Latest news with #JamesNowland
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australian Base jumper dies in competition accident in northern Italy
An Australian who reportedly died earlier this week in an accident at a competition in northern Italy has been remembered as a much-loved member of the international Base jumping community. James Nowland, 42, died on Wednesday after jumping from the peak of Sass Pordoi in the Dolomites region during the Pordoi Base race, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. It was suggested Nowland's parachute may not have opened in time due to a technical issue. According to the report, doctors tried to revive the Perth man, who crashed at an altitude of approximately 1,700 metres, but were unable to do so. It was reported that Nowland was part of a group of fellow Australians based in Lupo Bianco, where he was scheduled to land before he crashed about 400 meters from the landing point. The Australian Base Association offered its condolences on Friday, describing Nowland as an 'experienced and loved member of the world-wide Base jumping community'. A spokesperson for the association said Nowland had been 'jumping for many years' and 'loved spending time with his friends in the beautiful mountain environments of Europe'. 'All Base jumpers accept that the activity has risks, but this accident has still come as a shock,' they said. 'Our thoughts are with his family and all others who knew James at this difficult time.' Base jumping is an extreme recreational sport that involves jumping off elevated fixed objects using parachutes or wingsuits, with the name an acronym for building, antenna, span – or bridges – and earth, referring to cliffs. The Pordoi Base race is a competitive wingsuit race involving the world's 'top wingsuit athletes racing against each other to become the fastest in the world', according to the event's website. Racers jump from the top of the mountain, fly as fast as they can across the ground to the finish line and deploy their parachutes to land safely, the website said. Guardian Australia contacted the event organisers for comment.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Perth BASE jumper remembered as ‘all round legend'
Friends of experienced Perth BASE jumper who died after crashing onto the road in a suspected accident in the Italian Dolomites have started a fundraiser to bring him home to his wife and kids. James Lee Nowland crashed on Wednesday after jumping from prominent rocky peak Sass Pordoi in the Dolomites near the South Tyrolean, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The 42-year-old crashed along a hairpin bend road, at an altitude of about 1,700 metres and 400 metres above the landing point, according to alpine rescue services. Investigators suspect Mr Nowland's parachute didn't open in time due to a technical issue. The group of fellow Australians he was with alerted the rescue services. BASE jumper James Nowland has died in Italy James Nowland Credit: James Nowland / Instagram A mountain rescue team and a helicopter were deployed but he could not be revived. His self-proclaimed 'Australian family' started a GoFundMe on Friday to 'bring James home' to his wife and two young daughters. 'It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the sudden and devastating loss of our beloved weapon father, work mate, all round legend James who passed away tragically while overseas,' fundraiser organiser Damian Harris wrote. 'James was more than just family and a mate – his presence lit up every room, and their absence now leaves a space no words can fill. 'We are creating this GoFundMe to help cover the unexpected costs of bringing James home to his family to support his girls left behind. 'Any donation, no matter how small, will go directly towards ensuring we can honour James's memory in the way they truly deserve.' Investigators suspect Mr Nowland's parachute didn't open in time due to a technical issue. Credit: James Nowland / Instagram Before the fatal accident, Mr Nowland had shared a video on his social media of a group preparing for the Pordoi BASE Race — a wingsuit race among people competing to become the fastest in the world. The competition, which was running from July 16 to July 18, sees racers jump from the top of Sass Pordoi and fly as fast as they can down the mountain to the finish line. Adrian Nowland shared a heartfelt tribute to his brother alongside a picture of them together in the snow in British Columbia. BASE jumper James Nowland with his brother Adrian (right). Credit: James Nowland / Instagram 'Rest in peace brother! Wish we had more times like this together,' he said. 'Hope you're soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever.' BASE jumping refers to the extreme sport of jumping off elevated fixed objects using parachutes or wingsuits, with the word an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth. BASE jumping is illegal in Australia, specifically in national parks and on private property without permission.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Australian BASE jumper James Nowland dies in Italian Dolomites accident
Tributes are flowing for a Perth man who died in an accident while BASE jumping in the Italian Dolomites. James Nowland who lived in Western Australia, died on Wednesday in the famous mountain ranges in Italy's north-east. Italian media reported the 42-year-old died after leaping from the summit of Sass Pordoi in Val di Fassa on Wednesday afternoon local time. It was reported emergency services were called after the crash at an altitude of 1,700 metres, likely due to a technical problem that prevented Mr Nowland from opening his canopy. "Rest in peace … Hope you're soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever," his brother posted to social media. "He left us too early but doing what he loves." BASE jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping off high objects, using a parachute to descend to the ground. BASE is acronym for buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs). The Australian BASE association described the dangers of the sport as "obvious and very real" and says it is an activity to progress onto after mastering skydiving. Meanwhile, Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner has died in a paragliding accident in central Italy on Thursday. Baumgartner made headlines around the world in October 2012 when he jumped from a balloon 38 kilometres above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 1,110 kph.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sky News AU
Perth father James Nowland dies after BASE jumping competition in Dolomite mountains, Italy
A father from Western Australia has died in a tragic accident whilst taking part in an international BASE-jumping competition in Italy. James Nowland, 42 from Perth, was skydiving in the Dolomite Mountains in north eastern Italy along with a group of other Australians when his parachute encountered suspected technical difficulties at 1pm local time. Italy's ANSA news agency reports that Mr Nowland jumped from the summit of Sass Pordoi during the event, and overshot his landing zone, crashing into a road some 400 metres away. The organisers of the competition have yet to issue a statement on Mr Nowland's death, whose social media accounts show him jumping at locations around the world. His last post on Instagram shows him BASE jumping in China. Speaking to 7NEWS, rescuer Andrea Dorigatti said, 'We tried our best to save (him), but there was nothing to do for him.' She added: 'I asked the friends, and they told me that the problem was with the parachute that didn't get open.' ANSA news agency reported that after the local fire brigade cleared the scene, police took Mr Nowland's body down the mountain by ambulance. His brother Adrian Nowland posted a tribute on social media, saying he wished the pair had been able to share more adventures together. 'Hope you're soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever,' he said. BASE jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping off high objects, with BASE an acronym that stands for buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs). According to the Australian BASE association, the dangers associated with the sport are 'obvious and very real.' In a statement posted online, it said many Australians who partake in BASE jumping go overseas to partake in the sport because it is all but banned in Australia. Mr Nowland, who 7NEWS described as a popular figure in the BASE-jumping community leaves behind a wife and young children. Tragically, it was also reported that Felix Baumgartner, the man who performed a skydive from the edge of space in 2012 died in a paragliding accident in central Italy, with police alleging he lost control of his motorised paraglider whilst flying over Porto Sant'Elpidio.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perth man killed BASE jumping – two years after friend's similar death
A Perth man killed in a suspected parachute malfunction at a BASE jumping competition in northern Italy had been mourning the death of his friend in a similar accident just two years prior. James Nowland, 42, died after jumping from Sass Pordoi in the Italian Dolomites region, during the Pordoi BASE race. International outlets said Nowland crashed onto a road about 400 metres below the designated jumping area, around 1pm Wednesday local time. It is believed his wing suit failed to open properly. Fellow BASE jumpers notified emergency services, who attempted unsuccessfully to save him. 'Rest in peace … Hope you're soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever,' his brother, Adrian Nowland, posted to Facebook on Thursday. Nowland was a friend of fellow BASE jumper Jay Driscoll, who died in 2023 in his own accident in northern Italy. From Perth, Driscoll was 38 years old when he crashed 200 metres below a BASE jump launch point in the Tofane mountain range.
