Rafael Bridi, a Brazilian athlete, set a world record by crossing 148 meters of highline over Salto Angel waterfall in Venezuela, 29 meters above the waterline. The feat, achieved last October, was recorded in the Guinness Book as the most exposed, longest, and highest vertical highline crossing. The expedition involved six days of trekking through the jungle with an international team.
Rafael Bridi completed a 148-meter highline crossing over Salto Angel waterfall, known as the world's highest at 979 meters, located in Venezuela. The line was set 29 meters above the waterline, earning a Guinness record for the most exposed, longest, and highest vertical highline crossing. The expedition took place last October, after six days of challenging trekking over 85 kilometers through dense jungle, swamps, and rocks, with each member carrying 25 kilograms of gear.
The team included international highliners and mountaineers, notably Germans Lukas Irmler, Jens Decke, Karl Schrader, Valentin Rapp, and Antonia Rüede-Passul. Local Pemón indigenous guides and porters were crucial for navigation and logistics. The project required ten years of planning and cost about US$32,000 (R$176,000), sponsored by Columbia.
"As a professional highline athlete, I always try to find places that involve much more than just the highline itself, but the whole planning process, in remote areas with difficult access and relevant history," Bridi told Folha after the record confirmation. He emphasized the site's ancestry, billion-year-old rocks, and logistical challenges, including bureaucracy and unpredictable weather with frequent rainbows.
Previous crossings happened in 1988 and 2015, but shorter ones. Installing the line involved climbing rock walls and crossing the Kereparkupai river over slippery stones, without drones due to Venezuelan prohibitions. Bridi runs Natural Extremo in Urubici, Santa Catarina, offering similar scaled-down experiences.
