
Felix Baumgartner, adventurer who once jumped to Earth from edge of space, dies at 56
According to local media reports, the pilot died after crashing into a hotel pool while paragliding on the Adriatic coast, injuring another person in the accident.
National Geographic has reached out to Baumgartner's representatives.
According to the Associated Press, the city's mayor confirmed Baumgartner's death in a social media post.
'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,' Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said.
Baumgartner leaves behind a soaring legacy, setting a world record for jumping to Earth from the edge of space in a freefall that broke the sound barrier.
(See Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking freefall jump from the stratosphere) Into thin air
The BASE jumper got his start on solid ground in his birthplace of Salzburg, Austria. But he was called to the sky from a young age, drawing a picture of himself equipped with parachutes and dreaming of life in thin air. By 16 he had made his first skydive, and he became an exhibition skydiver for Red Bull, then a nascent brand, in 1988.
Soon, Baumgartner expanded his aerial repertoire with BASE jumping, in which a parachuted jumper leaps from a fixed object or landform. Fourteen world records followed as Baumgartner became known for BASE jumping off cliffs, airplanes, and even from the top of the cultural icons.
'I know that I can die undertaking the kinds of jumps that I do,' he told National Geographic in 2010. 'When I was ready to BASE jump from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil, only 95 feet from the ground, it crossed my mind that in less than three seconds I could cease to exist. But I don't have a death wish. I wouldn't even say that I'm a thrill seeker or adrenaline junkie. I'm a person who likes a challenge.' Felix Baumgartner, who goes by the code name 'Base 502,' prepares to jump from the arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue on December 1, 1999. It was the first-ever known base-jump made from the site. Photograph By Reuters/Redux The edge of space
By 2012, Baumgartner was in his forties and ready for a new challenge: setting a world record by jumping to Earth from the edge of space and becoming the world's fastest falling human in the process. The Red Bull STRATOS project took Baumgartner 24 miles to the edge of Earth's atmosphere in a capsule attached to a helium balloon the size of 33 football fields.
On October 14, 2012, as millions watched via livestream, Baumgartner, clad in a special suit, jumped from the capsule into the highest freefall of all time. His 24.2-mile fall broke the sound barrier, thrusting him downward at a top speed of 844 miles an hour. Austrian base-jumper Felix Baumgartner glides through the air past Brazil's Dois Irmaos mountain on January 8, 2002. Baumgartner specialized in BASE jumping from man-made or natural objects. Photograph By Spoettel Bernhard/SNI/Reuters/Redux
The next year, more than 55,000 voters cast votes for National Geographic's 2013 People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. They chose Baumgartner.
'Adventure is life,' he told NatGeo's Mary Anne Potts that year. 'It's how we learn…it's exploration.' Far from being an adrenaline junkie, Baumgartner again said that his feats were accomplished only with diligent planning, teamwork, and the discipline to learn from each new adventure.
(Read how exploration changed Baumgartner's life from our 2013 interview.) Always looking for the next challenge
After his freefall from space, Baumgartner focused on charity helicopter flights and fundraising for humanitarian projects. He also participated in other sports like racecar driving and motorcycle riding. 'If I am not in the air but still need some wind around my neck this is the way to go,' he wrote of his KTM Superduke 990 R motorcycle.
'Once I've reached a goal I'm always looking for the next challenge,' Baumgartner said in 2013. 'It was a great moment. But I want more.'
In more recent years, Baumgartner stirred controversy with political statements criticizing European refugee policies and endorsing the concept of a 'moderate dictatorship.'
