base jump tour eiffel 2023

Tickets on sale for the 10th edition of Longines Global Champions Tour of Paris

THE 10TH LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR - LONGINES PARIS EIFFEL JUMPING WILL BE HELD FROM JUNE 21ST TO 23RD ON THE BAGATELLE PLAIN GAME

As the 2023 LGCT season came to a close last weekend in Prague all eyes are looking straight ahead to the 2024 calendar! From the 21st to 23rd of June 2024, the LGCT-LPEJ, event founded by Virginie Coupérie-Eiffel and Jan Tops, will celebrate its 10th edition on the Bagatelle plain game, in Paris' 16th arrondissement.

This high-level sporting event is already set to be a unique vintage edition. Close to the Bois de Boulogne, it will be the very last sporting competition open to the public to be held in Paris before the Olympic Games. To meet the growing demand for this unmissable event, ticket sales are now open!

This exceptional setting will give the anniversary edition a special flair. The world's best riders and horses will compete in a friendly, rural setting, on an enlarged, high-comfort track. In 2025, the LONGINES GLOBAL CHAMPIONS TOUR- LONGINES PARIS EIFFEL JUMPING will return to its birthplace, the Champ de Mars under the Eiffel Tower.

3 DAYS OF SPECTACULAR COMPETITION WITH THE WORLD'S BEST ATHLETES AND HORSES

Throughout the years, the Paris event has become a landmark in the equestrian calendar: urban, sporting, glamorous, cultural, gastronomic, and eco-responsible.

To mark its tenth anniversary, the prestigious stage of the Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL team series will provide an opportunity to look back on the highlights of previous years from world number one Henrik von Eckermann, 3 time LGCT champion Ben Maher and the likes of the French Olympic Champion team including Pénélope Leprévost.

A journey to the heart of French sport, culture, and art de vivre, the competition is set to welcome 30,000 visitors, 250 horses and riders from over 20 different nationalities. Olympic champions will compete here prior to their participation in the Games, whose opening ceremony will take place a month later.

3 dates to remember: 

Friday June 21: 1.60m GCL team competition followed by a unique show Saturday, June 22: The Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Paris and a show Sunday June 23: Eiffel Challenge and grand finale

This outstanding edition promises many surprises! Christmas Packs are back and available from today. The preferential Christmas offers include a 3-day pass and discounts on all seats from November 21st to January 7th 2024 inclusive, in limited quantities  

My vision is clear. Only the best for the best. Jan Tops - Founder & President

A man who survived jumping off the 1,083-foot-tall Eiffel Tower with a parachute now faces criminal charges, local reports say

• A man was arrested on Thursday for jumping off the Eiffel Tower with a parachute. 
• According to local reports, the daredevil landed in a nearby stadium, where he was met by police.
• SETE, the Eiffel Tower managing company, said it has filed criminal charges against the man.

A man who managed to evade guards on his quest to jump off the Eiffel Tower with a parachute was arrested by French police and is now facing the consequences of his daring antics. 

On Thursday, an individual carrying a backpack was spotted ascending the 1,083-foot-tall tourist attraction at around 5 a.m. in France, local media outlets like France 24 and BFMTV reported. SETE, the company that manages the Eiffel Tower, said the trespasser was detected in "less than a minute" by guards. However, they were unable to stop him from climbing to the top of the 134-year-old structure via the east pillar. 

After reaching the top, the man jumped off and released a parachute. He landed in a nearby stadium where he was met by police and promptly arrested. According to the reports, SETE has since filed criminal charges against the parachuting daredevil, whose actions they said could've put others' lives at risk. 

Related stories

"This kind of irresponsible action puts people working at or below the tower in danger," SETE's statement read, according to France24. 

SETE did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The danger posed by the incident was likely minimized by the time at which the jump took place, in the early hours of the morning. 

On a typical day, the Eiffel Tower opens up to the public at 9 a.m. and regularly attracts thousands of visitors. According to the official website , over 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower a year, of which 75% are foreign tourists. 

The last time someone dared parachute off the Eiffel Tower was in 2006 when Johan Vervoort, a Belgian base jumper, pulled a similar stunt in an effort to promote a comedy show, France24 reported. 

It's also not the first time the Eiffel Tower has made headlines for people breaking visitor rules this summer. Just last week, two American tourists were caught sleeping inside the Eiffel Tower after opening hours.

Paris prosecutors later told AFP the pair appeared "to have got stuck because of how drunk they were," CBS News reports.

The daredevil base jumper and the drunk tourists are just a handful of the latest examples of people misbehaving this summer .

Over the past few months, on two separate occasions, two tourists were seen defacing the Colosseum in Rome . Another visitor to the city was recently filmed  climbing the Trevi Fountain  to fill up her water bottle.

