Extreme action sports legend Dean Potter performed his final jump off Yosemite, accompanied by fellow thrill seeker Graham Hunt. The pair of friends were in the middle of a routine wingsuit jump when everything went wrong. The experienced athletes crashed and died without being able to open their shoots and little is known as to the reasoning behind the disaster.
Potter was known for his ability to push life to the edge. His daring stunts of athleticism gave him worldwide fans. The lifestyle and motto of such a thrill seeker is not understand much by the general public. The New York Times tries to help explain his motto on life with a statement he gave Rock and Ice Magazine:
"It's not enough to think, I will survive this once. When I think about doing something, I think, Will I survive a million out of a million times?"
The reluctant star always wanted to play by his own rules no matter the consequences. Potter had formerly been sponsored by companies like Patagonia and Clif Bar, before being dropped because the companies thought he was too irresponsible and risky with his stunts. The loss of sponsorship didn't seem to slow down the thrill seeker, he was doing this for himself. A former interview with NPR showed how Potter's emotions dictated his desire to try to connect with the structures he performed his stunts on:
"More so than I want to be on top of that or I want to conquer that. It's I want to be a part of that. I want to touch and feel and breathe that. I want to become one with that."
Not many people can say they died doing what the love.
What do you think happened on that last wingsuit jump? Will this slow down the extreme sports culture? Tell us your thoughts below.
