On January 29 th, 43-year-old Red Bull athlete Cedric Dumont added yet another first to his list of iconic jumps, completing the first ever wing-suit jump over the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, after three years of preparation.
Even though the 43-year-old Belgian and the Red Bull team faced some challenges with getting permits for the jump, they eventually managed to get him on a military helicopter to skydive to the base of the Middle Pyramid, from 2,000 meters in the sky.
“It was one of the most unique flying experiences of my life because of the unique visual of the pyramids,” he says . “I've been dreaming of this project for a few years and it took a long time to get the permissions. It's military airspace above the pyramids, no one is supposed to fly above them.”
Although the initial plan was for Dumont to fly on top of all three pyramids, the wind seemed to have a say in that. “We thought we could go further, to the third pyramid, but the wind was too strong,” Dumont narrates . “Then we landed in the wrong place, which was a good place, next to the middle pyramid. And then some young guys came to us and asked, ‘Where are you coming from?’ and I said, ‘From Mars!’”
Watch his video below.
Two years ago in 2012, Dumont attempted another BASE jump from the Cairo Tower, but the jump was cancelled due to risky weather conditions.
Dumont has completed more than 10,000 skydives and 2,000 BASE jumps, and he’s constantly in pursuit of more iconic places to mark and jump from. Among his most notable jumps are jumping from the highest railway bridge in the world (201m), the highest suspended bridge in the world (384m) and jumping from 431m in a BASE wing-suit the Jin-Mao tower in Shanghai, China.
When he’s not jumping off planes, bridges or cliffs, Dumont gives keynote speeches and seminars, in addition to teaching. Given his prowess in the skies, we can say we would definitely attend one of his lectures.