Aiguille Verte : first wingsuit BASE jump for Antoine Pecher and Eric Jamet

Based in Chamonix, these two guys repeated the BASE jump from the East face of the Grande Tour de Trango (6,231 m) in July 2022, followed by another flight from the Tour sans Nom (6,251 m). And to complete this extraordinary trilogy, we’ll climb Eternal Flame and make our first BASE jump from the top of the West Pillar. Antoine Pecher and Éric Jamet made the film Eternal Flemme, and have continued to climb numerous mountain peaks.

The right place to jump, somewhere down to Naia gully exit. ©Coll Pecher/Jamet

On April 11, they opened the first wingsuit jump from the Aiguille Verte, an emblematic peak in the Mont-Blanc massif at an altitude of 4,122 meters. “It was Éric who spotted this project and thought we might be able to jump from here,” says Antoine Pecher. After climbing up the Whymper couloir, they descended some 200 meters on the ridge separating the Y couloir from the Naïa gully to reach the point from which they wanted to launch.

“It’s a pretty obvious jump after all, because when you’re doing the Vallée Blanche, you’ve got it in your sights all the time! So we went to see. But before jumping, you have to make sure that there’s enough verticality and that you can fly from one point to another. Here, for example, to Chamonix. Based on our map research and glide ratio calculations, we saw that it could work!”

The other aspect that both mountain guides and wingsuit pilots take into account is the equipment they carry. Because when they set off, they carry the equipment they used during the ascent.

So we’re really minimalists,” comments Antoine Pecher. We climb in light mode. We have a ‘safe’ approach, and we like to go for terrain where we’re comfortable and can climb fairly quickly. In the case of La Verte, it was a bit more complicated because we climbed to the top and then came back down a bit, in unfamiliar terrain. We still had to have the gear to set up abseiling if need be.

But on April 11, the weather conditions were very good. Éric Jamet and Antoine Pecher reached their starting point, measured the dimensions with their laser rangefinder, and the verdict was in: there was enough verticality and enough overhang to jump and fly from that point!

“We compare these figures with the data we’re used to processing… and enjoy the view for three hours. Firstly, so that the sun could warm up and provide favourable thermal conditions, but above all because the view of the Jorasses, Mont Blanc and the Drux was just incredible,” the guide continues with a smile.

After a flight of 2 minutes 30 minutes and 2900 meters of ascent – at around 175 km/h – Éric Jamet and Antoine Pecher are delighted. “The summit of La Verte is mythical, but so is the flight line! You pass at the foot of the Dru, then along the Flammes de Pierre. Then at the Montenvers station, and you follow the whole train line until you reach Chamonix.”

In their view, wingsuiting is a genuine mountain activity. When you’re in the mountains, you already have the impression of being in a universe that isn’t made for man,” explains Antoine Pecher. But when you fly, it’s even more extreme. So to be able to do a little bit of mountain flying is just incredible. It’s a huge opportunity.

Their next project? In fact, they have several. To find the most beautiful jumps in the mountains, if possible by signing the first ones. “Many of them have yet to be opened, even in the Alps. And in the Himalayas, there’s everything to do. We tell ourselves that we’re in a golden age of wingsuiting, because there are still so many first jumps to be made. And we’re lucky to be able to move around the mountains like this.

But also an expedition to Nepal to try and find the jump with the biggest drop possible. “For the moment, it’s from the foot of Le Freney to Courmayeur. But with our project, we can potentially reach 5,000 metres of vertical drop.” More this autumn!