Base jumper critically hurt in Alberta foothills



Courtesy Kananaskis Country Public Safety

The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, August 19, 2015 8:29PM EDT

NORDEGG, Alta. -- A base jumper was critically injured after he hit a cliff in a remote area of the Alberta foothills.
Kananaskis Country Public Safety, a rescue organization working within Alberta Environment, says the 39-year-old man parachuted off a cliff near Nordegg on Tuesday.
The organization says on its Facebook site the parachute did not fully open after the man hit the cliff.
It helped Rocky Mountain House search and rescue members, paramedics and RCMP in the backcountry rescue.
KCPS and Alpine Helicopters did a heli-sling rescue and then the man was transferred to Stars air ambulance.
The 39-year-old man was taken to a Calgary hospital in critical condition.
Base jumping is parachuting or wingsuit flying from a fixed structure or cliff. It is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: building, antenna, span, and Earth (cliff).