Skier makes daring base jump off Mount Hood

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Story Published: Feb 29, 2008 at 12:40 AM PDT

Story Updated: Mar 1, 2008 at 3:54 AM PDT

By Anita Kissee and KATU Web Staff

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MOUNT HOOD - A man from Spokane, with the help of a local friend, became the first to ski base jump off Mount Hood and the daredevil act was all caught on tape.

Matthias Giraud is on cloud nine after making the most impressive jump of his life on Thursday.

He cruised to the edge of Mississippi Head, shot off the vertical cliff and soared 253 feet before a parachute guided him safely down into the snow.

"It's the best feeling in life," he said. "It's the perfect moment. You get to the top and hiking, getting ready to do it, and you're like 'Oh my God, what am I doing?'"

Asit Rathod helped Giraud pull off the historic ski base jump. They had tried it before but the notoriously fickle Mount Hood weather did not cooperate. This time, 50-degree sunshine made for a picture-perfect day.

At 7,159 feet, Mississippi Head is one of the most dangerous spots on the mountain. It is part of the Mount Hood Triangle where climbers and skiers face the danger of tumbling down into Zig Zag Canyon.

Base jumping is not illegal in and of itself, it just depends on where you do it. KATU checked with the U.S. Forest Service and after a lot of research, they determined Giraud did nothing wrong.

However, while they admire the adventure of it all, they are not encouraging others to try the same thing.

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