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Aerial River Shot
The shores of the winding New River Gorge serve as the landing place for hundreds of Bridge Day adventurers.
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Jump Deck
BASE jumpers launch from the jump deck as many times as they can before the festival’s end.
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Checking Gear
BASE jumpers must be highly experienced in order to participate.
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BASE Jumpers
Bridge Day attracts BASE jumpers from across the country.
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Parachute Folding
The proper folding of parachutes ensures safer jumping.
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Rappelling and Zip Line Anchors
The spiny supports of the bridge are perfect anchoring spots for rappelling and zip lines
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Rappellers on the Catwalk
Rappellers take on the extreme heights beneath the buzz of the jump deck.
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Parachutist Gliding
Parachutists glide for the last stretch of the 876 ft. jump.
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Pedestrians on the Bridge Top
Each year, thousands of pedestrians fill the 3,030 ft. bridge.
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BASE Jumpers II
More experienced jumpers take the leap with a partner.
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Catwalk
Usually reserved for bridge maintenance, the “catwalk” underneath the Gorge Bridge is opened to rappellists and highliners.
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Aerial River Shot
The shores of the winding New River Gorge serve as the landing place for hundreds of Bridge Day adventurers.
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Ed Goody/Digital Relativity
Parachutist Gliding II
While the fall is thrilling, nothing beats the views during the slow drift to the ground.
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Warning Sign
Watch out below! Jumpers, rappellers and highliners constantly descend from the heights.
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Rescue Boat
Boats man the waters for any jumpers that miss the shore.
Not only is it an engineering masterpiece, connecting the high gorge walls of the New River and coming in at 3,030 feet long, 876 feet tall and 70 feet wide, the New River Gorge Bridge is home to Fayette County, W.Va’s Bridge Day where you can find crafts, taste delicious food and satisfy your adrenaline kick.
Every third Saturday in October, thrill-seekers with parachutes prepare for the six-hour jumping free-for-all into the New River. The festival has grown significantly since the first Bridge Day in 1980, when only five parachutists took the plunge. These days, hundreds of certified BASE jumpers, rappellers and highliners take on the heights of the Gorge Bridge and a crowd of 80,000 comes to watch.
Bridge Day is the only day when it’s legal to walk the length of the bridge, the second longest single-arch bridge in the world. It’s so tall the clouds seem right next to it rather than above it, and on a clear day you can see the New River snaking through the valley for miles. Spend some time in the skies overlooking what’s likely the oldest river in North America and the autumn colors of the valley at this year’s 33rd Annual Bridge Day, October 20th.
For more information, call 800-927-0263 or visit officialbridgeday.com