El Cap, California

Awe-inspiring sights and technical rock walls make El Capitan of Yosemite National Park the mecca of rock climbing, but recently B.A.S.E. jumping has become another activity to add to list of ballsy hobbies performed from the historical cliff. B.A.S.E. jumping founders Brian Schubert and Michael Pelkey where the first to jump the site in 1966, free falling 3000 ft from the top of the monolith and sustaining a few broken bones.

This historic jump led the way for future attempts and was a major influence behind the spread of B.A.S.E. jumping. The National Park Service has effectively made it illegal to jump from the legendary rock today, briefly experimenting with a permit system which ultimately failed after a 10 week period. B.A.S.E. jumpers made protest jumps on October 22, 1999, accepting arrest and seizure of equipment. After four succesful jumps off the cliff face, Jan Davis jumped but her parachute did not open and she plummeted to her death. Despite its controversial history, B.A.S.E. jumping will continue to be an integral part of Yosemite and El Capitan.