Horrible Speedflying/BASE Crash

http://www.stern.de/tv/sterntv/603703.html

Dramatic accident in the mountains - Max Biedermann fell nearly 500 meters off a mountain.

The fact that the extreme sportsman is still alive borders on the miraculous. Biedermann describes the accident for _stern_ television, and explains why it turned out to be "minor". The 27-year-old is one of the best in his discipline: With paragliders, Max Biedermann has been achieving breath-taking feats in the air for many years. In 2006 he participate even in the paraglider Akrobatik world championships, and came tenth. For the past two years the extreme sportsman has also been practicing so-called Speed Flying. These small and extremely agile canopies are used mainly on ski slopes, in order to fly down slopes. It was using such a canopy on the Swiss Wetterhorn that he suffered his dramatic accident in late June. "120-percent sure that it would work" Biedermann wanted to demonstrate a daring "Stunt": from a closed gondola station over a ravine, he intended to make a jump, and then to sail his canopy down the course. He rehearsed intensively for the Stunt and carefully explored the place in the mountains. Max Biedermann was sure of "120-percent that it would function", he says. But it turned out differently: after the jump, the canopy opened -- but the small Speed Flyer was pointing in the wrong direction, namely directly toward the cliff. Here Biedermann's memory ends.

For what happens next, we rely on his friend Danny Strasser, who was filming.

Biedermann falls 400 meters into the ravine, at a speed of 30 meters per second. By a miracle he survives, tries to get up -- and slips another 40 meters down. He moves again, and falls down another 50 meters. When the rescue forces finally reach him one and a half hours later, they can hardly believe that he had an accident like this and survived. He broke both ankles and a shoulder. A concussion with internal bleeding caused his memory loss: Biedermann cannot remember the two weeks after the accident.

"The risk is worth it to me for the kick"

 Three months later Max Bidermann is back out there: he is flying paragliders again -- without fear, because he cannot remember his accident. Risk is a part of extreme sports, says the 27-year-old. He is willing to risk a broken bone or a torn muscle: "the risk is worth it to me for the kick". But he is more careful now, he doesn't wish to play with his life again.

photo of the launch

and English - "Babelfish Translation" of http://www.danny-strasser.de/unfall_a.htm

Chronicle of an extreme haven accident

The Nissan Outdoorgames:
Of 24.-30.06.2007 the third edition of the Outdoorgames found instead of in the Swiss intersheet (www.outdoorgames.ch). Apart from various matches in different kinds of outdoor haven an extreme haven film competition is main part of this meeting.

In the context of this film competition within only five days a 4-5 minutes long kurzfilm is produced, which is presented and praemiert at the end of the meeting of a jury and the public.

Altogether 2007 six international film teams were certified, according to regulation from a camera team (1-2 persons), a photographer as well as ever in or two sportsmen from the kinds of sport the paraglider or Speedflying, B.A.S.E.jumping, Kayaking, Mountainbike and climbing build themselves up.

All participating sportsmen must to be without exception Top athlete in their sport and appropriate references to show be able. The kurzfilm must contain from each kind of sport mentioned at least one sequence, the story is freely selectable.

The 27-jaehrige max conventional man is with 11 years flight experience an experienced paraglider pilot. For eight years the Tiroler belongs to the few Akrobatik pilots, whom with the paraglider spectacular feats fly and count, at the latest since its participation in the world championships 2006, to the world-best Akrobatik pilots. As one of the first Europeans max conventional man flies the "Speedflyer in such a way specified" for 3 years. Max one is a semiprofessioneller pilot and earns its living costs as an entrepreneur in the family-own electricity installation enterprise in Hopfgarten/Tirol (Austria).

Speedflying is a very recent sport and a mixture from paraglider flies and ski driving. Speedflying screens are by a building method with a size of only 10-14 m², leaned against the parachute profile; (to the comparison: Paragliders are approx.. 20-30 m² largely) extremely agilely. By this compact building method (small cap with flat profile) with the Speedflying screen very high horizontal and vertical speeds are reached of to over 100 km/h. Because of the necessary high starting and landing speed the Speedflyer is not suitable for "foot starts".

