Skydiving
Jeffrey Provenzano completes 50-state skydive under Northern Lights
Over 30 years traversing the US as a freestyle swooping champion, Jeffrey Provenzano finally notches his 50th state, jumping with pal Jon DeVore under the great Northern Lights.
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Some long term goals simply take time to actualize. Others require unyielding pursuit and overcoming multiple setbacks. For World Cup champion and Red Bull Air Force member Jeffrey “Jeffro” Provenzano, the feat of skydiving in all 50 states is a case study in both persistence and perseverance - an accomplishment spanning over three decades.
What began as an ambitious desire in Provenzano’s youth culminated Sunday in the Alaskan wilderness as Provenzano completed a dive alongside one of his best friends - fellow Red Bull Airforce teammate Jon DeVore - the final skydiving checkbox that was years in the making.
Jeffrey Provenzano has completed over 22,000 jumps in his career
© Michael Clark
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From early inspiration to a 50-state mission
Growing up outside New York City amongst a family of artists, Provenzano possessed an inherent curiosity for life which he applied creatively to chasing adventure. For him, art was skateboarding and the adrenaline and excitement that came with it. But after watching the movie Point Break, Provenzano vowed to one day skydive himself, and when he finally tried it several years later, it changed his life.
Jeffrey Provenzano soaring through the aurora borealis
© Kien Quan
The moment I experienced skydiving for the first time, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, it became my new obsession
Long after pursuing that obsession relentlessly and becoming one of the most recognizable names in the sport, Provenzano realized he’d actually jumped across half the United States and made it his mission to skydive in all 50.
02
The final stretch: eight states with no easy path
In the years that followed his discovery, Provenzano continued to check states off his list when he’d organically travel for an air show or other work - cruising through what would become some of his favorite jumps in New York, California, Hawaii, and Arizona - when one day, he discovered he had only eight states remaining on his list.
“But I was stagnant at eight for a couple of years,” Provenzano said. “I realized the states I needed were states without skydiving centers, meaning these states could potentially be on my list forever.”
With the only barrier between him and his goal being himself, Provenzano began making calls and organizing jumps in each of the remaining eight states.
“It felt ridiculous at the time to go through this effort to check off a box, but after you check off three or four of these states, you realize how close you are,” Provenzano said. “I got down to my last four states - with Nebraska, Kansas and South Dakota being three of them - and checked them off in one day.”
That meant the last remaining state was Alaska, the final state on his 50 state mission.
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Why Alaska - and the Northern Lights - became the final test
Provenzano wanted to do something special for Alaska - something neither he nor any of his teammates had attempted before, and in wanting to do something drastically different, he came upon the Northern Lights.
He began discussing with photographer Michael Clark if the jump was even possible to capture and was told it would be incredibly challenging - a challenge he knew he’d only be willing to endure alongside pal Devore, an Alaskan native.
“Alaska Jon is one of my best friends, and we’ve been doing this for over thirty years together,” Provenzano said. “Jon had come to my state when we flew wingsuits over New York and did a never-before-seen thing there, so I needed to do Alaska with him in his state.”
But then came the ensuing hurdle of aligning all pieces, a process which took over two years.
“We’re navigating Jon’s schedule, my schedule, the weather, the availability of the aircraft, production crews - all these things that had to come together, and it took until now,” Provenzano said. “I don’t know how many times I had this thing on my calendar and it got deleted.”
Jeffrey Provenzano completes 50-state skydive in Alaska with Jon DeVore
© Michael Clark
Jeffrey Provenzano celebrating his 50-state jump with Jon DeVore
© Michael Clark
The last time Provenzano and his team were planning the Alaska dive, Provenzano was on his way to the airport when the trip was cancelled due to weather conditions.
“There were numerous times where we’d already purchased tickets, set things up and pulled the plug last minute,” Devore said. “The Northern Lights may have been firing but clouds came in. Variables like that kept coming up over and over, but a week before we came out here this time, we realized all the stars were aligning.”
