Illegal BASE jump from Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola probed
RCMP are investigating after a man BASE jumped from the Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler, B.C., last Thursday, then posted a video of the illegal stunt on YouTube.
The video posted on Wednesday, which also shows a female companion in the gondola, was apparently shot from a helmet camera worn by the man, who makes the jump at around the 2:30 mark of the video.
In a statement issued Wednesday, a representative of Whistler Blackcomb said the man first entered the gondola at around 3:45 PT before jumping 436 metres from the moving cabin, at the highest point above Fitzsimmons Creek.
Judging from the video, it appears the man landed safely, but despite an extensive search by a Whistler Blackcomb mountain patroller and RCMP at the time, he has still not been found.
The statement added that it is believed the man used brute force to open the gondola doors and damaged the opening and locking systems, which are designed to prevent the doors opening on their own.
"Whistler Blackcomb takes tampering a lift system very seriously and is working with the RCMP to press charges and recoup damages to the Peak 2 Peak Gondola," said the statement.
The title of the video, "McConkey Reborn," apparently honours Shane McConkey, an extreme skier who BASE jumped from the same point on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola when it opened in 2008.
McConkey's jump, however, with fellow BASE jumper Miles Daisher, was carried out in an event sponsored by Red Bull and with the permission of Whistler Blackcomb.
McConkey died in 2009 after jumping off a cliff with a parachute while filming a movie in Italy.
BASE jumping usually involves a leap off fixed objects, such as a cliff or a building, with a parachute.
