BASE jumping accident in Utah claims life of extreme athlete Andy Lewis
AP News • • sports
Key Points:
- Andy Lewis, a renowned extreme athlete and BASE jumper known for performing with Madonna at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, died in a weekend BASE jumping accident in a remote Utah canyon, along with an unidentified 50-year-old man.
- Lewis was highly regarded in the BASE jumping community for his skill and willingness to take significant risks, often pushing the limits of the sport by jumping into tight spaces or delaying parachute deployment.
- BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous than skydiving, with an estimated risk of injury or death five to eight times higher, and has resulted in over 540 fatalities worldwide since 1981.
- Lewis also excelled in slacklining and tricklining, winning multiple world championships and setting records, including walking a slackline between hot air balloons over 4,000 feet above the Nevada desert.
- Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a company offering tandem BASE jumps for novices, though it is unclear if the fatal jump involved a tandem jump; tandem jumps are controversial but considered lower risk within the sport.
