Two professional BASE jumpers were fired more than 100 meters into the sky above Trbovlje, Slovenia, on November 5 by the world's largest human catapult, setting two Guinness World Records before either had opened a parachute.
Spanish jumper Dani Roman, 35, and French jumper Fred Fugen, 47, climbed into launch capsules built into the base of a 360-meter industrial chimney — Europe's tallest — then were slung upward by a 60-meter mechanical sling that accelerated them to roughly 180 kph before release. Roman went first, rising 100.36 meters above the launch point to claim the record for greatest height by human catapult. He and Fugen then launched together, reaching a combined height of 151.72 meters for a second record, before both opened their parachutes and glided to the ground. Red Bull's own account of the stunt put their peak altitude at 456.7 meters above ground level.
A chimney built for one job, repurposed for another
The Trbovlje chimney, built decades ago to vent a now-shuttered coal-fired power plant, has become something of a stage for extreme sports in recent years as the Slovenian town looks for ways to keep its best-known landmark relevant after the plant's closure. Organizers built the catapult rig specifically for the attempt, engineering it to safely accelerate a rider to jumping speed inside the chimney's shaft before launching them out above its rim.
Guinness adjudicators were on site to verify both records, which coverage of the stunt in the specialist daredevil press noted required extensive wind and structural testing in the weeks beforehand. Roman and Fugen are both veteran wingsuit and BASE-jumping athletes with past Guinness titles between them.
Reaction online was a mix of awe and disbelief, with footage of the jumpers disappearing into a smokestack, then rocketing out the top seconds later, racking up millions of views across jump teams' social accounts within days.
No further human-catapult attempts have been announced, though organizers in Trbovlje have suggested the chimney could host more extreme-sports records in the future, continuing its second act as an adrenaline venue rather than a smokestack.
