At the end of September we spent a long weekend at the Eiger. I jumped with a small GPS unit from which I have uploaded a few tracklogs to google earth. It is my pleasure to share them with you here.
Two of these Eiger jumps were very special, to me. The first was from the normal 'Mushroom' exit point, which is jumped regularly in the summer months. What was special about this day was the fact that I was finally able (after about 6 tries this summer) to fly my wingsuit to the valley floor at Grindelwald, which is just over 5km away and 2000m below the exit point.
The second jump is now being called 'The biggest BASE jump in the world'. This 'new' spot has always been there, 500m higher on the Eiger than the normal exit point, but until Dean Potter (click) started exploring the upper wall no BASE jumper had ever bothered to look for it. Skydivers are a silly bunch, really, and that's why we like hanging out with adventurers. In August, Dean's persistence paid off and he and Andy West (click) were the first off of this new spot (Incidentally, Andy West also completed, with Dave Barlia (click), the first ever Mushroom wingsuit jump in 2000).
As yet unnamed (March 2010 - Edited to add that Dean has named it 'The Ecstasy Board') this exit point is a 2530m vertical flight to Grindelwald. It is a technical exit that is not easy to access, and it has a very short 'rock drop', meaning that you need to get your wingsuit flying soon in order to not have a bad day. The exit is high on the Eiger and although it's easy to find once you've been there, going without prior knowledge would be daunting, at best.
I was the 3rd person to jump this exit, together with Andy West, on September 26th. Video:
The first three people to jump this exit were all Americans with Tony Suits (Dean, Andy, and myself). We think that's cute, and it's bound to upset a few of the self proclaimed titans of wingsuiting. My Tony Suit flew at an average forward speed of 85mph during cruise glide, which is not exceedingly fast or slow... just comfortable, really.
Special thanks to Dean for his unique and adventuresome vision, and Andy for his commitment to total Eigerness. You guys are awesome and I can't wait to fly with you more.
My GPS tracklogs of both flights. The first flight, from the Mushroom, ends with my deployment in the flat fields at Grindelwald Grund, landing under canopy at the campground there. The second wingsuit flight from the higher exit point passes by the Mushroom and then continues toward, but not all the way to, Grindelwald (tired arms). I then flew under canopy to land in the same place.
Looking toward Grindelwald, with the Mushroom exit point on the left and the 'Heiger' exit, higher on the right. I do not understand why the tracklog jumps up at the start when it should be falling down. A more experienced .gpx file expert would know, I'm sure.
If you want my .kmz file then I will send it to you if I know you and I like you.
Largely unrelated: Here's another big one much closer to home, called the Dent de Crolles. This beauty is an 1800m wingsuit flight with a nice long plateau that you have to clear if you want to get all the vertical out of the jump. Lots of people do it, but when you're standing on the exit point it definitely looks impossible. Tons o' Fun.
