On the edge - the wild life of an extreme athlete

The short but tricky climb — the toughest ever attempted in Bermuda —finished with a series of difficult moves.

With barely ten-foot of water below to break his fall, this was where the climb started to get really ‘spicy’.

But Emmett, who has parachuted from electricity pylons, ice-climbed up frozen waterfalls and ‘flown’ across gorges in a ‘wing suit’, is used to dealing with fear.

“Relax, breathe, smile,” he tells himself, whenever things get tricky. The simple routine is usually enough to get him through the stickiest of situations and it didn’t fail him this time.

The extreme-athlete and television presenter was in Bermuda last month as a guest of his close friend Dr. Grant Farquhar, a psychiatrist who has pioneered the sport of outdoor climbing in Bermuda.

During his trip he completed the ‘first ascent’ of a difficult project that local climbers had attempted but dismissed as too tough. The climb earned him the right to name the route — Spicy Times.

Emmett’s career has been built around doing things ordinary people wouldn’t consider.

Rock climbing, where he has gained a reputation as one of the most daring climbers in the world, is his first passion.

But he has also gained fame as a BASE (Buildings Antennae Spans and Earth) jumper — an activity which pretty much defines the term ‘extreme sport’. BASE jumping involves throwing yourself from structures, including cliffs, bridges, skyscrapers and electricity pylons, before opening a parachute at the last minute. Over the course of a jumper’s career the chances of being killed are estimated at around 20 per cent.

Emmett admits the statistics give him pause for thought.

But everything he does in life is about overcoming risk — rather than succumbing to it.

“If I ended up in hospital from a car accident I would feel like a real idiot to have given up base jumping to protect my life.

“I do get immense satisfaction out of doing all the stuff I do. It is like being filled up with petrol — it gets me really fired up.

“Life goes by really quickly and I just want to make the most of it and experience the opportunities that are available without detriment to others.”

Those ‘opportunities’ also include heli-boarding (snowboarding in remote mountain backcountry only accessible by helicopter), surfing, mountain biking and para-alpining — a combination of climbing and base jumping.

It was the latter activity that earned him ‘celebrity’ status in the U.K. when he was featured on the cult motoring show Top Gear in a race against presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Emmett successfully climbed the sheer rock face of France’s Verdant Gorge before BASE jumping from the summit to beat Clarkson, at the wheel of a powerful Audi RS4, in a ‘man v machine’ battle.

The Bristol born climber has also dipped his toe into the world of wing-suit flying — leaping across Gorges or from planes using a specially designed suit to glide on air currents before pulling a parachute chord and floating to earth. The suit design is based on the anatomy a rare species of flying squirrel, capable of gliding from tree to tree.

“It’s the closest man has ever got to flying,” is how he explains the appeal.

Emmett, also a motivational speaker who has featured in several climbing documentaries, believes his approach to life can help inspire others.

He gives talks to schools and businesses urging people to follow their passions.

“We never know when we are going to die. Life is what happens from when we’re born to when it is over. I want to make sure I fill mine with as much cool stuff as possible.

“If I can help inspire people to live their dreams at the same time then bring it on.”

While he was in Bermuda, Emmett gave a lecture to local climbers. He hopes to return at some stage this year and talk to a wider audience.