British daredevil Joshua Bregmen has set a new Guinness World Record by skiing off an 18,753-foot cliff and parachuting safely to the ground. The record, recognized by Guinness World Records, involved Bregmen, 34, executing the world’s highest altitude ski jump from a 5,716-meter (18,753-foot) cliff, surpassing the previous record of 4,359 meters (14,301 feet) set by Frenchman Matthias Giraud in 2019.
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New record: Highest altitude Ski-BASE jump – 5,716 m (18,753 ft) achieved by Joshua Bregmen (UK) in Solukhum, Nepal ⛷ pic.twitter.com/uJBCt6HIvT
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) August 16, 2024
Ski-base jumping, as the sport is known, merges skiing and base jumping. Bregmen, who lives in his van full-time, and his team dedicated over two weeks to preparing for the attempt. This preparation included hiking and skiing to the jump site, camping at high altitude, and clearing debris from the course. The challenge aimed to raise funds for charity and increase awareness about human trafficking in Nepal, where thousands of children are trafficked annually.
The record attempt faced obstacles when the team encountered a rocky slope at their initial jump site. Despite the setbacks, they located a suitable slope, cleared boulders, and added snow to create a runway.
“It took most of the next day until we had nothing left in the tank,” Bregmen said.
He described the physical toll of the endeavor, noting, “The lack of oxygen, constant headaches, and sleeping at around 6,000 meters added to the body’s degradation. One of the guys even said this was harder than when he climbed Everest.”
After another night at high altitude, they made their record attempt the following day. Bregmen recalled, “That night we were blessed with a 2 cm dusting of snow—not much, but it helped.”
He continued, “The dream was to do several nice S-turns and ski eloquently off the cliff, but in reality, all we had was just a humble rock-filled runway at an exit height of nearly 6,000 meters.” He added, “I did some nice, heavy breathing before the jump through exhaustion and lack of oxygen, but this just added to the exhilaration, especially with Everest in the backdrop.”