Which is why on Sunday’s trip, when Provenzano landed in Anchorage, he could feel something was different.
“I knew it was happening,” Provenzano said. “All of the conditions had to be right on so many levels, and what we captured has never been captured before.”
Beginning at 4pm and wrapping at 5am, the team attempted the dive twice. But during the first attempt, the Northern Lights stopped firing.
“We were flying in circles in the helicopter at 3:30am thinking maybe it was over,” Provenzano said. “If we weren’t geared up and ready to go, it would have never happened. We were chasing uncertainty until the very last second.”
04
What completing all 50 states means in reflection
Jeffrey Provenzano and Jon DeVore skydiving through an Alaskan night
© Michael Clark
Jeffrey Provenzano, Jon DeVore and Mike Brewer celebrating under the lights
© Michael Clark
Capturing a dive amongst the Northern Lights is an elusive experience, one Devore compares to a surfer chasing swells.
“It’s one thing to see the Northern Lights with your eyes, it’s another thing to capture it, whether on video or stills,” Devore said. “You have to have a long exposure, but our sport is high-action and fast-paced, so how do you make that work? It became a big collaboration with a lot of talented people and the stoke is very high on what we came away with.”
Jumping from 8,000 feet in -40° conditions and navigating the unpredictability of the aurora borealis, aerial photographer and Red Bull Air Force member Mike Brewer operated in real time, making split-second, in-air adjustments to capture the moment.
Working in close collaboration with world-renowned photographer Michael Clark on creative and technical strategy, the team combined precision and talent to bring the vision to life.
But one important variable that gave Provenzano and Devore confidence was the longstanding trust and friendship between them.
“That relationship is crucial for a project like this,” Devore said. “I’ve been jumping with Jeffro for thirty years, and we’ve grown up together in the sport. Having a connection like that, there’s so much trust. For Alaska, we had to jump with very minimal light on us or else it would blow out all the images. Usually with night jumps, you’re well-lit with either pyro or a ton of LEDs, but with this one, we had to go almost dark, only wearing a small amount of light.”
Because both men have flown together for so many years, the preparation was less physical and more about aligning on what kind of flying was needed to accomplish the dive, defining each other’s roles, and then sticking to them.
Devore was in charge of leading base, tasked with keeping his eyes glued to a tiny car on the ground with its headlights shining in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.
“There were glaciers, mountains, and glacier river run-off, so we couldn’t mess up the spot,” Devore said. “I had to stay super focused on the flight line and trust that Jeffro was going to be able to fly to me with minimal visual references and trust he wasn’t going to run into me or do something stupid. It’s similar to going proximity wingsuit flying in the mountains where you have to trust your teammate is not going to make a stupid move and kill you.”
To help remain alert during the 13-hour mission, both Provenzano and Devore found Red Bull to be a helpful sidekick.
“I implement the drink in time of need,” Provenzano said. “The more I learn about nutrition and how things work and how your body uses energy, that timing has become more critical.”
Similarly, Devore saves use of the beverage for moments he really needs it, like with Sunday’s late-night work.
“When you’re starting to hit your wall, you crush a can of red bull and suddenly you’re able to finish what you started,” he said.
In the end, while Provenzano and Devore were able to finish what they started and made the Alaska dive a success, being so locked into the moment doesn’t mean being able to enjoy the moment in the moment, since most internal resources and attention are focused on completing the task at hand.
“You have to present to win, especially in these types of environments and sports,” Devore said. “If you don’t show up and give it a try, you’re never going to really know. You have to be willing to get creative, break the mold of normal production and experiment, and that’s what we did here. Most people would be scared to do what we did, but it’s also a way for us to express who we are as people, and that’s showcased in the images we create.”
And with the 50th state now checked off his list, Provenzano feels he can finally let the feat settle in and be present with it - a dive in Alaska that’s now enshrined as one his top three states of all time.
“In the moment, you’re freezing, you’re tired, and running on autopilot,” Provenzano said. “I’m going to enjoy it more now in reflection.”
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