WATCH ABOVE: A recent BASE jumping incident in Edmonton has police on edge, but an enthusiast of the sport says the worry isn’t warranted. Lisa Wolansky reports.
EDMONTON – It’s a thrill seekers paradise. BASE jumping is gaining popularity, but it can be against the law.
Monday night, police arrested three men who broke into a construction site and jumped off a crane downtown. Police received a call at 11:40 p.m. reporting a person had jumped from a construction crane at 86 Street and Jasper Avenue. Officers and Air 1 were sent to the area, and three men in their 20s were taken into police custody.
Police call it a selfish act that impacts the rest of the city.
EPS Supt. Kevin Galvin says police resources are significantly stretched.
“We have a number of people in our community that legitimately require emergency services.”
According to avid sky diver Kyle Jakeway, BASE jumping is the next big rush.
“It’s like any other sport. People like hockey, other people like football. Well, base jumpers just like base jumping. It’s as dangerous or as safe as you make it.”
Jakeway says there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the high adrenalin sport.
“It’s kind of an unwritten rule in base jumping – if there is something in your way or locked, go around it don’t go through it.”
WATCH: BASE jumper clears up misconceptions around the sport
Obviously not everyone follows those rules. In 2013, jumpers in Edmonton were charged with trespassing. They hurtled off a 36-storey condo building, The Pearl, under construction at the time.
In Lethbridge, trespassing charges were laid against a jumper who filmed his stunt at the High Level Bridge.
Police say base jumping incidents in Edmonton are not increasing.
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