By Xinyi Li, EDITOR

280 meters high, 34 meters span on average, and 10 meters of fault-tolerant height... On May 1st, six world top extreme athletes challenged the base jumping cross Tianlong Bridge, one of the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong District. Only two of them succeeded due to the complicated geological environment and the air turbulence.

Six extreme athletes challenged base jumping to cross the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, but only two succeed

The six sophisticated base jumpers are from the US and Brazil. Among them, the most skilled one has 13 years of low-altitude flight experience and 5,600 parachuting practices; the least-experienced one has tried low-altitude flight for 8 years and parachuted for over 1,000 times. Not to mention that one challenger is the keeper of the Guinness World Records in crossing the world smallest marker.

Six extreme athletes are from the US and Brazil

“It is indeed challenging. The Three Natural Bridges feature valley landform, and the air flow will accelerate things passing through the entrance. Afterward, the players will face higher difficulty to handle the parachutes accurately than ever.” Sheng Guangqiang, the Chinese organizer of this activity, expressed. The jumping-off point is only 280 meters away from the bottom vertically. In comparison, the lowest safety height for general skydiving is 500 meters and the lowest level for paratroopers 300 meters.

Six extreme athletes challenged base jumping to cross the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, but only two succeed

At 12:30, when the “golden time” came, Sheng Guangqiang announced the start. Two base challengers from the US and Brazil jumped off the cliff, arousing exciting screams from the visitors. Suddenly, the parachute opened successfully with a huge “bang”, drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience. However, in the strong turbulent flow, the two jumpers were like leaves flying in the wind. They nearly crashed into the cliff rocks. Thanks to the excellent skills, they controlled the parachutes and slowly passed through the targeted bridge cave. The Brazilian one landed at the predetermined area in Tianfu Official Station, while the American one failed and landed on one road under the bridge.

Six extreme athletes challenged base jumping to cross the Three Natural Bridges in Wulong, but only two succeed

Later, three players jumped off the cliff in succession, but only one of them reached the target successfully. The last one gave up due to the difficulty and weather issues. As the largest naturally-formed bridge cluster, the Three Natural Bridges not only boasts gorgeous landscapes but also provide an ideal destination for outdoor challengers. It attracts groups of explorers from across the world every year for scientific researches or extreme sports.

The place attracts groups of explorers from across the world every year for scientific researches or extreme sports

Source: Chongqing Daily News