Oct. 11, 2009
Taking Flight With The Birdmen
60 Minutes Travels To Norway To Witness One Of The World's Most Extreme Sports
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Play CBS Video Video The Birdmen In the latest craze that has killed several extreme adventurers, men don wing suits, jump off mountain tops and glide at speeds of 140 miles per hour. Steve Kroft reports.
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Video "I Am Flying" J.T. Holmes says he can fly. His flights may only last a minute but they are a sight to behold.. Take a look and judge for yourself.
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Video "There He Goes" J.T. Holmes shows Steve Kroft how he uses his wingsuit to fly. His journey begins a mile above the valley floor.
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(CBS)
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Photo Essay The Birdmen Take flight with these athletic daredevils!
"How long does it take to get up to the ledge where you go from?" Kroft asked.
"This one's about an hour and a half. But, you know, some of 'em are up to four, five, six hours for the big, big mountains around here," Holmes explained.
There are no chairlifts, which explains why Holmes, Julian Boulle, and Tom Erik Heiman are members of such a small and exclusive club. You have to be a skilled climber, an accomplished skydiver and an experienced outdoorsman to even attempt to do this.
"You know, it's that first view, looking over the edge that really hits you. You're like, 'Whoa, cool. This is an amazing spot to fly,'" Holmes said.
"Money can't buy you this experience," Boulle explained. "You've got to have the passion to do your time. If you haven't done the time, you just can't get there. You can't arrive with like $10,000 and buy a wingsuit experience."
"What do you have to know? What kind of skills do you have to have to be able to do what you do?" Kroft asked.
"You need to just have some mountain sense. You know, 'How long am I gonna be? What if something goes wrong? How long is it gonna be until I can get back if the weather comes in?' You need to know yourself. 'How much water do I need to have? Can I realistically walk up this mountain for two hours? Or is that not within my physical capabilities?'" Holmes said.
It looks spontaneous, but the birdmen put together a detailed plan every time they jump.
And they almost always have help from the locals who serve as spotters, keeping them posted of weather conditions and potential problems on the ground. A birdman died there just last spring.
Asked if he ever gets spooked high up on the mountain, Holmes told Kroft, "I have, yeah. On a couple of occasions, I've had no real good reason for not jumping, but I just walk back down."
"We're trying to get people to understand that we're not crazy," Boulle said. "We just want to have fun like everybody else. And we want to share nature like everyone else. We just have our own special way of doing it."
"If you die BASE jumping it is your own fault. It is your own mistakes that makes that happen," fellow birdman Espen Fadnes explained.
"Do you think about it, I mean when you're up there on top of the mountain, you're getting ready to go. And you all shake hands and say . . . . Do you think about the possibility?" Kroft asked.
"Yeah, but we don't think like, 'I may not see you again,'" Holmes said.
"That never enters your mind? Come on," Kroft said.
"If you do crash when you're flying your wingsuit, you're gonna die. Nobody lives through that. You're just going too fast," Holmes said.
Holmes was just 15 when his dad took him helicopter skiing. Today he's one of the best in the world at it, making a living endorsing products and making movies for top-of-the-line production companies like MSP Films.
"You're a professional skier," Kroft noted. "I mean, in your day job, you could, there are any number of ways you could kill yourself in your day job. And for fun, you take on something that's maybe even more dangerous?"
"Yeah, I do dangerous things," Holmes said.
Produced by Tom Anderson
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Add a Comment See all 25 Comments
- I thought this was a great story and I don't think these guys seem nuts at all. They prepare in advance and understand the risks. Stories like this always inspire me to seek more adventure in my own life. And the scenery was beautiful!
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- Google Anita Dunn. CBS refuses to tell the story
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- This guy should have quit the moment his child was born. That's what's really troubling about all this. Doesn't he care about his family? Sad.
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- Truly Inspiring! And to think it all started with Leonardo Da Vinci's simple sketch of a "maximum drag decelerator" back in 1485...with the imagination of sporting heros from the 1930s, such as Leo Gasperl, the sport has really "taken off" in so many directions...even downhill skateboarding!
Check it out here: www.sporting-sails.com - Reply to this comment
- Hell, I'd try this in a second! I'll be 70 years young in a year. Looks like a hoot to me. You're a long time dead so you better get your kicks now!
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- orin: i agree. i do extreme stuff (skydiving and i did my first ultramarathon last month) and i am amused by the stay-at-home-on-the-couch crowd's "you MIGHT die" warnings. i "might" die? what a relief....until they warned me of this, i thought that i was definitely going to die. how nice to know that it MAY NOT happen.
