Remo Laeng, Swiss base jumper, becomes first ever to cross a mountain range in free fall

Remo Läng, a Swiss base jumper, leapt today from nearly 25,000 feet and flew 16 miles across the Swiss Alps into Italy in a wing suit, a feat his team said was the first time a mountain range had ever been crossed in a free fall, according to Reuters.

The Swiss news agency SDA reported that Läng, 36, jumped from above the ski resort of Verbier in temperatures approaching minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit, attained air speeds of up to 310 miles per hour and passed over the summit of the Grand Combin, which stands at 14,154 feet before landing in the Aosta Valley in Italy.

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“My altimeter didn’t work,” he was quoted as saying by SDA. “The sky was so clear I saw the ocean off of Genoa.”

Läng flew for 4 minutes before passing the peak of the Grand Combin, according to Reuters. SDA said he activated his parachute after seven minutes of free fall.

First developed in the 1990s, a wing suit has webbing between the limbs, creating surface area that allows the wearer to glide towards earth, according to Reuters.

One challenge was making sure that he jumped from a sufficiently high point to be certain that he would pass the mountain range.

"I don't run any risks," Läng was quoted as saying. "If I see that it is not enough I would break off the flight…. I never had any doubts."

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In August, Läng completed a jump from 3,900 feet over Seeland, according to the regional newspaper Lagenthaler Tagblatt.