The town of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, wants tandem base jump tourism stopped. The Swiss Base Association (SBA) is also against the practice, reported SRF.
Base jumping, where people leap from high places and land with a parachute, was once a fringe sport. Although it is now far from mainstream, it has become increasingly popular and is often practiced with wing suits, disco-like outfits that help falling humans to glide and stay aloft for longer.
The sport is dangerous. One (incomplete) list puts the global death toll at close to 500 since 1981 and lists the first Swiss death in 1994.
The valley of Lauterbrunnen is a world famous site for base jumping and attracts jumpers from all over the world. The valley has a steep high rock wall, and unlike in many other places, base jumping has never been banned in Switzerland.
Base jumping in Switzerland is not illegal and therefore not strictly regulated. To date it has been self regulated. The Swiss Base Association (SBA) works hard to police those who practice the sport. They have worked with local authorities to agree places where people can and can’t jump. They also have protocols. For example, jumpers must call helicopter rescue (Air-Glaciers) to ensure the airspace is clear before jumping – for a full list of rules click here. And while base jumping is not illegal, flying in Swiss airspace without permission is, so the legal situation is quite fuzzy.
According to unofficial information, there were around 5,000 jumps per year in the Lauterbrunnen valley in the early 2000s. By 2016, the number had risen to around 20,000. In line with this large number of jumps, in the BASE Fatality List, Switzerland also has the highest number of fatalities worldwide, with more than 100 since 1981. And most of these accidents happened in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, which has been nicknamed death valley by some.
From solo to tandem?
Base jumpers typically cut their teeth as skydivers. It is common to do hundreds of sky dives before taking up base jumping. They also typically have exceptional coordination, reflexes, balance and spacial awareness. This level of skill and experience excludes most tourists from the sport. To give tourists access to such thrills some base jumpers have started offering tandem jumps, where someone is strapped to the front of a jumper with experience. According to SBA, this was done for the first time in Switzerland in 2022 and continues.
However, the local authorities and SBA are not happy about the development. Concerns include the danger associated with an inexperienced passenger needing to jump off rocky ledges correctly – they are on the front and need to step up – and the issue of no insurance cover for the passenger should something go wrong.
Last year, an illegally erected platform sparked debate on the subject. A base jumper erected the platform on the rocky ledge above Lauterbrunnen for future tandem jumps. This triggered an emergency meeting with the police, tourist office and local base jumping representatives. In the end the structure was dismantled.
Now interested parties want tandem base jumping stopped. The SBA does not want to disturb the delicate status quo that allows the sport to continue – see their post on the subject here. And neither the SBA or the local authorities want any tourists dying.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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