Two base jumpers throw themselves into the void in the Lauterbrunnen valley.Picture: KEYSTONE
Switzerland is the mecca of base jumping. Our country attracts followers from all over the world, some of whom pay for their passion with their lives. Since the beginning of August alone, two people have already died.
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Equipment check. One two three. Here we go! That’s pretty much what happens before a base jumper goes off the rails. There would only be about 2000 brave people in the world to practice this sport. Many of them have already been drawn to the Lauterbrunnen valley in the canton of Bern. With its cliffs up to 400 meters highits breathtaking panorama and its more than 10 jump sites, the region is considered a mecca for base jumpers.
Unfortunately, things don’t always go well with such jumps. Since 1981, 65 extreme athletes have been victims of a fatal accident in the valley, according to the “Base Fatality List” managed by base-jumping circles. More than one in two base-jump deaths in Switzerland (114 deaths) and almost one in seven worldwide (460 deaths) therefore took place in Lauterbrunnen.
This year, six deaths have already been recorded. At the beginning of August, a German jumper died after hitting a rock wall and falling for an as yet unknown reason below the “High Ultimate” momentum zone. Last Monday, a man died on the heights of Collonges, in Valais. His body was discovered in a torrent two days later.
On average, over the past ten years, three base jumpers have died each year in the Lauterbrunnen Valley practicing their passion. In the whole of Switzerland, there were almost seven. Compared to other causes of death in sport, base jumping is therefore not extremely dangerous in absolute numbers. For comparison, mountain hiking kills around 50 people a year in Switzerland.and there are 46 fatal bathing accidents per year.
Of course, hikers and swimmers far outnumber base-jumpers. So what is the real danger of this sport? According to Marcel Geser, president of the Swiss Base Association (SBA), around 20,000 jumps are recorded each year in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. This means that on average, a base-jumper is the victim of a fatal accident every 7000 jumps or so. However, this is an unreliable calculation.
base jump
The first part of the word is generally considered an abbreviation of:
– B : building – jump from a building
– HAS : antenna – skip an antenna
– S : span – jump from a bridge
– E : earth – jump from a high ground point (cliffs, etc.)
After a phase of free fall, the “jumpers” trigger their parachute. With so-called wingsuits, they can fly about four meters horizontally per vertical meter.
Base jumping is banned in many countries, but it is legal in Switzerland. The question of a ban is regularly discussed. According to the legislators, the practice of this extreme sport is everyone’s responsibility. A possible ban would be difficult to implement, as it is hardly possible to carry out checks on the whole territory.
Few studies
There are few scientific studies on the subject: Norwegian researchers analyzed 20,850 base jumps over 11 years, between 1995 and 2005. Nine deaths were recorded, which corresponds to one death for 2,317 jumps. Swiss scientists retrospectively studied base jump injuries in the Lauterbrunnen Valley between 2007 and 2016 and arrived at a death for 1250 jumps.
According to the Swiss Office for Accident Prevention (BPA), the risk of a base-jump accident is “incredibly high”. The institution estimates that in Switzerland, one out of 60 base jumpers is the victim of a fatal accident each year. Here again, a comparison is necessary: in paragliding, approximately one person in 2000 is the victim of a fatal accident each year. When hiking, it’s one in 80,000 people.
Of course, the risk can vary greatly from one base jumper to another. It is certainly lower among experienced jumpers in the region, who know the jumping sites and the weather conditions, than among tourists who come to Switzerland for a few days and wish to perform as many jumps as possible during this period.
But a certain residual risk remains for all. Indeed, according to statistics, the parachute does not open correctly in one case out of 3000 on average, which is often fatal for base jumpers who only have one.
Everyone knows the risks
Base jumpers are well aware of the danger to which they expose themselves by practicing their sport. “Anyone who practices this hobby knows that they are taking a big risk”explained the president of the Swiss Base Association (SBA) last April in an interview with Bärn Today.
“Everyone claims to do everything in their power to minimize this risk and be careful not to take unnecessary risks. But it can happen to anyone, at any time.
Marcel Geser, President of the SBA
By “that”, Marcel Geser means a fatal accident. But he doesn’t think about quitting. “Base jumping gives me so much and makes me so happy that I’m willing to take that risk.”
The base-jumping enthusiast has anticipated certain things in case he dies. “I did all the necessary paperwork so that my girlfriend and my family wouldn’t have any unnecessary problems if something happened to me,” he continues.
“I think I’ve found a relatively safe way for me to practice it, and I hope to continue doing so for many years – or however long it makes me happy.”
For Marcel Geser, base jumping is more than just a sport – “it’s a lifestyle”. “You can’t practice it like that, by the way,” he says. “You have to familiarize yourself with the equipment and the weather, know the places to jump and analyze the accidents that occur. It is a hobby that takes a lot of time, but it arouses a lot of emotions.
That’s why it’s not so easy to quit, he says. “A lot of people quit when they hurt themselves or because they lose a friend. There are not many who say “I saw, now I stop”.
Translated and adapted from the German by Léon Dietrich