Watch: Video shows scary moment when a bungee jumper's cord snapped, sending him crashing into waters below

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Home > Paris Stories > The First Eiffel Tower Base Jump

The First Eiffel Tower Base Jump

The Eiffel Tower is one of the top landmarks in Paris , the symbol of Paris and France. Because of its size, there are many lovely Eiffel Tower views from different angles in the city, and it is also a unique place to visit, with many fascinating stories around it. Keep reading for one of the most incredible Eiffel Tower stories, the first base jump from the Eiffel Tower.

TIP: Is it worth climbing up the Eiffel Tower (for sightseeing)? Check it out in this post

The Story of François Reichelt, “The Flying Taylor”

François (Franz) Reichelt (1879-1912) was a tailor for ladies at 8 rue Gaillon in Paris and an aviation passionate. At a time when fatal accidents were frequent in aviation, Franz decided he would become famous by inventing the first parachute coat for pilots, a parachute that would allow pilots to survive shortfalls.

His brand new handmade khaki jumpsuit in rubberized canvas featured a design inspired by the wings of bats. With a surface of 12 m2 and a diameter of 6.5 m (refined version), the batman-coat weighed 9 kg!

The invention looked brilliant: during the fall, this oversized coat with a kind of chimney had to open under the effect of the wind and slow down the descent.

Of course, when people invent new things, it is good practice to test them! And that’s what Reichelt did from his home at rue Gaillon: he put the parachute coat on the back of several mannequins and hop! he pushed them from his window, several floors high.

All of These Jump-tests Ended in Failure. ALL of Them.

Despite his enthusiasm, Reichelt’s early prototypes largely failed, and his dummies dropped like a stone to the ground. On one occasion, Reichelt even tested out one of his parachutes himself and broke his leg.

But Reichelt was convinced that he could get his invention to work! In those failed tests from home, the suit did not have time to make contact with the air, but the results would be wonderful if he had fifty or one hundred meters instead of twenty-five.

Reichelt concluded that he just needed the right height from which to jump to succeed. He soon became convinced he should try the leap from the Eiffel Tower , the tallest building in Paris at the time, from which his parachute suit could deliver him safely to the ground.

Determined, Franz Reichelt began lobbying the Parisian police to let him test his invention from the Eiffel Tower. He never said he would be testing himself, so after a year of lobbying, the police finally agreed.

Ride or Die: A Man Jumps Off the Eiffel Tower

4th February 1912 8 am. Our superhero climbed up to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower for his big day. The news of the first BASE jump in history (although that name had not been invented yet) generated great expectations, and the audience on the floor was numerous.

But to the abject horror of his friends (and the police of Paris), he hadn’t brought any dummies with him, and he was wearing the Eiffel Tower wingsuit himself.

“Among the spectators… only he seemed happy,” the French paper Le Matin wrote the following day. “ Everyone thought he would kill himself.” Reichelt’s friends and the security guard in the Eiffel Tower tried to convince him not to jump, saying it was too cold and windy, but Reichelt was determined: “I intend to prove the worth of my invention,” he announced.

From the railing, Franz glanced down. He paused there for about forty seconds as if he was gathering his courage. He hesitated and began to tremble. He hesitated again, and then he threw himself into the air (warning: this video does not have a happy end):

• 57 m height (from the Eiffel Tower’s first floor to the ground)
• 4 seconds of free fall
• A 20 cm x 30 cm crater on the ground

What Happened?

The entire jump was filmed, as there were two camera crews at the scene (one with Reichelt at the jump spot and another at the bottom). According to the records, the clothing unfolded, but because of the air currents that rush under the Eiffel Tower, the canvas folded and wrapped around Reichelt’s body.

Sadly, Reichelt is not remembered as an aviation pioneer but as another example of human stupidity. In a cruel twist, only two days earlier, an American Jockey, Frederick R. Law, had successfully parachuted from the torch of the Statue of Liberty over 63m using the now widely recognized half-sphere design.

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About WORLD IN PARIS

Quirky parisian explorers with a preference for lesser-known sights, we are continuously looking for new ideas and tips to bring you the best of the city of light read more about us ., we’re elisa, norbert, valérie, and cédric, four travel bloggers and friends living in paris. quirky explorers with a preference for the local side of our city and its lesser-known sights, we are continuously looking for new ideas to enjoy the best of paris & around . do you want to go beyond the louvre museum or the eiffel tower keep clicking for first-hand information & our best tips learn more about us.

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Paris: un homme saute de la Tour Eiffel en parachute avant d'être interpellé

Ce jeudi, à 5h40, un homme a escaladé le pilier Est de la Tour Eiffel avant de sauter en parachute du haut du monument peu avant 7 heures, a appris BFMTV de sources policières.

Il a atterri sur le terrain du stade Émile Antoine avant d'être interpellé. Une plainte a également été déposée par la société d'exploitation pour mise en danger de la vie d'autrui et intrusion. Néanmoins aucune dégradation n'a été constatée.

L'ouverture du monument retardée

Lorsque l'homme a pénétré sur le site, il a été détecté "en moins d'une minute par le service de sécurité" de la société d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete), assure cette dernière dans un communiqué, confirmant une information d' Actu17 .

