photo Frodis Ormasen
ELLEN BRENNAN started BASE jumping in 2006 before wingsuit BASE jumping in 2008 which she attributes to changing her life. It was in Europe that she first got her taste of wingsuiting and she hasn’t looked back as she’s currently the world’s fastest flying woman and is widely recognised as one of the sport’s most likeable personalities.
In this exclusive interview Ellen talks about the challenges of the new 2015 season, her favourite places to jump and what she enjoys doing when she isn’t flying in the sky!
When did you start BASE jumping and was it something you’d thought about doing for a while?
I started BASE jumping in 2007, but I honestly didn’t think it was going to become something that I lived and breathed for. Initially, I started BASE jumping so I could jump from hot-air balloons with the proper gear. I felt that a BASE rig was more reliable than a skydive rig when jumping from lower altitudes – not to mention, I got to freefall for an extra 2000ft!
photo Damian Deschamps
How did the progression to wingsuit jumping take place and could you give us some more information about what is involved in the sport?
My first few years of BASE jumping I mostly focused on jumping from small cliffs in the Moab desert. But during that time I was also skydiving – learning to fly tracking suits and wingsuits.
In 2008 I started travelling to Europe to jump from the larger cliffs. First, I jumped the larger cliffs wearing a tracking suit. But then I saw how my friends could fly so much farther in wingsuits and I quickly changed my focus to that.
Learning to fly a wingsuit doesn’t happen over night. I spent a lot of time flying the suits from the aeroplanes before I took them to the cliffs. I also benefited greatly from ‘cross-training’ in the tunnel. The tunnel taught me great body awareness, and those skills transferred smoothly from free-flying to wingsuit flying.
photo Damien Deschamps
You’ve won titles around the world and have been attributed as being the world’s fastest woman in the air. Are you still the fastest and what would you say your biggest achievements in BASE jumping have been?
As of right now, I am still considered the fastest flying woman. But there are many girls that will be competing in the 2015 season, and I will really have to train hard if I want to keep this title!
I can’t say that I have one achievement that sticks out above the rest in my jumping career. I am very proud to have been jumping for over ten years with no injuries (touch wood). And I am also happy to have had the opportunities to jump in beautiful places all over the world with some of the best pilots in our sport.
photo Laurent Frat
You moved from the US to Europe and have also jumped in the Alps. Where have you experienced the greatest jumps and where are you at the moment?
Some of my most favourite jumps have in the region in Valais, Switzerland. My favourite jumps are the ones that require a tricky approach, ideally involving a bit of climbing and commitment. Currently I am living in Chamonix, France where the amount of alpine jumps are limitless. This summer I hope to put on my crampons and conquer the jumps above 4,000m.
What goes through your mind when you’re about to jump and is there still much fear attached to what you do?
If you’re not scared your shouldn’t jump. Fear in an instinctual response when you’re standing at the edge of a cliff. What I love about jumping is controlling this fear, and using this heightened awareness to complete a beautiful flight.
When you’re at the edge of a cliff it is amazing how simple everything in life becomes. I am not worried about the minute stresses of life, but just what matters right in that moment. Clarity. Jumping has taught me to focus on what really matters in life. Enjoying every minute of it, and sharing that with the people I love.
What advice would give to someone who want to give BASE jumping a go and have you encouraged many friends or family to get jumping?
I don’t encourage people to start BASE jumping. Jumping is in the nature of the people who want to do it; it doesn’t require any outside encouragement. But I do encourage people to try something that scares them a little. Like skydiving, bungee jumping, etc. I feel like we learn a lot about ourselves when we step outside of our comfort zone, and I want everyone to get to experience that.
What other extreme sports are you involved in and how else do you like to spend your time?
If I am not wingsuitng, I am enjoying the mountains in other fashions. In the winter I like to go ski touring if it’s windy, and speedriding when the conditions are good. In the summer I enjoy climbing, paragliding and hiking around with my doggy.
Do you have any exciting plans or competitions coming up in the next year?
This year I plan to participate in the WWL races. The first one will be in Voss Norway, and if I do well, I will continue to the Grand Prix in China.
I will also be spending my time exploring the high peaks of the Swiss and French Alps. I plan to conquer three peaks in Switzerland with a team of 5 other girls in the Three Peaks Project. We will hike and jump or fly down from the Monch, Jungfrau and Eiger all located in Switzerland. After that, I hope to also jump from many high peaks in the Mont Blanc Massif.
Weeee!
