An Australian who reportedly died earlier this week in an accident at a competition in northern Italy has been remembered as a much-loved member of the international Base jumping community.
James Nowland, 42, died on Wednesday after jumping from the peak of Sass Pordoi in the Dolomites region during the Pordoi Base race, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported.
It was suggested Nowland’s parachute may not have opened in time due to a technical issue. According to the report, doctors tried to revive the Perth man, who crashed at an altitude of approximately 1,700 metres, but were unable to do so.
It was reported that Nowland was part of a group of fellow Australians based in Lupo Bianco, where he was scheduled to land before he crashed about 400 metres from the landing point.
The Australian Base Association on Friday described Nowland as an “experienced and loved member of the worldwide Base jumping community”.
A spokesperson for the association said Nowland had been “jumping for many years” and “loved spending time with his friends in the beautiful mountain environments of Europe”.
“All Base jumpers accept that the activity has risks, but this accident has still come as a shock,” the spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with his family and all others who knew James at this difficult time.”
Base jumping is an extreme recreational sport that involves jumping off elevated fixed objects using parachutes or wingsuits. Base is an acronym for building, antenna, span (meaning bridges) and earth (referring to cliffs).
The Pordoi Base competition involves the world’s “top wingsuit athletes racing against each other to become the fastest in the world”, according to the event’s website.
Racers jump from the top of the mountain, fly as fast as they can across the ground to the finish line and deploy their parachutes to land safely, the website said.
Guardian Australia contacted the event organisers for comment.