Malgré les tentatives de la brigade d'intervention pour l'intercepter dans la structure, l'homme a sauté en base-jump (saut en parachute depuis un point fixe haut). Il a été conduit au commissariat pour mise en danger de la vie d'autrui, indique l'AFP.

La Sete dit déplorer "ce type d'agissement irresponsable qui met en danger les personnes intervenant sur ou sous la structure" fréquentée par 5,9 millions de visiteurs en 2022. De ce fait, l'ouverture du monument a été "légèrement" retardée ce jeudi matin.

C'est une nouvelle journée de perturbation dans l'accueil des touristes après deux évacuations le 12 août provoquées par deux fausses alertes à la bombe. Une enquête avait été ouverte , menée au pôle national de la lutte contre la haine en ligne.

Lundi, deux touristes américains alcoolisés avaient été retrouvés endormis dans l'édifice, après une nuit passée à la belle étoile dans le célèbre monument.

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Check out the exhibition, “Eiffel, Higher and Higher”

Wednesday 12 July 2023

Modified the 10/08/23

Throughout 2023, the Eiffel Tower is paying tribute to its creator, Gustave Eiffel, to mark the centenary of his death. A highlight of this special year is this free exhibition that can be viewed on the esplanade of the Eiffel Tower. The “Eiffel, Higher and Higher!” exhibition is based on historic research undertaken by the curator, Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, for the Association of the Descendants of Gustave Eiffel (ADGE) . 

It features 12 richly illustrated large panels, positioned in the center of the esplanade, and “invites you to rediscover the incredible race to construct the highest buildings, in which Gustave Eiffel was the main contender, and to see his work from a new perspective,” says Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, Gustave Eiffel’s great-great-great-grandson. Though nowadays, the Eiffel Tower seems like a natural part of the Parisian landscape, the exhibition immerses us in the incredible technical and aesthetic challenges that Gustave Eiffel had to overcome to impose his project, and in particular, the battle that he had to wage, and win, against other plans for tower monuments in competition with his own, which have now been forgotten.

The exhibition recounts the incredible story of various projects for a “1000-foot tower” that followed one after the other for the different World Exhibitions in the 19thcentury, until “ironman” Gustave Eiffel arrived on the scene, for the 1889 World Exhibition . You will learn more about the difficult fight that the engineer and industrialist had to wage to make his project a reality. And the struggle was not over once his Tower was built, because he then had to put up a strong defense to save it from destruction after only 20 years.  

It is an exciting and highly visual story, accessible to all - just head through the security checks at the Tower’s main entries and you can visit the esplanade and gardens of the Eiffel Tower for free. The exhibition will be open until the end of the year.  

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On the same theme

2023: the year of Gustave Eiffel

Who was Gustave Eiffel?

The Tower as the highlight of the 1889 World Exhibition

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Climber Arrested After Parachuting from Eiffel Tower

This monsieur isn’t the first to BASE jump from Paris’s most iconic landmark

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

J’Accuse! A man has been arrested in Paris after parachuting from the 1,083-foot Eiffel Tower and landing in a nearby stadium.

According to news agency AFP , the man was an “experienced climber,” and he allegedly entered the tower’s perimeter shortly before 5 A.M. on Thursday, August 17. He was quickly spotted by guards, according to Sete, the tower’s operator. But the unnamed assailant apparently reached the top before the security service’s “intervention brigade” could stop him, smuggling the parachute in his backpack.

“This kind of irresponsible action puts people working at or below the tower in danger,” a spokesperson for Sete said in a statement.

The man landed safely at Émile Antoine stadium before he was promptly arrested, CNN affiliate BFMTV reports . The usual 9 A.M. opening of France’s iconic tourist attraction was slightly delayed by the stunt.

The Iron Lady has been put through the ringer recently. On Saturday, August 12, authorities had to evacuate the tower twice due to false bomb threats, according to AFP . The alleged threats were made on the gaming site jeuxvideo.com and moncommissariat.fr, an online platform for citizens contacting French police.

The tower’s opening was delayed again on Monday, August 14, after authorities found two American tourists sleeping there, The New York Times reports . The men had entered with tickets the night before, and apparently, alcohol was involved in their decision to spend the night.

“They were detected in the early morning by the Sete security service, during daily rounds of checks carried out before the monument was opened to the public,” a spokesperson for Sete said in a statement.

The tower is a popular destination for BASE jumpers , even though several have died or been injured in jumps from it. In 2005, a Norwegian parachutist died after jumping from the Eiffel Tower’s second floor. “His parachute got caught, he became detached from it, and he hit the first floor more than 50 meters below. He died instantly,” a police officer told The Guardian .

Most famously , in 1912, the French inventor Franz Reichelt plummeted to his death after jumping off the tower’s first floor, wearing a parachute suit that he designed. The incident earned him an unfortunate moniker: “The Flying Tailor.”

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