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7NEWS
a day ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
James Nowland: Friends of Perth BASE jumper who died in Italy raise money to bring his body home to family
The grieving wife of a Perth BASE jumper who died in an accident in the Italian Dolomites has paid tribute to her husband, saying 'his family meant everything to him'. 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. His wife, Candice Nowland, revealed in a statement that James was a family man and respected athlete. 'James was a greatly respected member of the BASE jumping community, having done the sport for over 10 years,' she said. 'His family meant everything to him.' 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. 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.' 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. '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.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
James Nowland: Friends of Perth BASE jumper who died in Italy raise money to bring his body home to family
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. 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.' 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. '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.
Perth Now
2 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.
Sky News AU
2 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.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Dad killed in freak accident during base jumping competition as parachute fails to open
Experienced base jumper James Lee Nowland, 42, was killed in a horror accident during a competition in the Dolomites mountain range in Italy - his heartbroken family has paid tribute A dad tragically died in a "freak" accident during a base jumping competition after a suspected parachute failure. James Lee Nowland, 42, died after plunging from the summit of a plateau in the Dolomites mountain range in northern Italy, called Sass Pordoi. The dad, from Perth, Australia, died on Wednesday afternoon when he crashed onto a road around 400 metres away from the base jumping course, according to Italian alpine rescue crews. A group of Australians, who had known James, alerted emergency services to the tragic accident, but rescue crews were unable to revive the daredevil dad. Investigators looking into the sad case suspect his parachute might have been unable to open due to a technical failure, according to Italian news agency ANSA. Rescuer Andrea Dorigatti, speaking to Seven News, said: "We tried to do our best to save (him)... there was nothing to do for him. I asked the friends and they told me that the problem was with the parachute that didn't get open." James was an experienced base jumper and he had travelled thousands of miles to Italy for an international competition in the daredevil sport. The dad's friends reportedly said he died after a "freak" accident. The victim's heartbroken brother paid tribute in a touching social media post, alongside a picture of the pair in the snow on a trip to Canada. He said: "Rest in peace brother! Wish we had more times like this together. Hope you're soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever." James' social media accounts have documented his travels across the globe, including snaps of his base jumping in areas like New Zealand, Switzerland and China. Aside from his adrenaline-fuelling hobby, James' day job was in construction project management. Before the father's sad death, he has shared content of himself preparing for the Pordoi BASE Race competition, which is due to run from July 16 to 18. This extreme competition involves jumpers using a wingsuit to fly down from a rocky summit at fast speeds. Base jumping is a notoriously dangerous extreme sport that has claimed the lives of many daredevils. A Spanish TV presenter, dubbed "Adrenaline Woman", tragically also died recently after a horror base jumping incident. Spanish presenter Marta Jiménez, 34, died while base jumping in the Pyrenees mountains, near the northeastern city of Huesca, on Sunday at around 10.30am. She gained her nickname for her daring and high-octane stunts, which she performed on TV. Her colleagues on the Spanish chat show "El Hormiguero" (The Anthill) confirmed Marta's tragic death and insisted that she would not be forgotten. Emergency crews rushed to the scene but they were unable to save Marta, her TV show said in a statement. Rescue teams even brought a helicopter to the site but they found the woman's lifeless body at the location.
