BASE jumping is so extreme it's illegal in many parts of the world. There's no doubles or miles of wind drag like with sky diving. In BASE jumping, there's nothing but you and the parachute jumping off whatever surface you can find. For some thrill seekers, there's nothing better.
For the final frontier thrill seekers, why not take an extreme, dangerous sport and make it even more extreme and dangerous by BASE jumping in space? No little caves or 10-story buildings on this list. What mountains in the solar system or cliffs on other planets could provide an epic BASE jumping opportunity? If you're looking for BASE jumping in space, check out our picks for the Best Places to BASE Jump in the Solar System. Time to get extreme, brah.
The Best Places to BASE Jump in the Solar System,
Olympus Mons, the 72,000 Foot Tall Volcano
Olympus Mons is the tallest known mountain in the solar system and the largest volcano on Mars. It stands approximately 22 kilometers (72,000 feet) tall and has an average width of 550 km (1.8 million feet). Because of the size of the planet relative to the size and shape of the volcano, most of Olympus Mons is far too gently sloped for BASE jumping. However, there is an escarpment on the edge of the volcano that's six kilometers (20,000 feet) high. So you'd be jumping off a volcano that's about as wide as South Dakota. Bonsai!
Ithaca Chasma, the 16,000-Foot Deep Chasm on Tethys
Ithaca Chasma is a 2000-kilometer-long valley that stretches across Tethys, one of Saturn's Moons. It is 100 kilometers across at some points, and five kilometers (16,400 feet) down at its deepest point. The chasm is wreathed with ridges, a perfect starting point for a BASE jump down into the mysterious depths of the Ithaca Chasma. Hopefully you don't find anything down there like those weird mud monsters in King Kong.
Herschel Crater, a 33,000-Foot-Deep Depression
Mimas, a moon of Saturn, looks suspiciously like the Death Star, and is home to Herschel Crater. There are some epic BASE jumps to be had here. You can jump from the five-kilometer-high (16,400 foot) walls of the crater, or you could leap from the central peak of eight kilometers (26,000 feet) and try to fall into one of the 10 kilometer-deep (33,000 feet) depressions in the crater. Think of it as a Death Star trench run, but don't be a TIE Fighter.
Valles Marineris, the 23,000-Foot-Deep Gash in Mars
Valles Marineris is the largest terrestrial canyon in the solar system, and makes up about a fifth of the total equatorial circumference of Mars. The canyon is 4,000 kilometers long and seven kilometers, or about 23,000 feet, deep. Jumping to the bottom would be a thrill, but you might want to plan your exit in advance.
Kasei Valles, a 10,000-Foot-Deep Canyon with Evidence of Water on Mars
Kasei Valles is a giant canyon system on Mars that covers 1,780 kilometers, and is in places 300 miles wide. The area gets its name from the Japanese word for the Red Planet. Parts of Kasei Valles are as deep as three kilometers (10,000 feet). You can BASE jump all the way to the bottom to look at millions of years of possible glacial or water erosion that helped shape Mars.
Mons Huygens, 18,000 Feet from the Surface of the Moon
Mons Huygens, in the Montes Apenninus range, is the tallest mountain on the Moon, at 5.5 kilometers (18,000 feet) high. The ridges between Mons Huygens and the adjacent peak to the south west, Mons Ampère, would make for some fabulous lunar BASE jumping.
Boösaule Montes, the Mountain with a 50,000 Foot Drop Off
Boösaule Montes, a cluster of three mountains on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, contains the fifth tallest mountain in the solar system. The tallest, southernmost of these mountains, known as South, is nearly 11 miles tall. The south-east side of South has a steep cliff that drops off for 15 kilometers, or about 50,000 feet. Sounds like a wicked gnarly spot for some BASE jumping.
The Equitorial Ridge of Iapetus, 800 Miles of 66,000-Foot-Tall Mountains
The equatorial ridge of Saturn's moon Iapetus is a mountain range that traverses 1,300 kilometers and reaches 20 kilometers, or about 66,000 feet, in height. Scientists are still working on theories to explain how the ridge was formed, especially since it seems to line up with Iapetus's equator so perfectly. But in the mean time, there must be plenty of ridges and cliffs worth BASE jumping from in this colossal ridge line.
Euboea Montes, a 34,000-Foot-Tall Block of Crust (Seriously)
Another BASE destination on Jupiter's moon Io, Euboea Montes has been described as a geological block of crust material lifted by thrust faulting (which might also be a description for a pornographic film). Euboea Montes towers 10.5 kilometers (34,000 feet) over Io's surface and has a steep southern flank just waiting to be dived off. Enjoy the climb up and witness the geological history of Io on the smooth northern flank.
Verona Rupes, the 33,000 Foot Cliff at the Fringes of the Solar System
Verona Rupes is a cliff jutting from the surface of Miranda, a moon of Uranus. The straight vertical of the cliff has been estimated at 10 kilometers tall, or about 33,000 feet, making it the highest cliff and most spectacular BASE jumping opportunity in the Solar System. Don't expect the wind rushing through your hair, though. The atmosphere and relatively low gravity of Miranda mean it would take eight minutes to reach bottom, at a leisurely 90 miles per hour, compared to the 150 to 180-mph average skydiving terminal velocity on Earth.