Two competitors stand side-by-side, waiting for the signal to begin their race. If they’re a little more nervous than your average race competitors, there’s a good reason: this is not your average speed trial. The track for this event is a 750-meter (2,500 foot) drop down the side of a cliff, and a wrong move can have a consequence far more terminal than a sprained ankle or a twisted knee.
The competition is the World BASE Race, and the title up for grabs is ‘The World’s Fastest Flying Human Being’. To win, participants must race each other to the bottom of a cliff using only a wingsuit, the law of gravity — and nerves of steel.
The World BASE Race has been taking place annually at Innfjorden, in Rauma, Norway, since 2008. BASE jumpers come from all over the world to compete in the event. Some are serious competitors, while others participate just for the fun of it. Many more come to watch the thrilling spectacle of people jumping off high cliffs and racing through the air to the finish line in stunning surroundings.
BASE jumping (an acronym of buildings, antennas, spans and earth) was officially born when two jumpers, Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield, leapt from a skyscraper in Houston in 1981. The pair had already performed successful jumps from antennas, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs), and by jumping from a building became the first people to jump from the four different platform types and qualify for a ‘BASE number’. Since then, the sport has evolved to incorporate specialized equipment such as wingsuits, the Batman-like outfits you see the competitors wearing here.
Read more at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-worlds-most-dangerous-race#wFpr4fkXC7001c5u.99
