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Daredevil plans to soar through world’s highest natural arch

August 5, 2011  Filed under Expat news  

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By Li Zhixin
Jeb Corliss, an American professional BASE jumper, skydiver and wingsuit pilot, has set his sights on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, for his latest stunt on September 24.
He plans to soar across the mountain and through Tianmen Cave, also known as the Gateway of Heaven, regarded as the highest elevated natural arch in the world at 1,520 meters.
“Flying across Tianmen Mountain will be the most challenging task in my life,” he said. “I have visited and investigated many places, but there’s no place like Tianmen Mountain to allow me to fulfill my goal of flying through a mountain.”
The flight will mark Corliss’ third low-altitude parachute jump in China. Previously, he leapt off Shanghai’s 420-meter-high Jinmao Grand Plaza in 2004 and a 666-meter-high sinkhole in Fengjie off the Yangtze River in 2008.
Born in 1976, Corliss said he’s been living his dream, leaping from various landmarks and buildings around the world. He takes pleasure in unique dangers. His favorite quote is, “You have no control, so stop pretending you do and just get on with living your life; stop living in fear!”
Fearless though he might be, Corliss isn’t crazy. Before each flight, he does a comprehensive risk assessment. “This is the only thing I think about before formal performances,” he said.
In the two months before his Tianmen jump, Corliss will review everything and make final arrangements with his team.
Weather conditions are an essential factor. If conditions aren’t ideal, he will postpone the jump.
“I also need to choose a good flight path and practice several times to gauge speeds and gather data to safely land before the formal performance,” he said.
When Corliss first saw a low-altitude parachute jump in Italy in 1998, he fell in love with it. He began wingsuit flying and undertook his first flight that year.
Corliss was also the original host of the Discovery Channel series Stunt Junkies, but he was fired after getting arrested in 2006 for trying to jump off the Empire State Building. He got off the hook when a judge ruled he was experienced enough as a base jumper to not endanger other people or himself.
In the last 10 years, he has jumped from sites around 16 countries, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, Salto Angel Falls in Venezuela and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Currently, he is working on a plan to jump out of a helicopter with his wingsuit and land without a parachute.
Jeb Corliss said flying across Tianmen Mountain will be his most challenging task yet. Photos provided by Jeb Corliss

Jeb Corliss said flying across Tianmen Mountain will be his most challenging task yet. Photos provided by Jeb Corliss

By Li Zhixin

Jeb Corliss, an American professional BASE jumper, skydiver and wingsuit pilot, has set his sights on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, for his latest stunt on September 24.

He plans to soar across the mountain and through Tianmen Cave, also known as the Gateway of Heaven, regarded as the highest elevated natural arch in the world at 1,520 meters.

“Flying across Tianmen Mountain will be the most challenging task in my life,” he said. “I have visited and investigated many places, but there’s no place like Tianmen Mountain to allow me to fulfill my goal of flying through a mountain.”

Jeb Corliss has been low altitude parachute jumping for 13 years.

Jeb Corliss has been low altitude parachute jumping for 13 years.

The flight will mark Corliss’ third low-altitude parachute jump in China. Previously, he leapt off Shanghai’s 420-meter-high Jinmao Grand Plaza in 2004 and a 666-meter-high sinkhole in Fengjie off the Yangtze River in 2008.

Born in 1976, Corliss said he’s been living his dream, leaping from various landmarks and buildings around the world. He takes pleasure in unique dangers. His favorite quote is, “You have no control, so stop pretending you do and just get on with living your life; stop living in fear!”

Fearless though he might be, Corliss isn’t crazy. Before each flight, he does a comprehensive risk assessment. “This is the only thing I think about before formal performances,” he said.

In the two months before his Tianmen jump, Corliss will review everything and make final arrangements with his team.

Weather conditions are an essential factor. If conditions aren’t ideal, he will postpone the jump.

“I also need to choose a good flight path and practice several times to gauge speeds and gather data to safely land before the formal performance,” he said.

When Corliss first saw a low-altitude parachute jump in Italy in 1998, he fell in love with it. He began wingsuit flying and undertook his first flight that year.

Corliss was also the original host of the Discovery Channel series Stunt Junkies, but he was fired after getting arrested in 2006 for trying to jump off the Empire State Building. He got off the hook when a judge ruled he was experienced enough as a base jumper to not endanger other people or himself.

In the last 10 years, he has jumped from sites around 16 countries, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, Salto Angel Falls in Venezuela and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Currently, he is working on a plan to jump out of a helicopter with his wingsuit and land without a parachute.

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