Ueli Gegenschatz (January 3, 1971 – November 13, 2009, Zurich) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

BASE jumper,

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

and

skydiver Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...

who held several world records. Ueli Gegenschatz was known for his expert paragliding, skydiving and BASE jumping and

Wingsuit flying Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just ...

. He completed his first parachute jump in the military preliminary course for long-distance scouts in 1989. Although Gegenschatz did not become a scout, he remained true to jumping: in 1990 he flew with a paraglider for the first time and from then on, as an amateur, he was part of the extended world elite. From the mid-1990s onwards, he devoted himself more to jumping again, and in 1997 he made his first object jump from a 1000-metre high rock face in Norway. A member of the Swiss national paragliding team for four years, Gegenschatz co-founded the Red Bull acro team in 1995. Among his BASE jumping achievements, many of which are available as YouTube videos, were jumps off Eiffel Tower, the Petronas Towers in KL as well as jumps off of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks all in one day. On November 11, 2009, during a jump for

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

from the

Sunrise Tower Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

in Zurich,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, a gust of wind hit Gegenschatz and he lost control of his jump. He hit the ground and was seriously injured. He died on November 13.

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gegenschatz, Ueli 1971 births 2009 deaths Swiss skydivers Sport deaths in Switzerland Parachuting deaths Accidental deaths from falls Filmed deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Switzerland