Base jumping off a Scottish mountain vs a nice cup of tea – Scotsman comment

There are many ways to enjoy the great Scottish countryside.

A base jumper is pictured from the ridge of Aonach Eagach, Glen Coe (Picture via SWNS)

One could take a train to a remote station or drive to a nice spot for a picnic. For those who are a bit more adventurous, hillwalking and mountain biking can take you to places where the view is simply breathtaking.

However, there are a small, select group of people for whom such activities seem rather sedate and whose breath is apparently removed only in more death-defying ways.

Stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill, for example, recently made a terrifying, two-wheeled descent down the vertigo-inducing side of the 900-metre Dubh Ridge on the edge of the Cuillin mountain range on Skye.

And now, two as-yet unnamed base jumpers have been filmed hurling themselves into the air from the 953-metre ridge of Aonach Eagach in Glen Coe.

Happily, their parachutes deployed and, despite floating perilously close to the rocks, both appear to have landed safely.

Nick Cowie, who was climbing the ridge at the time and took a video of the base jumpers, said: “I was blown away really, it's such a sharp drop and narrow gully, no margin for error. My heart was in my mouth when he jumped and we were elated to see him sail off into the distance.”

Presumably such exploits are tremendous fun for the people who like that sort of thing and are confident enough in their skills to flirt so closely with the end of their existence.

However, the Scotsman would like to point out there’s also fun to be had on picnics, solving a tricky crossword or simply having a nice cup of tea.

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