NEWS BY EURO NEWSROOM

Russia's most extreme athlete flies off Europe's highest mountain 17.09.2008

MINERALNJE VODY (RUSSIA) Wearing a wing-suit, Valery Rozov of Russia flew off of the Summit of Kukurtlu, which is the part of mount Elbrus, Europe's highest mountain in the western Caucasus on September 10. It was the highest jump in Europe and gave the 43-year-old parachute champion a new European record, which will be difficult to beat.

Russian extreme athlete Valery Rozov established a remarkable record on the border between Russia and Georgia -- a focal point of world history at the moment. He jumped off Europe's highest possible spot, the 4,600-meter high Kukurtlu Cupola on Mount Elbrus and sailed with his wing-suit to the foot of the mountain's face at an altitude of 1,500 meters. The historic flight lasted just under one minute before the 43-year-old pulled the rip cord on his parachute. "It was a wonderful feeling," the 2-time world champion and X-Games winner said afterwards.

The climb to the highest spot on the 5,642-meter high Elbrus Massive was extremely difficult. After 4 days of preparation and 2 more days and nights in snowstorms and temperatures at about 20 degrees minus Valery Rozov jumped supported by a team of russian, german and swiss mountaineers.

Pictures free of charge only for editorial use: Thomas Senf, Anton Zhdanov for Euro-Newsroom.com