A BASE jumping accident in a Utah canyon resulted in the deaths of two individuals, including extreme athlete Andy Lewis, known for his performance with Madonna at the Super Bowl.
A tragic BASE jumping accident occurred over the weekend in a canyon located in Utah, leading to the deaths of two individuals. Among the deceased was Andy Lewis, an extreme athlete renowned for his daring feats in the sport, as well as his performance alongside Madonna during the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, according to local authorities.
The Grand County sheriff's office confirmed that Lewis was one of the fatalities. He was well-known in BASE jumping circles for his exceptional skills and willingness to take significant risks. John McEvoy, a BASE jumping instructor from Twin Falls, Idaho, noted that Lewis had a considerable following due to his reputation for attempting jumps in tighter spaces and deploying his parachute later than many of his peers would consider safe. McEvoy remarked on Lewis's impressive athleticism and skill, which he developed over years of practice, while also acknowledging the considerable risks Lewis took in his pursuits.
In addition to BASE jumping, Lewis was a notable figure in slacklining and tricklining, sports that mix high-wire walking with aerial acrobatics at challenging heights. His claim to fame skyrocketed when he performed during Madonna's halftime show at the Super Bowl, where he showcased his talents dressed in a Roman toga while bouncing on a slackline, impressing viewers and leading to a surge in his popularity. Following the performance, Lewis humorously recounted on Conan O'Brien's late-night show how his phone was inundated with calls for three consecutive days.
Emergency responders were called to the Mineral Bottom area, a remote desert location near the Utah-Colorado border, on Sunday after reports of injuries from a BASE jumping attempt. Upon arrival, they confirmed the deaths of Lewis and an unnamed 50-year-old man at the scene, as stated in a news release from the sheriff's office. Sheriff’s Lt. Al Cymbaluk confirmed to the Associated Press that the deceased was indeed the well-known extreme athlete, but further details regarding the circumstances of the accident were not available.
While there is no official record of BASE jumping fatalities, a compilation by BASEaddict.com indicates that there have been 540 recorded deaths worldwide since 1981, with 30 of those occurring just last year. Notably, high-profile incidents include the deaths of BASE jumper Dean Potter and his climbing partner Graham Hunt in 2015 during a wingsuit flight in California's Yosemite National Park. A 2007 study published in a medical journal estimated that the risks associated with BASE jumping are five to eight times greater than those of skydiving.
Lewis was aware of the dangers involved in BASE jumping and expressed his thoughts on the fatalities associated with the sport. In a previous interview with documentary filmmaker Ella Warnick, he reflected on the normalization of death within the sport, stating, "It’s weird to think about how many people are dead, because it’s like a normal thing."
In addition to his athletic endeavors, Lewis owned BASE Jump Moab, a business that provided tandem jump excursions for inexperienced customers, where a novice is harnessed to a guide who operates the parachute. Sheriff’s spokesperson Cymbaluk stated he was unsure if Lewis and the other deceased individual were engaged in a tandem jump at the time of the accident. McEvoy mentioned that tandem BASE jumping carries additional risks because it involves two people strapped together under a single parachute, yet it is often viewed as a lower-risk option for novices, prompting debate within the BASE jumping community regarding its safety and value.
Lewis's accolades included winning four consecutive world championships in competitive slacklining from 2008 to 2011, and he set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing in 2011 over the Diaoshuilou waterfall in China. His adventurous spirit continued in 2014 when he walked a slackline suspended between two hot air balloons, soaring over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the Nevada desert.
