Fred Fugen, Vincent Cotte, and Nic Scalabrino have performed the longest-ever wingsuit flight, an incredible 7.5km. The trio jumped from a helicopter over 4,808m Mont Blanc in the Alps.
While they were approaching the summit, there were several alpinists on the peak. Fugen, Cotte, and Scalabrino recorded the entire flight with Go-Pros, whizzing over the summit, the slopes, and the glaciers.
A rapid flight
The flight took only three minutes and five seconds and the pilots stuck close to each other. According to Fugen, communication between the pilots through radio is very important during the flight, they needed to coordinate perfectly. This kind of communication is a significant evolution for the sport, keeping them in contact much like airline pilots.
They had planned the flight carefully, studying maps and flying along the north face (the French side) of the peak, to the Chamonix Valley. Between the summit of Mont Blanc and the height at which they opened their parachutes, they descended some 3,650m.
Fugen and his late best friend, Vince Reffet, had already jumped over Mont Blanc in 2014. That time they launched from 10,000m, making a spectacular free fall. But this is the first time that Fugen had jumped over the mountain in a wingsuit.
“It was magic to pass so close to the summit with [such] speed. The first two minutes of the flight are above the snow and the glaciers. It has been an absolutely extraordinary thing, in a crazy setting,” Fugen said.
You can watch the video below. Turn the sound on and you can hear their radio communications during this unbelievable flight:
Experienced athletes
Fugen’s team is well-known in the extreme sports world. They are known as the Soul Flyers, with Fugen, Cotte, and usually Aurelien Chatard in the group. The team also originally included the late Vince Reffet, one of the best wingsuit pilots in the world. Sadly, Reffet died on November 17, 2020, in Dubai during a jet-powered flight.
Fred Fugen and his late friend Vince Reffet (right). One soul, two extraordinary athletes. Photo: Fred Fugen