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American Press
7 hours ago
- American Press
Hurricane Katrina's wounds reopened in 'Race Against Time'
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina — one of the deadliest and most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history — roared onto Louisiana's southeastern coastline with catastrophic power, driving a massive storm surge toward the city of New Orleans. With the 20th anniversary approaching, the five-part documentary series 'Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time' looks back at the heroes — and villains — who lived through the flooding nightmares, excessive heat and food shortages following the storm and the systemic failure and enduring consequences of decisions made before, during and after the levees broke. The series premieres Sunday on National Geographic and is available for streaming Monday on Disney+ and Hulu. Among those featured in the series is Ivor van Heerdan, who in 2004 as the deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center predicted Hurricane Katrina's devastating effects only to have been met with deaf ears. 'The extent of the suffering and the magnitude of the ineptness by the federal government and the ability of people to believe stupid ideas like it's a Civil War really comes out very strongly (in the series),' Van Heerdan told the American Press via Zoom. '(The filmmakers) did a masterful job in not following the normal format, which is the storm came, the levees failed, why did the levees fail, what was the consequence, how are we going to fix it. They really took a very important part of it — which was what happened to the people — and I think they did an amazing job. It certainly brought tears to my eyes.' Van Heerdan — who was on the ground in New Orleans when the levees broke — has images from the aftermath forever burned in his memory. 'It's sometimes very tough because I saw a lot of things that really still stick in my head — especially the children that drowned because I had my own young daughter at the time,' he said. 'I was coming home to her, but these kids weren't going home to anyone.' Van Heerdan said in 1992 Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, flattened everything in its wake in Miami. The storm was the inspiration for his research into what would happen to New Orleans if the same type of storm were to hit that area. 'It looked like an atomic bomb had gone off and that same storm then made landfall in Louisiana on the Atchafalaya Basin, which is where we have our healthiest wetlands. It lost a lot of its steam and energy between the coast and New Orleans city. I realized then that if Andrew had taken just a few degrees different course it would have been another Hurricane Betsy and since Hurricane Betsy in 1965, we've lost a huge amount of our coastal wetlands so there would be nothing to slow it down.' In 1994, then-Gov. Edwin Edwards appointed Van Heerdan assistant secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. Part of his job was to bring in new science and ideas to the program. 'I was then able to articulate to legislators and other people in Washington and I said, 'It's coming and we're going to have a major flood.' There were no computer models; in fact we funded the first computer model efforts in Louisiana. That little quiet voice beckoned me in '92 and my focus became to try and get a research team and get research money to really look at coastal Louisiana.' By 1998, LSU had allowed his team to establish the Hurricane Center on campus and in 2001 he received a $6.3 million grant from the Louisiana Board of Higher Education to create the Hurricane Public Health Center to develop storm surge models. Van Heerden brought in medical doctors, epidemiologists, veterinarians and wind experts. He also got a $11 million super computer from then-Gov. Mike Foster. 'There's a side of the dynamics of understanding the winds and the waves and especially the storm surge and how they move through the areas. In Louisiana, we have LiDAR data (short for Light Detection and Ranging data) and very accurate digital elevation data. We got the storm surge models and the next thing we needed to do was a huge public opinion survey. What did the people of New Orleans think? What did they know? That's how we found out 120,000 people didn't have motor vehicles.' He said the survey also led to the realization that the five major parishes in southeastern Louisiana had their own databases and maps but nothing was linked or shareable with the others. His team worked with the Louisiana Geological Survey and others to create a GIS (geographic information system) database, which 'proved exceptionally useful in Katrina because we knew where the schools were in relation to gas stations, etc., etc.' Access to the database was given to the U.S. Department of Health and Hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His team also conducted studies on what could be in the water around New Orleans and pathogens that may be present. 'All of this culminated a year before Hurricane Katrina in the Hurricane Pam exercises,' he said. The 300-plus workshop participants of the Pam exercises in July 2004 were provided with a catastrophic hurricane scenario, a set of consequences that would result from that scenario and assumptions designed to stress the emergency management system and force thinking on critical planning topics. 'We really hoped that the Hurricane Pam exercises — modeled after Hurricane Betsy and which featured the entire city flooded — would really wake up everybody. Quit honestly, we were laughed at a few times,' Van Heerdan said. 'I realized very early that we are going to have a lot of evacuees, eternally displaced people, and I and one of my colleagues went to the United Kingdom for 10 days and we did a course in how do you deal with refugees, evacuees and eternally displaced people; how do you establish a camp; how much acreage would you need; what would you need to do. We came back with these ideas and tried to articulate them and during the Hurricane Pam exercise I went to one of the ladies from FEMA and said, 'You need to start thinking about tents. There's going to be a million evacuees. What are you going to do with them?' and she turned around and said to me, 'Americans don't stay in tents.' But the ball went around and after (Katrina) was over they were asked during interviews why there were no tents and they stammered their way through it.' Van Heerdan said before London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, officials came to him and asked advice based on the aftermath of what they saw during Katrina. 'We discussed all these things and so they prepositioned tents all over places outside of London in case something happened,' he said. 'London could be flooded, as well. It's got levees and big floodgates.' Van Heerdan said he places a lot of blame for what happened after Katrina on then-New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. 'We had spoken to him about the buses. The plan was called Operation Brother and they would send the buses and church groups would help load the people and get them out. Over a few dollars, they blew it,' he said. 'And instead of issuing an evacuation early they held it. If people had known earlier they might have been able to go get gas, do something, get out. The safest thing was to get out.' Van Heerdan said at the time, the devastation was linked to 'an act of God.' That's not true, he said, because this disaster was man-made. 'The levees weren't even complete,' he said. 'In order to get to know New Orleans I used to go down in my Xterra and drive everywhere and look at the levees. Every single levee I drove as close to it as I could look. I saw levees with big bows in them and sinking under their own weight, some where leaning over a little bit, some had big cracks and two-by-fours were in the cracks. Also, entire sections were missing.' Van Heerdan said though the rebuild of the levees has been 'robust,' climate change wasn't factored into the design. 'They really need to start thinking about raising the levees and in some places, raising houses and in some places buying people out,' he said. 'The risk of this happening again is very high. Our models show that next time, the storm surge will be nine to 11 feet higher than it was for Katrina.'