Since I was informed only few weeks before the fact that I should participate again in the Outdoorgames was somewhat chaotic the compilation of the team, whereby also the team name "CHAOS" came. Still few days before beginning of meeting was not the occupation of some sportsmen and our photographer clear and decided only in the last moment.
The Tiroler max conventional man, who should fly in our team as a paraglider pilot, participated like I for the second time. We had learned ourselves to know by the Outdoorgames 2006, are since then friendly and meanwhile much with one another filmed.

Werner Rumel was gotten as a friend of many years of max as Kletterer in the team. Beside Daniel shepherd (Mountainbike), Simon straw Meier (Kayak), matt Gerdes (B.A.S.E.jump), Jean Yves Blondeau (camera Assistenz) and Patrik Lindqvist (photo) takes that Bernese Simon Raaflaub a privileged position:
Since I on do not only mean kurzfilm the requirement placed to produce simply a "merry" or "Action -" film I had invented the following history: I intended to turn the breath-robbing abilities of the healthy sportsmen of the achievement with a wheelchair user and "to run be able" to confront. Since this beginning however the organizers not so quite to please wanted (they had the justified fear that particularly in the media a hasty bridge between extreme haven and wheelchair could be struck), sought I after a new way to tell my history "without wheelchair".
Over Swiss the Paralympi committee I came at Simon Raaflaub, which had lost with 11 years by bone cancer its right leg and with the Paralympi plays 2006 in turin the fifth place on ski had occupied. It was immediately ready, in our project to participate (www.onefoot.ch).

The Outdoorgames 2007:
The weather forecast had already announced a wet-cold week in the apron, what made the production conditions more difficult much. When were Monday until Thursday taken turning days into account, Friday were completely for the cut reserved (film delivery was on Friday at 18 o'clock). Particularly for the air sportsmen (B.A.S.E.jumping, Paragliding) a stable weather is an absolute condition for the safe practice of their sport. Therefore we decided to turn and to wait for the announced weather improvement on the last turning day first all other sport sequences and interviews.

The Wednesday afternoon brought then actually the desired weather improvement and max made itself on the way to the "weather horn elevator" in standard forest. Since that time it had the location already since the Outdoorgames 2006 in the head and fiddled with the conversion. The jump of the shut down car station should become the sporty highlight of our film.
Max one had come already two days before beginning of meeting as a first team member to standard forest, in order to regard the station again and again. At the Wednesday evening the call finally came: "if the weather tomorrow is early good and no wind goes makes I it! I go tomorrow at 6 o'clock up and call you on against 8 o'clock whether it go."

In the morning 28 of June the starting signal falls: "I believe we can it make, come up!" Hasty pack together Jean Yves, Patrik, Werner, Daniel and I our equipment and make themselves on the way of the last parking possibility in standard forest up to 1,677 meters the mountain station tightness lain highly is round it one hour foot march. Briefly before 10 o'clock we reach max, which already examines wind conditions for well three hours. The weather is not stable, the sun radiates by a low-blue sky, wind - it could be hardly perfect!

We look around and are immediately all of the location inspired. The weather horn elevator was taken 1908 as the first for the passenger traffic determined and with all necessary safety devices provided wire ropeway of the world in enterprise. However the enterprise had to be stopped by outbreak of the First World War after six years. Today only the ruin of the mountain station tightness thront like an eagle refuge on that approximately 400 meters high cliff over the standard forest glacier.

Here max conventional man wants to thus implement a Stunt, which before it ever someone did not try before. The "roll in such a way specified Over", a Vorwaertssalto over the screen hanging under it, does not have to do normal "paraglider flies with" the anything. Max one had successfully completed this jump for the first time from a hot-air balloon in September 2006. At this Stunt in standard forest it was new that max wanted to jump off now not a flying object, but over a cliff.

