Height: 58.8m or 192.9 ft
Top Speed: 123km/h or 76 mph
Water Depth: 8m or 26 ft
Hang Time: 3.58 seconds
Standing on that platform would surely quicken your pulse and make you draw in your breath and wonder how anyone could survive this kind of a drop. But Laso Schaller not only stood there and contemplated the leap — he made it, setting a new world record along the way. Watch it happen in the video player above.
Once you get above 80 feet, everything starts to look and feel the same.
The Brazilian-born, Swiss-raised 27-year-old is a canyoning expert, using rope, harness and other rigging to descend rivers in ways few others have before. In fact, he has numerous first descents to his name.
Of course, in canyoning, there’s another way to get down that doesn’t involve the hassle of ropes, anchors or belay devices: you just jump. Schaller’s picked up a reputation for being the most fearless of all; he regularly leaps from 80, 95 or even 115-foot cliffs with nary a thought.
But almost 193 feet, higher than anyone has ever jumped before him? That takes some thought.
Laso Schaller is no scaredy-cat. His body camera will take you on the ride of your life as he plummets over 192 ft. to the pool below, setting the new world record for cliff jumping!
The high (and highly impressive) Cascata del Salto
In the Italian-speaking Ticino area of Switzerland, there are over 150 descendable canyons, with countless waterfalls. But the Cascata del Salto is the king. Sitting above the town of Maggia, an hour and a half north of Lugano, the waterfall gushes to life with summer rains. Water comes cascading down over a sheer drop into a deep pool, creating a stunning natural amphitheater.
The jump on endless repeat…
The magnitude of this jump required more preparation than your standard take-a-breath-and-go waterfall jump. Under sunny blue skies, Schaller and team first built a platform to give him a clean, controlled exit, with enough projection to clear the rock wall.
Secondly, they explored the area with scuba gear and set six tanks in the pool to aerate the water and soften the landing. Finally, they did a number of rock drops, timing the landing and seeing the fall line.
That said, for Laso, it’s almost the same as any old jump. “Once you get above 80 feet, everything starts to look and feel the same,” he says. “The only difference is the airtime.”
Schaller, who looks more surfer than Swiss thanks to his Brazilian heritage, is relaxed but diligent about the preparations. He knows just how he’ll land: feet-first, leaning ever so slightly forward, body tensed, with his hands folded in front of his hips to brace the impact on his face. He knows he’ll “push” in the microseconds as he’s entering the water, slowing the 75 mph speed to zero in around 10 feet.
Surprisingly, higher speeds from higher jumps slow down faster. Jumping from about 32 feet, you need about 10 feet of water for a safe landing. From around 165 feet, you only need just over 13 feet. Schaller has it down to a science. “It’s best when I’m a little warmed up,” he says. “If I’m too relaxed, I won’t tense up enough when I land.”
Arms out for control
And as for practice, Schaller has plenty. His mother was a gymnast, and he grew up in the gym and in the pool, two perfect ingredients for his current career as a canyon guide and athlete. He regularly participates in high-dive shows, knocking off as many as 20 jumps from over 80 feet in a day.
With nearly a dozen cameras rolling, the jump was scheduled for mid-afternoon on Tuesday, August 4. After a day and a half of bright sun and clear skies, an afternoon storm rolled in, giving a dark atmosphere to a stunt that the two dozen onlookers knew could bring dark consequences. Thunder rolled in the background; clouds blocked the sun. The crowd looked ready to leave and film crews covered thousands of dollars’ worth of camera gear in 10-cent plastic bags.
Then Laso walked up the hill, looked over the ledge, and jumped.
Look closely and you can see him…
The noise was deafening, akin to a gunshot. He overshot the aerated water, landing in the harder water in the center of the pool. His canyoning companion quickly rappelled down as others swam out to meet him. After just a couple of seconds underwater, he emerged triumphantly, then swam over to shore for a medical check.
The landing, although clean, pulled his right leg out, possibly slightly dislocating his right hip for just a second or two. But after a quick lie-down on the stretcher, and an examination by the medic, a smile broke over his face and everyone knew he was all right — and that he’d just done something no one ever had before.
Watch as he makes the daring jump off the cliff!
This article was written by Josh Sampiero and was originally posted on RedBull.com. If you would like to see more amazing stories like this, be sure and follow Red Bull on Facebook and Twitter!