Lakhta Center is a complex facility. The height is about 400 meters, strong winds often change direction (and are also different at different heights), a small spot near the building on which you need to land. But I am not new to skydiving — I have 820 jumps. With such experience it was possible to try. However, while preparing for the record, unexpected difficulties arose that almost put an end to my idea.
I have never done BASE jumping — I needed training, and the easiest way to do this is to go to Europe, as there are high bridges there that are convenient for beginners to train. And then I had problems obtaining Schengen. The record was tied to Russia Day — June 12, and I was given a visa only on May 29. Imagine, the jump is in less than two weeks, and I’m just going to learn BASE jumping.
Okay, I have a visa, that same evening I bought tickets and flew away to study. The road to Italy took a day and a half, then 10 hours by car to France, and I immediately had to make the first BASE jump in my life from a bridge 120 meters high. And then five more — to strengthen my skills in handling a parachute, which I had never used before. It was sewn specifically for the record.
The next spot is the Millau Viaduct (250 meters). At this point, the free fall skill is trained, which is necessary in order not to open the parachute too early (or too late). After the bridges, the cliff of Monte Brente (600–800 meters) in Italy. This is my exam. I fall down, and there is a stone wall next to me. In St. Petersburg, in the same way, next to me there will be a glass wall of the Lakhta Center. If I have poor body control, then when deployed, a centrifugal force will arise, the parachute will make a turn (in the language of basers — “turn”) and I will be flattened against the wall (“cliff-strike”).
As a result, I successfully completed all the exams. The video of the jump from Lakhta Center will not let you lie — I separated cleanly from the support, controlled my body in free fall, opened the parachute in time and landed a few meters from the film crew. How did I manage to master BASE jumping for a week? The answer is banal — many years of training. I am a candidate for master of sports in artistic gymnastics, I have about 100 jumps from a helicopter and a hot air balloon, and a year ago I mastered a precision parachute, which is very similar to a parachute for base jumping. And I really wanted to give us all such a gift for Russia Day.