Sidmouth: Pair launch themselves off cliff in BASE jump near Beer

By Barney Riley

A pair of daredevils have taken part in what they claim to be the UK's first-ever tandem BASE jump.

The thrill-seekers are part of the extreme sports collective Mountain Man BASE, which organised the jump from a chalk cliff near Beer Head on Devon's Jurassic Coast.

Images show the pair, assisted by a crew in the early morning of 8 August, when they took the plunge to the beach at the bottom of the huge cliff.

The BASE jump (Mountain Man BASE)

The crew prepared for two years for this jump as there was "lots of scouting out of logistics, design of kit tailor-made for the project, deciding on the location".

Mountain Man BASE ensure that all of their activities are within the law as they claim to be practitioners of 'ethical BASE'.

HM Coastguard was informed prior to the jump.

Incidentally, this part of Devon hosted the UK's first-ever BASE jump from an 'Earth exit'.

BASE stands for 'Bridges, antennas, spans (bridges), and Earth' and jumpers 'exit' from these locations.

A spokesperson for Mountain Man BASE said: "Mountain Man BASE is a pioneering team of extreme sports athletes including BASE jumpers in the UK.

"We're known for breaking new ground in the domain of extreme sports, taking things to the next level recently with the UK's first ever tandem BASE jumps.

"This represents the culmination of a long process of preparatory planning, tests of equipment and protocols, and trials with weighted bags before going live with humans.

"Finally, the first live jumps were performed in the week commencing August 8th at Beer Head, Devon, a 280ft chalk cliff on the Jurassic Coast, which incidentally was the site of the first ever BASE jump from an Earth exit in the UK 40 years ago.

"Mountain Man BASE are experienced professionals with the skills and knowledge to make this happen.

"MMB place emphasis on ethical BASE practice, focusing on fully legal jumps in iconic UK locations.

"The jumps were conducted in liaison with the Devon coastguard, members of whom witnessed the jumps whilst conducting their own training exercises in the vicinity.

"Weather conditions were perfect in the week of 8 August when the live jumps were made against a magnificent backdrop with the sun going down, the sea calm and the moon coming up!

"This was a massive success, a UK first representing months (and years) of teamwork incorporating planning, designing, and testing equipment and techniques."