9 hours ago
Volunteers repair damaged parts of Appalachian Trail by hand almost a year after Helene
UNICOI COUNTY, Tenn. -- In a rugged patch of the Appalachian Trail in eastern Tennessee, volunteers size up a massive, gnarled tree lying on its side. Its tangled web of roots and dark brown soil, known as a root ball, is roughly the size of a large kiddie pool. The collection of volunteers and staff from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and local organizations, doesn't plan to move the tree. Instead, their job is filling the gaping holes left by it and many other downed trees along iconic East Coast trail. Almost a year since Hurricane Helene tore through the mountains of the Southeast, restoration is still ongoing. In places like the Appalachian Trail it's powered primarily by volunteers, at a time when federal resources are strained and uncertain. That labor, made up of people spanning several generations and continents, aims to not only return the trail to its former glory but make it more resilient against future inclement weather. 'Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Appalachian Trail,' said Jake Stowe, a program support specialist with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Stretching more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) miles from Georgia to Maine, the trail attracts more than 3 million people every year, according to the conservancy. Some committed hikers traverse its entire length to cross it off their bucket list. Others visit sporadically just to indulge in its scenic views. Last September, Helene killed more than 200 people and wrecked entire towns. Many rural businesses have struggled due to the drop in tourism, Stowe said, such as in places seeing fewer trail hikers. Directly after the storm, more than 430 miles (690 kilometers) of the trail were closed, the conservancy said. That's down to 5 miles (8 kilometers) today. Hikers still have to take detours around two damaged sections of the trail, both in Tennessee, according to the conservancy. One spot where a bridge collapsed requires a 3.6-mile (5.8-kilometer) walking detour. The other location is near the destroyed Cherry Gap Shelter, where an Associated Press journalist accompanied volunteers this week making the area passable again for visitors who currently have to take a 6-mile (10 kilometer) detour. Local groups typically take on day-to-day trail maintenance, such as hacking back plant overgrowth, Stowe said. Larger organizations like the Appalachian Trail Conservancy step in to assist with severe damage, although in Helene's case, safety concerns delayed restoration. 'At the time, we weren't really in the position to put people in the woods,' Stowe said. 'It was such bad damage that it was just- you couldn't safely do that.' The area near Cherry Gap has already been 'sawed out,' meaning downed trees that blocked the trail have been cut and moved out of the way. But root balls are still a major problem because of how labor-intensive it is to deal with them. When a tree tips over, the root ball lifts a big chunk of earth with it. Filling that hole can sometimes take a week, said Matt Perrenod, a crew leader with the conservancy. The trail runs along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, and that rough terrain means crews must rely on hand tools like shovels, rakes and pruners to do the job, rather than heavy equipment. The conservancy also has to consider more sustainable improvements to the trail, such as building steps or features like water bars, which are essentially little ditches that divert rainfall off the side of the trail. It's a slow process, Perrenod said, but a worthwhile venture to improve the experience of hikers. 'You don't actually want to think about the thing you're walking on very much. You just want to walk on it," said Perrenod, who hiked the Appalachian Trail's entirety about a decade ago. 'Well, if we don't do the work, you won't be able to do that. You'll spend all your time climbing over this tree and walking around that hole." Partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service has long been a critical component of preserving the Appalachian Trail. Through contracts, Perrenod said the agencies fund equipment, gas and the wages of some Appalachian Trail Conservancy staff members like himself. The Forest Service also helps the group lug their gear up to the trail, he said. That's why Perrenod says it's imperative the federal government does not slash those agencies' budgets and workforces. Disrupting support for volunteers could be detrimental for the trail's restoration, as volunteers provide 'a lot of muscle' to complete the vast majority of its maintenance, he said. In Helene's aftermath, volunteerism across the region was 'super high' because everyone wanted to help, Stowe said. This year, interest in volunteering has dipped, Stowe said, but he's heard from people all over the country — and the world — who cited Helene as a major reason they wanted to come out and help. Among the volunteers on the July maintenance trip were three visitors from Japan who work on long-distance trails back home. They were enthusiastic to learn about best practices for improving trail longevity and take those ideas back to Japan. The trio was also motivated by their own experience with natural devastation. After Japan's massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, volunteer Kumi Aizawa said people from across the globe came to rebuild.


