The Crash, Recovery, and Miraculous Return of Jeb Corliss

Mackenzie Lagrove

3/29/2016

Mr. Laughton

PAD03

The Crash, Recovery, and Miraculous Return of Jeb Corliss

By: Devon  O’Neill

Rate: ***

Jeb Corliss is a 39 year old man who has been base jumping and wingsuiting for 18 years all over the world.  He has jumped off the Eiffel Tower in France, flew through Heaven's Gate in Tianmen, and flew through a long ride on Swiss Peak in Columbia-Shuswap.  Jeb had a perfect record of not getting injured or crashing until January 2012 at Table Mountain in South Africa. Table Mountain is South Africa's 3,558 foot mountain.

While Jeb was flying on the mountain he clipped his foot on the edge of a boulder and took a hard fall, breaking both his legs and tearing his ACL.  He had to have reconstructive surgery and took a year off to recover from this tragic accident.  Many people asked if he would give up this unique sport, but he just laughed and responded, “of course not”.  

In 2013 Red Bull asked Corliss if he would be interested in flying through a unique narrow slot on the 875 foot Langshan Mountain which is located in China.  Corliss researched and viewed photographs of the slot and declined, his accident in South Africa was still haunting him.  Red Bull again contacted him and asked if he would be interested in seeing the formation of the slot in person.  When Corliss saw the slot in person he agreed to do it instantly, he said he had never seen anything like it.  The slot was 60 feet wide at the top and 15 feet wide at the bottom.

The weather on the day was suppose to jump was horrible, there was wind and lots of rain.  The representatives of Red Bull were just about to close down the jump until Jeb jumped off the mountain.  He glided perfectly like a bird through the slot and made a safe landing.  Jeb's love for wingsuiting still lives on as he jumps off some of the highest and scariest mountains in the world.

Source: http://www.outsideonline.com/2053051/crash-recovery-and-miraculous-return-jeb-corliss