Austrian parachutist Felix Baumgartner was the first man who practised BASE-jumping from the Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro. BASE-jumpers leap from a famous building and open their parachute only a few seconds before hitting the ground. The goal is to freefall as long as possible. BASE-jumping is considered an extremely risky and radical sport, which is also why it is illegal in many countries.
Baumgartner planned his jump from the Christ the Redeemer statue five months in advance. He and his team secretly arrived on Corcovado summit in the middle of the night and kept themselves hidden from security.
Just before sunset, he fired an arrow attached to a steel cable over the right arm of Christ statue. Then he used the cable to hoist a 60-metre (180-foot) climbing rope over the arm. With the aid of special climbing gear, he scaled the rope up the Christ statue’s hand, which is only 25 centimetres (9.8 inches) wide.
He left flowers on the statue’s right shoulder, and just after sunrise of December 7, 1999, he jumped off the right hand of the Christ statue. The fall was only 30 metres (98 feet), which left him only 1.5 seconds to open his parachute!
For other curiosities as well as practical travel information on the statue get your updated copy of the e-book Christ the Redeemer Statue – A Comprehensive Guidebook to Visiting the Rio de Janeiro Landmark atop Corcovado Mountain.
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