- If these guys want to jump off mountains at thier own expense. Then so what. They are not infringing on the rights of anyone else. And under those circumstances, they can do whatever they want. Of course you are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to stop them. I personally think they're a little crazy. But you have to admit. They have some serious Big ****.
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- In ancient Hawaii, the great 18th-century chief Kahekili was famous for "lele pali," or cliff jumping, which he did off 2000-foot cliffs Maui, using a specially constructed cape. He was also known as an outstanding athlete and warrior.
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- Birds fly, men drink
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- I saw this last night. I though they were IDIOTS jumping off cliffs like that. They could see their shadows on the Cliff face >> one strong blast of wind and they will hit the cliff and be dead.
It would be so much more fun doing that and jumping out of a plane at 11 or 12,000 feet. Now that would be fun. - Reply to this comment
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- OSU: Why do they call these people idiots? Because they are risking their lives? You want to do the same by jumping out of an aircraft 11,000 or 12,000 feet in the air. I am a skydiver. I have about 1200 jumps. Many of my friends have done BASE jumps. They aren't foolish. They take calculated risks and are serious about their sport, as am I.
- We are still holding the backs of our knees as we watched them skim the cliffs and eye tearing speed. This was enlightening and I am sure the flying folks are approaching enlightenment when they 'take off'. Great segment to show we are enjoying our brief time on planet earth.
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- Wile E Coyote did it first.
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- Wile E Coyote had the benefit of the perpetual life and health of a cartoon figure. How many times has he fallen off cliffs, been hit in the head by falling bolders, smacking the side of a canyon on an Acme rocket? Still, when he has the presence of mind to pull up a sign with a comically droll statement as the shadow of the falling boulder gets increasingly larger.
- by AttentionDeficit
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All true, and some of his ideas (like instant hole) still bring a smile to my face decades later.
- Want to visit Norway?
www.visitnorway.com
www.fjordnorway.com
www.visitmolde.com - Reply to this comment
- Well, unlike the previous posters, I did enjoy this segment. I agree that these guys are nuts, but less so than the football players in the previous segment, who are apparently doing the equivalent of jumping out of a car going 40 mph and landing on their heads. That's *really* nuts. Thanks for letting me watch the crazy people from the comfort of my TV room.
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- Just a bunch of adrenaline junkies, nothing more. Man already knows how to fly. It's called an airplane.
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- We just finished watching the Birdmen story -- what a waste of time when there are so many real news stories to cover! Who funds these daredevils? Maybe the money should be used for help with brain injuries or something else that would contribute to society. Glorifying these guys isn't worthy of 60 minutes.
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- Maybe you should not complain about people spending their money the way they want. If you want your money to be used to help those with brain injuries, I am sure that organizations that do that will not refuse your check.
- In response to the comment... I can understand why the sport does not appeal to all much in the same way as getting on a race track with a large number of high performance vehicles or motorcycles with the intent of performing similar or greater speeds to that of a "Birdman" in flight with similar life treating obstacles surrounding the track does not appeal to all. Does the fact that a race track is purpose built for these "daredevils" change the fact that these sports enthusiasts also put their lives and the lives of others on the track at risk?
As a keen BASE enthusiast I can honestly say its a great way to see the world and already it has taken me to places I would never have imagined exploring if I hadn't have walked the road less travelled. The sport is made up of many great people that look out for one another and have a great appreciation of life. The individuals understand the risks involved with the sport in much the same way a race car driver, Moto Gp rider or extreme MotoFx rider understands the risks of the sports they are participating in. The only difference between these sports being nature has provided us with our "race track".
In relation to funding participation in this sport, unfortunately in many countries it is not recognised as a sport but more often than not as a criminal act, as a result sponsorship deals are very hard to come by unlike motor sports. The majority of enthusiast work hard in the European winter save what money they can to fund their equipment, airfares, travel cost & essential emergency equipment. As a result they pay their tax's which in turn is distributed as the government see's fit, wether it be toward emergency services, improving medical facilities or to assist in supporting disabled personal. I myself have a very high paying job in which I have paid considerable tax's over the years which I believe helps fund these services? In addition I have total disability insurance and death cover in which I have specified that if I were to be involved in an accident the cost involved in the rescue/recovery are to be covered by the funds from these insurances. These "Birdmen" and lets not forget about the "Birdwomen" are great athlete's whom with a great deal of skill, expertise and experience take calculated risks. If the risk is too high they? like you will have their two feet planted firmly on the ground as we are not immortal, nor are we bird?s, just mere humans that dream of flight.
I hope this clears up some of your queries.
