FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — When the first of dozens of BASE jumpers leave the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County Saturday for the 876-foot drop to the New River below it will be an historic event.
It’s been two years since an in-person Bridge Day because of the pandemic and in that time the once National River designation for the New River Gorge has changed to a National Park and BASE jumping has been prohibited in national parks for years, Bridge Day official Tim Naylor said.
“BASE jumping inside a national park is illegal across the country, except for this Saturday,” Naylor said. “It will be the first time that someone has legally jumped in a national park in 40 years or more.”
Naylor describes the BASE jumpers on the list for Saturday as “super stoked.”
“We’re seeing probably record numbers of BASE jumpers. I can’t speak back 20 years or more but over the last 7 or 8 years or so I know we have more BASE jumpers registered this year than any year in the past, folks are excited,” Naylor said.
BASE jumping is kind of a “fly by night operation,” Naylor said. “They just kind of go where they can and do it. It takes a special breed to do that kind of stuff.”
There also be a number of tandem jumps scheduled.
“People who have never jumped before–attached to an instructor. They are going to do it for the very first time,” Naylor said.
The oldest BASE jumper signed up is 83, the youngest is 19.
There were 303 jumpers from 41 states in 2019.
Saturday is the 43rd Bridge Day. U.S. Route 19 will be closed for most of the day, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a detour in place. The festival goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be more than 200 vendors.
There are five shuttle stations on the south side of the bridge, including the Walmart, Kroger, Fayetteville Elementary, Fayette County Courthouse. The north side shuttle locations are at Midland Trail High School and Lighthouse Worship Center. Shuttle rides are $3 cash only.
There were an estimated 100,000 people in attendance at Bridge Day 2019.