Rock Jumping Takes Climbing to New Heights
by Allie Comeau on July 15, 2008 
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People flock to the Adrspach-Teplice Rocks of the Czech Republic to climb the towering sandstone spires that dominate the remote nature preserve. But that’s not all they do – some people also jump from spire to spire.
According to an article in The New York Times…
While it may seem suicidal, leaping across a gaping crevasse is actually an extreme sport that is gaining in popularity.
“Jumping requires fearlessness, a fair amount of agility, and a high threshold for pain,” Vladimir Prochazka said, a 59 year old Czech rock climber. “Broken ribs and damaged spines are fairly common.”
Sound like fun? Believe it or not, to some people it does. The extreme sport of rock jumping (or tower jumping) is nothing new in the Czech Republic. In fact, people have been doing it for the past one hundred years. And even though the sport continues to cause broken ankles and spinal injuries, it’s becoming more and more popular.
Originally just a way for rock climbers to get from rock formation to rock formation, rock jumping has since taken hold as a sport of its own. Jumpers even have a grading system for jumps – Grade 1 – 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult.
Only one Grade 5 jump has ever been attempted – a jump called “Amerika” was taken by a Czech daredevil nicknamed “Oxygen” back in 1997.
“I don’t know how he even made it to the other peak — it seemed so far away,” said Prochazka, who witnessed the event. “Somehow, he managed to land on the crevice he picked out, but his body was leaned back, and it looked like he was in for a nasty fall. Then, he snatched a protruding pine tree, and a victorious war cry rang through the valley.”
Rock jumping sounds a little too hardcore for me. I like my ankles… and my spine just fine the way they are. But I have to admit, it is fun to watch. Check out the video here.
