Video of Illegal BASE Jump From Ski Resort Gondola Investigated

Most BASE jumps originate on a cliff, mountain top or another adequately high, stationary structure. One such daredevil stunt in Canada though originated on a ski resort's gondola, sparking a criminal investigation.

The illegal jump from the suspended ride at the Whistler Blackcomb resort in British Columbia occurred Feb. 6. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police assume that the BASE jumper is safe, but is looking into the jump after video evidence posted online shows the doors forced open followed by the unsanctioned jump.

A spokeswoman with the resort said the doors would cost $10,000 to fix. (Image source: YouTube)

The doors on the moving gondola have a locking mechanism that was broken to open them over Fitzsimmons Creek, the highest point on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola at 1,427 feet.

The footage of the BASE jump, which stands for building, antenna, span and Earth, shows the man  safely parachuting to the ground.

Image source: YouTube

Image source: YouTube

Watch the video:

"Whistler Blackcomb takes tampering a lift system very seriously and is working with the RCMP to press charges and recoup damages to the Peak 2 Peak Gondola," Whistler Blackcomb said in a statement, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The jump takes an eerie twist in that is titled "McConkey Reborn" on YouTube, referencing the death of skier Shane McConkey, who died in a BASE jumping accident in 2009 in Italy. McConkey, prior to his death, successfully jumped from a Peak 2 Peak Gondola after it opened. This latest stunt mimicked what he did in 2009, the CBC reported.

Whistler Blackcomb spokeswoman Michelle Leroux told the Vancouver Sun the damage to the three-lock door would cost $10,000 to fix.

"We've never had anyone base jump from the PEAK 2 PEAK unless it was a sanctioned event,"  Leroux said.

The woman seen in the gondola cabin, according to Leroux, says she didn't know the BASE jumper and was sightseeing. However, in the footage she engaged in coversation with the man, appeared to hold the door open with her foot and filmed a different video angle of his jump.

In the U.S., BASE jumping made national news recently after a Utah woman died when her parachute failed to open after she performed an illegal jump in a state park.