BASE Jumping
Going the Extra Miles: A BASE Jump World Record
Relive Miles Daisher's remarkable career as he attempts to reclaim the world record for most BASE jumps in 24 hours.
Around 10:35 a.m. on June 21 — the summer solstice — BASE jumper Miles Daisher’s worn, dusty sneakers left the railing of Idaho’s Perrine Bridge for the 62nd time in less than 24 hours. And by the time the parachute opened and he soared gently down to a painted bull's-eye along the bank of the Snake River, he recovered a world record that’d slipped away from him just last year. But at that exact moment, he’d simultaneously cemented his name atop the upper echelon of BASE jumpers, skydivers and wingsuit pilots in the world.
The Perrine Bridge stands 486 feet tall
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
It was then that Daisher once again held three world records: Most human-powered BASE jumps in 24 hours; the highest total BASE jumps in one year; the most BASE jumps in a lifetime.
BASE G.O.A.T. Case closed.
But yet, there’s so much more to Daisher’s storied career, as the video above exemplifies. His vibrant personality and zest for life is what’s kept the 48-year-old Daisher at the forefront of one of the most extreme sports in the world. Here’s what Daisher had to say about this special achievement and everything that led up it.
Daisher's career has always been fueled by smiles
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
RedBull.com: What makes Perrine Bridge such a BASE jumping hub?
Miles Daisher: When I first started skydiving and BASE jumping, a friend of mine Donna Reed said, "You got to come to Twin Falls, Idaho. There's a bridge out here that's legal for BASE jumping." We're like, "Get outta here! Every time we go BASE jumping it's in the middle of the night off of a dark bridge." Which his dangerous. But here in Twin Falls, we’re not hiding from police. We're not worried about getting in trouble at all.
And the Perrine Bridge ... I like to call it heaven for BASE jumpers. This place is so user-friendly and conducive to BASE jumping. Not just that, but the people here in Twin Falls embrace us as BASE jumpers. There’s also many courses that teach BASE jumping here, which keep a dangerous sport safe. My goal is 5,000 BASE jumps and this is the place that will let me achieve that. To have this bridge and be able to jump our magic backpacks into the Magic Valley is just unbelievable.
No bonus points for hitting the bull's-eye
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Explain the record you recently attempted to break.
I knew I was setting myself up for a big butt-kicking, because I've done this before. I've done 57 BASE jumps in 23 and a half hours. Three shy of 60 jumps, which would be the equivalent of hiking Mount Everest. But now I’m trying for 62 jumps out of the canyon — my goal is to hike Mount Everest in a day. It's called Everesting. From sea level to the peak of Everest — 29,000 feet.
A jump from Daisher's 2005 record attempt in Idaho
© Corey Rich/Red Bull Content Pool
You previously held this record but lost it. How important was it for you to regain this record?
I fell short in 2005. When the winds picked up and I got stopped with three jumps to go [for 60], it left a hollow spot right in the center of me. That thing has been eating at me for years. It took this kid Danny Weiland to kick-start my heart. He came out and did 61 in 24 hours last year. I'm like, "Dang. I better get back on this horse again."
63 climbs out totaled the height of Mount Everest
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
What makes it a "human-powered" BASE jump?
You could drive a car. You could ride an elevator. You could take a crane, but let's hike out of this canyon! If I jump in the river, I don't want a boat to pull me out of the river. And yes, I got friends who are carrying my rig out for me, but that's human power. Don't underestimate the power of humans.
To hike out of the canyon is not an easy feat. The jumping part, even that, the body shocks at the openings each time you jump. It's four Gs of shock and catching yourself on the harness. And once you land, you've got to hike up 486 feet.
That's my goal — hit 5,000 and retire. Well … maybe not retire, but hit 5,000 jumps.
What type of training did you do before this record attempt?
I’d been hiking, riding bikes and exercising — doing squats, jogging and keeping aerobically fit and mentally ready. But it takes a whole village. My wife Nikki, she's got my back on this more than anybody. And we hand-selected my favorite [parachute] packers that I know would take care of me, because packing BASE parachutes is not like packing skydiving parachutes.
As the 'chute opens, four Gs of shock halt a fall
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
How does BASE jumping compare to skydiving?
Skydiving's super fun. You jump out of an airplane. You do flips. You do spins. You do twists. But you open your parachute thousands of feet above the ground. The skydive reserve parachute is a seven cell square just like a BASE parachute. So, basically, we're jumping the [skydive] backup system [when we BASE jump].
BASE jumping is super intense. If something happens to you, it's going to happen quick and it's going to be catastrophic. The thing is, you have to be really meticulous about it, just like a pilot getting in an airplane. Now climb over the rail and check it one more time and check your handle and then send it because you've only got seven seconds before you hit the water. If you don't pull by five, you're going in.
63 jumps in 24 hours means it's an all-nighter
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
You hold the world record for most BASE jumps in one year as well as most of all time … now this. Which record is most meaningful to you?
In 2005, I did 57 jumps in one day. That same year, my best friend Shane McConkey said, "Dude, you gotta see how many you can get this year total." I bet him that I could do two BASE jumps a day on average. So 730 BASE jumps in a year, which was unheard of. If you can get 365 BASE jumps, one per day in a year, you're crushing it. Moving to Idaho, I had that opportunity to have this bridge in my backyard. So, I just really started getting after it. And by New Year’s Day, I had the title of the most BASE jumps done in one year — 737, just like the airplane.
Daisher hikes out at dawn after jump number 55
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
What is it about BASE jumping that keeps you coming back after all these years?
To survive that many BASE jumps, that's been the goal. When Shane and I first started BASE jumping, our friends had thousands of skydives. We thought, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could be around long enough to make 5,000 BASE jumps?" That's my goal — hit 5,000 and retire. Well … maybe not retire, but hit 5,000 jumps. There's been BASE jumpers that have retired, but not many do because the sport is so fun and it's so addicting.
Is there anything else you’d like to achieve in your BASE jumping career?
When I think about where I am in life right now as a professional BASE jumper, I just feel so blessed and lucky to be able to do this right now. It's not just BASE jumping, it's also the sport of skydiving, coaching canopy skills and doing all kinds of things with parachutes.
When Shane and I first started learning this sport, it was like, "Man, we need to figure out how to make this our career because our wives aren’t gonna let us do this." So, we tried to figure it out how to make BASE jumping a career. I think we were some of the first people to ever do that. I really got to thank Red Bull for making it my career.