Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the heavens for Red Bull Stratos will break all records for height and speed of fall, but here are six more daring vertical exploits that were nonetheless spectacular in their daring and enterprise.
Vertical Rush
The concept of Vertical Rush is simple – a challenge to get to the top of the City of London’s tallest building as quickly as possible, casting aside any temptation to take advantage of Elisha Otis’s 1853 invention, the lift. The clue is in the name of the building to be scaled, Tower 42, with competitors having to climb the 42 floors – or 920 steps – on foot. But Vertical Rush is not just limited to elite athletes, nor talented enthusiasts, but, as a fundraiser for UK housing and homelessness charity Shelter, anybody can take part either individually or as a team… if they are mad enough, that is.
Red Bull Downstairs
There are some things in life that just do not go together – a mountain bike and the pancake-flat Netherlands are a prime example. But on March 8, 2009, one Czech and seven Dutch BMX and downhill mountain bikers headed for a near-derelict, ramshackle 11-storey building in the heart of Amsterdam with one thing in mind – to race down the stairs from top to bottom on a 400m course of 324 stairs. The Red Bull Downstairs riders went shoulder-to-shoulder down the steep, narrow stairwells, jumping over ‘tree stumps’, ‘branches’ and ‘roots’ in the actual form of broken steps, battered filing cabinets and dangling cables, all without flying out of a broken window, with Ivo van der Putten emerging victorious.
Felix Baumgartner's Taipei 101 BASE jump
Felix Baumgartner has developed something of a reputation for jumping from great heights… however, it is a little closer to Earth where Baumgartner made his name, most notably becoming the first person to BASE jump from Taipei 101, Taiwan, in 2007, then the world’s tallest building at 1,670ft (509m). But Baumgartner hardly had the thumbs-up from officials, instead having to hide his parachute inside the ceiling of the 91st floor observation desk for five days in order to wait for the perfect conditions. Now that’s commitment.
Alain Robert’s Petronas Towers climb
If Baumgartner made his name leaping from buildings, then Alain Robert – or ‘Spider-Man’ – is equally adept at climbing up them. Using only his bare hands and feet, Robert’s urban climbing career has seen him scale some of the world’s most famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House, and tallest skyscrapers, such as New York’s Empire State Building and London’s Canary Wharf Tower. Like Baumgartner, Robert’s career has seen him duck and dive from the authorities, and the Frenchman’s first attempt to reach the peak of the Petronas Towers ended in arrest on the 62nd floor, 28 from the top, before again being apprehended during his second attempt on the 1,483ft (452m) summit 10 years later. But Robert finally reached his goal on September 1, 2009, unfurling a Malaysian flag at the top to finally strike a victory over the police and attract the attention of the media the world over.
Philippe Petit’s twin towers high-wire act
On August 7, 1974, shortly after 7.15am, Petit stepped off the top of the South Tower of New York’s World Trade Center and into history, waltzing across a high wire suspended between the twin towers for 45 minutes, making eight crossings a quarter of a mile above the streets of Manhattan, while taunting the authorities who were waiting to arrest the Frenchman. Perhaps they should have seen it coming. After all, Petit had shown a rebellious streak throughout his life, having been expelled from five schools and run away from home aged 15.
Robbie Maddison’s Step-Up
Having wowed the crowds by breaking the world record for the longest motorcycle jump at the debut Red Bull: New Year. No Limits event in 2007, Robbie Maddison returned to Las Vegas with a sensational prop in his ammo – a 96ft (30m) replica of Paris’s Arc de Triomphe. Not content with going further than ever before, Maddison set his mind on going higher than ever before, stunning the 300,000-strong crowd by jumping up a ramp and landing atop the Arc with perfect precision, only to drop 60ft (20m) from the top with his sights set on the landing ramp.
If you’ve a head for heights, head to www.redbullstratos.com
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