As I me the steel girder, that approx.. 4 meters over the cliff exceeds, regards, is sceptical I. Did it rust, does withstand it the load of two persons? Are max and I torn by the stand weighing tons at the end into the depth? Werner develops carefully an expert, alpine safety device and gropes along at the rope secured on the jet carrier forwards. Hesitating it begins to whip - and the stand holds. We begin to develop my safety device, because I will go for filming as well as max over the yawning abyss. We must make certain that those are so led safeguard rope that we do not have a chance with a possible crash of the Stahlkolosses by this to be killed.
Each step on the narrow steel linkage costs overcoming, because it vibrates with the smallest movement. Carefully I sit down on my position, while max tightens its harness. Then slope ELT itself max on the large cross beam forwards. It for several minutes counterbalances the Speedflying screen hanging under itself and examines the wind. Max one separates from the safeguard rope. "goes case to something inclined - it was my own decision." He says to me into the camera.

Only 30 seconds later max conventional man jumps nearly into its death.

It goes everything completely fast. The Speedflying screen opens actually perfectly, but 3 seconds after jump begin themselves to suddenly twist the linen. The screen collapses in itself and is not controllable any longer. After 10 seconds max strikes a second time for the first time against the cliff, then after 17 seconds desperate fight with its screen and approximately 350 elevator meters knocks max into the naked rock. Still during it by the rock slips selects Werner on its mobile phone the emergency call number. 32 seconds after the jump max comes in the rock to lying.

During max rainless in the steep wall is appropriate begin for us fear for for minutes. Does max live still? We try to collect and clear to make meaningful decisions. Thilo Brunner, which as an official photographer of the Outdoorgames accompanied us for car station, is even Kletterer and goes on one approx. 45-minuetigen descent into most difficult area, in order to help max.
For me fast the question arises whether I further to film is or not. I decide because I can help max above from there in no way. Thus I document the entire rescue action with my camera.
After few minutes max begins to move and we draws a deep breath itself - it lives! But waiting for the mountain rescue seems to us like an eternity.

The rettungshubschrauber of the Swiss REGA arrives only 19 minutes after max ' crash at the accident scene. While the mountain rescuers over the crash place to circle and a picture of the situation make themselves fall max a second time: With the attempt to put up it does not have to record a chance in the extremely steep rock and falls itself according to estimate of the mountain rescuers head over further 50 meters deeply. The mountain rescue proceeds at the latest now from a dead salvage - however we can see from above that max moves still.
the helicopter sets 44 minutes off after the crash two mountain rescuers on a plateau above the crash place, since the helicopter would endanger max during direct approximation. The descent of the mountain rescuers takes further 19 minutes in the extremely difficult area. Meanwhile max tries to rise in the shock and falls a third time!
The two mountain rescuers arrive almost at the same time with Thilo Brunner directly above max and rope themselves to him. After max is secured an emergency surgeon by helicopters is flown. 86 minutes after his crash max hanging on a rope hoist one goes on a trip.

To the accident Duzende thoughts went to me through the head, how it should continue now. How does it go max? Are we to bring our match film to end? I had a long conversation with the Event organizers, who suggested to me placing the film except competition completely. However we had lost also a whole turning day. And actually I did not want to continue. And I had fear of all too many questions of the competition teams.
Quite fast then also the police announced itself to me and wanted to take up a statement of all involved ones and see my video material.

In the following afternoon I visited max in the hospital in Berne. After one had shifted it for closer investigations into an artificial coma was it in an amazingly good condition. The injuries were essentially limited to a german type of the left shoulder as well as both calf leg heads and Blutgerinnsel the brain.
Since no heavy damages were to be expected, we were very relieved and decided in agreement with max to place the film outside of the competition completely.

Max ' healing process precedes fast, after only two weeks was running it without sprags. Daily max visits a Reha center for two hours, where it trains his co-ordination and strength. After the last neurological investigation the final recovery will take still approximately 6-12 months.
Only seven weeks after the accident max of in the middle of started Septembers for the first time its paraglider and is since then again regularly with paraglider flies to be found.