2013 Winner: Felix Baumgartner
The votes are in, and we're pleased to announce that Felix Baumgartner is the 2013 People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. The Austrian BASE jumper made history on October 14, 2012, by completing a seven-year quest to become the first person to break the speed of sound without the protection or propulsion of a vehicle when he free fell from 127,852 feet above Earth. He also set three official world records. The 43-year-old has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of human flight with daring skydiving and BASE-jumping feats around the world. See photos of some of his best here, then get to know him in our interview.
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Free Falling at the Speed of Sound
Photograph courtesy Red Bull Stratos/Red Bull Content Pool
On October 14, 2012, Austrian pilot Baumgartner, 43, jumped from his capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico. Baumgartner fell from 24.2 miles above the Earth and became the first human in free fall to break the sound barrier. The feat captured the attention of the world and was broadcast live on TV and the Internet. It was watched live by a record audience of more than eight million people on YouTube.
“I wish the whole world could see what I see,” said Baumgartner before he leapt. “Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are.”
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Dangerously Low BASE Jump, Brazil
Photograph by Wolfgang Luif, AP
On December 1, 1999, Baumgartner set a record on the opposite end of the spectrum in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro. He completed one of the world's lowest BASE jumps from the 98-foot-high arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue. Most BASE jumpers need a minimum of 164 to 197 feet from which to leap.
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First to "Fly" Across the English Channel
Photograph by Ulrich Grill, Red Bull Content Pool
In 2003, Baumgartner became the first person to literally fly, unpowered, across the English Channel. Using a pair of specially made carbon fiber wings, Baumgartner leapt from a plane above Dover, landing 22 miles away in Cap Blanc-Nez near Calais just 14 minutes later. This was 94 years after Luis Bleriot first crossed the Channel with an airplane.
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BASE Jumping Into Mamet Cave, Croatia
Photograph by Flo Hagena, Red Bull Content Pool
On October 1, 2004, Baumgartner BASE jumped into 673-foot Mamet Cave in Croatia's Velebit National Park. He successfully free fell and parachuted into the dark interior for a safe landing on the rugged cave floor. The jump, lasting only seconds, required perfect timing to survive.
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BASE Jumping off Torre Mayor, Mexico
Photograph by Alfredo Martinez, Red Bull Content Pool
In April 2007, Baumgartner jumped off 738-foot Torre Mayor in Mexico City.
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BASE Jumping off Taipei 101, Taiwan
Photograph by Jörg Mitter, Red Bull Content Pool
In December 2007, Baumgartner became the first person to jump off the 1,669-foot-high Taipei 101, the world's tallest building at the time.
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Red Bull Stratos Manned Test Flight, New Mexico
Photograph by Jörg Mitter, Red Bull Content Pool
Baumgartner and technical project leader Art Thompson celebrate after the successful first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, on March 15, 2012. During the test Baumgartner reached an altitude of 71,500 feet and landed safely near Roswell. By October he would successfully become the first human to break the sound barrier in free fall.
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