National Geographic
11 hours ago
- National Geographic
Everything you need to know about Austrian wine
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). I first came across Austrian wine around 30 years ago in San Francisco, of all places, at a restaurant called The Slanted Door that served Vietnamese food, with which I was equally unfamiliar. I was blown away by a fresh, peppery white called grüner veltliner — a wine made from a grape of the same name — along with how well it suited the dishes we'd ordered. Since then, it's become hugely popular. Almost every supermarket has an own-label grüner and it's still my go-to with most Southeast Asian food. Although it accounts for a third of Austrian wine production — approximately 70% of of which is white — grüner is not the only type in town. Austria also produces world-class riesling, generally drier than those from Germany, along with some stunning sauvignon blancs and chardonnays, the latter known locally as morillon. Then there are some seductively soft, supple reds made mainly from zweigelt (the most widely planted red variety) and sumptuous, sweet blaufränkisch wines (Austria has its own protected designation of origin, Ruster Ausbruch). Add to this the sparkling wines, known in Germany as 'sekt', it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Austria has it all. Not to mention it has one of the most alluring wine tourism destinations on the outskirts of Vienna. On a balmy summer evening, there's nothing better than heading up into the hills and sitting in one of the many heurigers. These taverns serve the local wiener gemischter satz, or 'Viennese field blend', the official term for the light, aromatic white wines made from grapes that are randomly intermingled in a vineyard — the traditional way of planting before vineyards were devoted to a single variety. Other Austrian regions to look out for are Burgenland, traditionally the source of some of the best reds and sweet wines; Wachau, largely for grüner and riesling; and Styria, which has some of the most stunning full-flavoured sauvignon blancs. Wherever you go in the country, it's hard to overstate Austrians' passion for wine. Which is why the 1980s scandal, during which a number of its wineries were found to have adulterated their wines with diethylene glycol (an ingredient used in antifreeze), must have cut them to the quick. However, nothing of the kind has happened since, and the quality consistently increases. Indeed, Austrian wines remain one of the most reliable options on restaurant wine lists. A comparatively high proportion — as much as 24% — of the country's vineyards are certified organic or biodynamic, and you'll tend to find these wines in many of the capital's coolest restaurants and wine bars. But if a weekend away isn't on the cards, Newcomer Wines in Dalston, east London, specialises in Austrian varieties and runs tasting sessions. Five Austrian wines to try Unearthed Gemischter Satz 2024 It's hugely enterprising of Aldi to have recently taken on this field blend of different white grape varieties. These combinations create a fresh, aromatic wine to sip as an aperitif or enjoy with dim sum or spicy snacks. £8.99. Waitrose No 1 Grüner Veltliner 2023/4 Waitrose, an early adopter of grüner veltliner, has a classic peppery example in its No 1 range, made by the excellent Markus Huber (who features on other own-brand labels). Great with Vietnamese food but also perfect with schnitzel. £12. The Society's Austrian Red 2023 This juicy and eminently affordable wine, based on the native zweigelt grape, is the perfect introduction to Austrian reds. Swig it at a barbecue, sip it with salami or enjoy it with pizza — it goes with practically anything. £9.50. Weingut Bründlmayer Kamptal Riesling Terrassen 2022/3 Austria's rieslings are among its best and costliest wines. This organic example — fruity but piercingly sharp and intense — is well worth the price. Drink it with spiced Asian food or smoked salmon. £23.95. Jurtschitsch Brut Rosé Klassik Another wine based on zweigelt, this time a fruity sekt — the sparkling rosé that's Austria's answer to pink champagne. Have it outdoors on a summer evening, ideally in Vienna, and all will be right with the world. £34. Published in Issue 28 (summer 2025) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).