Dean Potter

Dean Potter is widely considered to be one of the best climbers in the world. Not only has he scaled some of the world’s toughest peaks – including the Eiger in Switzerland, and Glacier Point in the Yosemite Valley – he scaled them without the use of ropes or harnesses. In the sport of free climbing, few come close to Potter.

Unsatisfied with simply getting to the top of a mountain and coming back down, Potter has incorporated his other love, BASE jumping to create the sport FreeBASE. Said Potter, ‘For climbers the summit was the end, it was everything. Now [with FreeBASE] you put on your special suit and fly away.’

Potter uses the wingsuit previously featured on amazingstuff. With the webbed legs and arms, he is able to fly for three minutes after his initial jump.

In his quest to find more amazing climbs, Potter is not afraid to confront the legal system to try to ‘turn impossible into possible.’ The thirty-nine year old American generated controversy when he climbed Delicate Arch in Utah. ‘There wasn’t any legal reason for me not to climb it,’ Potter said of Delicate Arch, despite well-established tradition forbidding climbing named features in the park.

Aside from Free BASE, Free climbing and BASE jumping, Potter also high wire walks at altitude, before throwing himself off the wire. ‘I turn dying into flying.’

Pics via Daily Mail
Vids via National Geographic and anthonyi