With just an inch-wide strip of material separating him from a drop twice the height of Canary Wharf, this is Austrian daredevil Heinz Zak practising the new craze of 'highlining' in the German Alps.These never-before-seen pictures show danger man Zak tiptoeing along at the peak of Germany's highest mountain - the colossal 1,746m Zugspitze.And if that isn't terrifying enough - he even completed a 10-metre section of the crossing without a safety line.
Highlining requires nerves even more steely than tight-roping because participants take their precarious steps along a loosely anchored strip instead of a rope made rigid through tension.It means the highline will bounce and wobble as they shift their weight taking each measured step.Heinz walked three knee-trembling sections at the Zugspitze in turn, covering a total of 70 metres.'A highline had never been attempted before at the Zugspitze and I wanted to conquer it,' he said.
'It was difficult to complete all three stages as the area is very exposed to wind. This made the middle section with no safety line more challenging.'We had to keep coming back over several days to weigh up if we could attempt each section.'For the past eight years Heinz has toured the world looking for the perfect spots to practise his art.Today he is regarded as a pioneer who led the sport's development and currently booming growth in Europe.But defying anyone who thinks he's just another stuntman looking for the next rush, the daredevil, from the Austrian town of Scharnitz, oddly said it's all about finding peace and 'losing himself'.'What I do is not about adrenaline,' he said. 'Walking a highline is my way. It's just what I do.'To achieve his miracles at dizzying altitudes, Heinz puts all his faith in equipment that includes the one-inch polyester line.'One problem is that when it is taut and taking my weight, the slightest snag on a rock could break the line," he says.Super-fit Heinz stays in perfect shape but it's days of mental preparation he values the most.Like a bobsleigh pilot who must know every twist and turn on his track to avoid death, Heinz runs through each attempt repeatedly in his mind before stepping out.'When I attempt a walk at the edge of my limits I just have to think it through over and over before I I go up,' he said.'You have to see yourself taking each step and reaching the end.'
Evel Knievel
Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007), better known as Evel Knievel (pronounced /ˈiːvəl kɨˈniːvəl/;), was an American motorcycle daredevil and entertainer famous in the United States and elsewhere between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Knievel's nationally televised motorcycle jumps, including his 1974 attempt to jump Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho, represent four of the twenty most-watched ABC's Wide World of Sports events to date. His achievements and failures, including his record 37 broken bones, earned him several entries in the Guinness Book of World Records.Alain Robert aka The French Spiderman
Alain Robert (born as Robert Alain Philippe on 7 August 1962), is a French rock and urban climber, from Digoin, Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. Known as "the French Spider-Man" (after the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man), or "the Human Spider", Robert is famous for scaling skyscrapers.Steve Truglia
Steve Truglia is a Stunt coordinator, Stunt performer and Action Unit Director in the UK. He is also an experienced Television Presenter. He is a registered Full member of the UK Equity Stunt Register as a Stunt Action Co-ordinator, and has been on the register since 1996. Truglia is an official stunt judge for the British Advertising Awards and is a life member of the World Stunt Academy. He is an experienced after dinner and motivational public speaker, and a television presenter with appearances on many TV shows and news channels in the UK.He is an extreme sports expert and has over 2400 parachute jumps to his credit.Tony Jaa
Tatchakorn Yeerum (Thai: ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์; or formerly Panom Yeerum (Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์; IPA: [pʰanom jiːrɑm]) (born February 5, 1976 in Surin province, Isaan, Thailand), better known in the West as Tony Jaa, in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial artist, actor, choreographer, stuntman and director. His films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong (also called Warrior King or The Protector) and Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning.Travis Pastrana
Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983, in Annapolis, Maryland) is a motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. He currently appears in the television show Nitro Circus.Johnny Knoxville
Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera (born September 28, 1979) is a professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew. He has since appeared in MTV's Viva La Bam and Bam's Unholy Union, both Jackass movies, and Haggard, which he co-wrote and directed.Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926, born Erik Weisz later spelled Ehrich Weiss) was a Hungarian American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer. He also was a famous skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.Steve McQueen
One of the American greats. Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American movie actor nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles. His other popular films include The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, Bullitt, The Getaway, Papillon, and The Towering Inferno. In 1974 he became the highest paid movie star in the world. Although McQueen was combative with directors and producers, his popularity put him in high demand and enabled him to command large salaries.He was an avid racer of both motorcycles and cars. While he studied acting, he supported himself partly by competing in weekend motorcycle races and bought his first motorcycle with his winnings. He is recognized for performing many of his own stunts, especially the majority of the stunt driving during the high-speed chase scene in Bullitt. Additionally, McQueen designed and patented a bucket seat and transbrake for race cars.Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE (born Chan Kong Sang, 陳港生; 7 April 1954) is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts. Jackie Chan has been acting since the 1970s and has appeared in over 100 films. Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a cultural icon, Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, cartoons and video games. Chan is also a Cantopop and Mandopop star, having released a number of albums and sung many of the theme songs for the films in which he has starred.Bud Ekins
Bud Ekins (May 11, 1930 – October 6, 2007) was one of the foremost stuntmen of his generation. Born James Sherwin Ekins in Hollywood, California, he is known to most as the actor who jumped the fence on a disguised Triumph TR6 Trophy 650cc motorcycle in The Great Escape, and who drove the Ford Mustang 390 GT in Bullitt. He also coordinated the stunts for the popular 1970s motorcycle cop show CHiPs.Helen Gibson
Helen Gibson (August 27, 1892 – October 10, 1977) was an American film actress, vaudeville performer, radio performer, film producer, trick rider and rodeo performer; and is considered to be the first American professional stunt woman.Tags: Spiderman, Skyscrapers, Stunts, Daredevil, Circus, Spider-Man, Robert
'It was difficult to complete all three stages as the area is very exposed to wind. This made the middle section with no safety line more challenging.
