydivers from a hot air balloon. The aim was to beat the current world record of 20 skydivers exiting from […]

Read Post

Play Video