New River Gorge’s Bridge Day is back on October 15, now with a shiny new NPS status.
When West Virginia ’s New River Gorge Bridgewas completed in 1977 , it was a remarkable exploit : a 22,000 ton stretch of steel spanning the gaping 3030 foundation wide gorge , 876 feet above the churning , ice stale New River . It cost $ 37 million dollar bill , created four lanes of traffic , and bring down the local commute from 45 min down to just one , bypassing winding Appalachian deal roadstead . After it was dispatch , it stepped into its place as the long individual arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere , and in 2013 , after only 34 days , it was tot up to the National Register of Historic Places for its engineering significance . It even has its ownstamp .
During mental synthesis , people would look at the straddle and wonder . Perhaps even wondering what the panorama were like from up path there , a simple distich hundred feet shy of the Eiffel Tower , or if the construction worker were nettle by the farting . But one intrepid guy namedBurton Ervinlooked at it and thought : “ A man could jump off of that . ”
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Ervin was a ember mining boss , Korean War Army Vet , and ego - described hillbilly . He was also a skydiver jonesing for a unexampled challenge . He ascertain it in the New River Gorge Bridge , latertelling the local intelligence , “ I wanted to judge something that you may or may not be able to reach . ”
But he was no dummy . He did his research , vaporize above at different times of Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to screen the wind , swimming in the New River below to essay the undercurrents . Then , two years after the bridge opened , in the dead of Nox on Friday , August 17 , 1979 , he trounce a parachute onto his white Elvis - expressive style jump suit and leapt into the darkness . About 200 spectators gathered for the event , which conclude when he splashed down into the water .
The stunt was not only illegal , but ill - advised in many ways — there ’s technically no footpath on the span to keep him out of the way of fomite , for one — but all area lunatic saw was that it terminate … well enough . They began jumping off the bridge themselves at all times of day . Ervin noticed the course , and cheer local officials in Fayetteville to create a day where it would be sound to jump out off of the nosepiece during day hours , offer jumpers with a safe outlet while create revenue for the city at the same time . ( According to his retelling , he told the Chamber of Commerce , “ You ’re not gon na lay off these hoi polloi from jumping off the bridge . You could make money off of this ! ” )
A (plummeting) bird’s-eye view.|Michael Mathes/AFP/Getty Images
Ervin helped show the first New River GorgeBridge Dayin 1980 . Two people jump from a plane down to the bridge , five parachuted down into the Gorge , and certification were given to 5,500 people who were the first to take the air the pair of the bridge . And though it was Burton ’s first and last time organizing the event—“I’m just trying to live a good hillbilly life and have a little bit of exemption , ” he said — a tradition was born .
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Bridge Dayis now the oldest and largest organized BASE jump event in the world , with 100,000 spectators annually ( BASE is an acronym referring to the repair objective from which they start : Buildings , Antennas , bridge or “ Spans , ” and cliffs or “ Earth ” ) . It ’s held annually on the third Saturday of October , and after a two yr pandemic - fueled reprieve , the festivity are back .
A lot has take place in these retiring two years , including New River Gorge becoming the state ’s 63rd National Park in 2020 . Which intend that come October 15 , it will be the only National Park that de jure set aside BASE jump . Burton Ervin would be so proud .
Luckily , the National Park identification — or , more specifically , the 1965 natural law that nix “ aerial delivery ” of multitude or good into interior parkland — won’t spoil the Bridge Day fun . This year ’s event will still kindle aspects of that first celebration , imbued with Burton ’s temerarious spirit . For 10 hour , the bridge circuit is close to fomite dealings , and for six of those , it becomes a plaything for the adventurous , their onlookers , and anyone who just loves a serious vantage percentage point for scoping out downfall foliage .
Rappellers and BASE jumpers in harmony.|Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
For the NPS ’s part , they ’ll ply a special use permit that let BASE jumpers commonwealth in the park , and offer support in the material body of deliverance boats for piddle landings . Interpreters will also roam around the Bridge . Behind the scenes , the NPS sit as a non - voting member on the Bridge Day Committee .
The daytime ’s schedule admit a5K , rappelling down the bridge(with experient team chosen out front of clip by drawing ) , guidedBridge Walkson the catwalk 25 foot under the roadway , andHigh seam ridingfor the adrenaline - seeking general public . Whitewater rafting tripsprovide a different position of the BASE jumpers from below , as doshuttle tripsdown to the bottom of the Gorge ( you’re able to also boost the nine mile round - trip-up trek ) .
Should you experience the call ofBASE jumping — congrats ! For you , there ’s the selection to go alone , strapped intandem to a professional , or be cast away off with ahuman catapult . And you would n’t be solitary : Participation has grown quite a morsel since that first jump in 1980 . In 2019 , Bridge Day interpret 300 jumpers from all over the world , enter in 790 startle ; the youngest BASE jumper for the event so far has been 19 geezerhood old , the old , 81 . And it ’s a creative caboodle . There have been clown jumpers and flying pig . There was a Bridge Day wedding in 1990 where they tie the knot then jumped ( and , gratefully , did not get … knotted up ) . A few jumpers evendonned Presidential masksand full suits . That ’s commitment .
Rappellers and BASE jumpers in harmony.|Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
October 7 is the deadline tosign up to alternate , and this one is especially good if you ’re a founding father . Thanks to the bridge ’s depressed height , rescue staff office in the water , accessibleday - of training , and experienced staff on handwriting , the Bridge Day jump is one of the safest first BASE jump you may make , and attracts about 100 newbies every class . ( To solo parachuting , you must already have 50 skydives under your knock , but if not , there ’s always the tandem pick . )
For the rest of us who like to look on , festivities start at 9 am and end at 3 pm . If you want to get an early start , October 14 marks theTaste of Bridge Dayat theAdventures on the Gorgeresort , with 16 marketer answer everything from crab boils to pizza pie . So go ahead … gorgeyourself .
Sticking the landing.|NPS Photo/John Chapman
Whitewater rafting below offers a unique vantage point for Bridge Day.|Bridge Day West Virginia
Onlookers on the bridge.|NPS
