SHANE MCCONKEY REBORN: BASE jumper leaps off Whistler gondola

  • 10 years ago
Canadian authorities are looking for a BASE jumper who launched himself off a moving gondola 1,430 feet above the ground in Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia.

The man, believed to be a 25-year-old originally from Ontario, is shown making the jump in a video posted to YouTube on February 11. The video was apparently shot by a camera worn on the man's helmet and it also shows his companion, a young woman, assisting him in recording the stunt.

The pair is believed to have boarded the Peak 2 Peak gondola at around 3:45 p.m. The video shows the doors being held open with some kind of cable or belt, and a statement issued by Whistler said they believe the man used brute force to pry them open. There was damage to the opening and locking systems of the gondola and repairs are estimated to cost about $10,000.

Police arrested a woman they believe was shown in the video, an employee of Longhorn Saloon and Grill in Whistler. Reports said authorities also know the identity of the jumper, though they have yet been able to locate him.

It is suspected that the jumper in the video was copying a stunt completed by pro-skiier and BASE jumper, Shane McConkey, in 2008, the year the Peak 2 Peak Gondola was opened. As the man falls to earth, he can be heard yelling McConkey's name. McConkey was killed in 2009 in a cliff jumping accident during a film shoot in Italy.

Police said they are seeking an arrest warrant for the man in the video, as well as charges of mischief over $5,000.

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