The Athlete: PETER GAMBS
Episode: Lowest Base Jump | Premiere: Aug. 8, 2006

Perry's Thoughts:
I think the thing about Peter that impressed me most was his dedication and perseverance to achieve something that no one else had done. Not only did this stunt take him seven years to perfect, it almost took his life in the process. This stunt was not only incredible, but incredibly dangerous. After many years of being a professional stuntman, I have seen and been part of many dangerous stunts. However, this one has to rank at the top of my list.

Eli's Thoughts:
It's off to Germany to see a combination of low base jumping and air-compressed rocket launching! Right off the bat, this sounded like a very dangerous stunt — riding a motorcycle off a very low cliff, firing a mechanism to open a canopy, and landing safely seconds later?? I was interested to see what type of work this Peter Gambs had put into this stunt. After meeting with Peter and his crew (Eddie, Tracy and Hansie), I knew these guys had done their homework. However, this stunt had its share of variables. We did a series of tests to help understand all the factors relating to the stunt, my favorite being the jump off the less than 100-foot bridge with the rocket base rig, to show the opening. This was very low and his canopy opened to the right, which on stunt day was almost the death of him. On another note, I really liked how Peter and Tracy had taken a reserve firing device from para-gliding and modified it to base jumping; it was a move never tried before and definitely not recommended. On stunt day, we were all very nervous. Peter had a lot of things to accomplish and a short time to do them all in. Everything happened really fast and slow. As I saw him come over the edge with his bike, I remember thinking the canopy was late but then there it was — but 90 degrees to the right and heading straight for the cliff! He reached his left toggle, pulled it and just barely cleared the cliff in time to reach the right toggle. Next, he pulled them both and barely flared over the lip of the cliff, seconds later landing safely on the ground. Perry was speechless, and I was in a state of shock. Wow. Very nice, but very close. Well done to Peter for keeping his cool and reacting in all the right ways at the precise moments he needed to.