Wingsuit through this tiny rock formation at high speed

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Uli Emanuele aims for the tiny opening of this rock formation in Switzerland.
Uli Emanuele aims for the tiny opening of this rock formation in Switzerland.
Photo: Uli Emanuele/GoPro/YouTube

The difference in Uli Emanuele’s latest wingsuit flight and a thread going the eye of a needle is that if it misses, the thread gets a do-over.

So to tell you that Emanuele’s shot through a small opening in a rock formation in Switzerland was successful shouldn’t spoil the video. You will cringe and scoot tensely to the edge of your seat.

Emanuele’s jump, filmed with GoPro cameras mounted to his chest and helmet, was posted to YouTube on July 1 and already is approaching 3 million views.

Uli Emanuele calmly adjusts his GoPro camera before his flight.
Uli Emanuele calmly adjusts his GoPro camera before his flight.
Photo: Uli Emanuele/GoPro/YouTube

BASE jumpers are a nutty breed, but even the most daring may have thought Emanuele crazy for wanting to fly through an opening about two meters at its widest between rock formations in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.

According to the video, he prepared three years for the flight. The video shows a jump that suggests an aborted first attempt, in which he seems to have the good sense to fly past the opening. On the next jump, he leaps from the other side of the mountain.

There is no scraping sound at the point of entry so it appears Emanuele flew through cleanly. To get a sense for how small the opening is, Emanuele shows viewers an up close look during a pre-flight hike, stretching a walking stick between the walls of the formation.

He lands on a patch of green where his only other witnesses were a couple of grazing goats. They did not seem interested.

GoPro, which posted the video to YouTube, suggested it was quite possible the most technical and difficult BASE jump ever. See for yourself.

Source: Laughing Squid

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