$1.00 + HST Vol. 26 | No. 24 Thursday, December 9, 2010
Steven Hodgson photo
Stunt athlete Luigi Cani, wearing his wingsuit, shot a commercial in the mountains of Bella Coola last week
World-renowned stuntman shoots commercial in Bella Coola BY CAITLIN THOMPSON
A commercial was shot in the mountains of Bella Coola last week featuring world-renowned stunt athlete Luigi Cani. The shoot took place thousands of feet up in the mountains in the Tsini Tsini drainage up Valley on the south side. Finding the perfect location took time and once the crew was on site the rigging was set up by Bella Coola Heli Sports staff member Paul Bernsten and local climbing enthusiast Steven Hodgson. West Coast Helicopters provided the flights
and Tweedsmuir Park Lodge hosted the film crew. Bernsten and Hodgson were responsible for making sure the actors and crew were secure in their positions during the shoot. The men were tasked with setting up an intricate rope system that would enable the cast and crew to appear as though a dangerous stunt was being executed, but in reality everyone kept their feet on the ground. Cani, who hails from Brazil, has performed some of the world’s most dangerous stunts, many of which he coordinated himself, and has been featured
on Discovery Channel, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and a multitude of magazines. He is especially skilled at skydiving and holds the world record for the fastest free fall speed at 343 miles per hour. He also base jumps, performs motorcycle stunts, acrobatics, free falling, free flying and is perhaps best known for his work in the ‘wing suit’ or ‘flying squirrel suit.’ Resembling something between a flying squirrel and a snow angel, the wingsuit allows skydivers and base jumpers to leap out into the void, spread
their arms and soar through the air. In a sense, wingsuit flying is a cross between skydiving and hang gliding. Like both of these activities, wingsuit flying requires the flyer to either jump out of an aircraft or off a precipice to achieve a high enough altitude. While hang gliders can coast in for a safe landing, wingsuit flyers have to deploy their parachutes and float the rest of the way to the ground -- they simply can't reduce their speed fast enough for a safe landing without the use of a chute.
In one of his most dangerous and well-known stunts, Cani performed a freefall past the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue which stands 38 meters (125 feet) atop the 710 meter (2,330foot) tall Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking Rio de Janeiro and its world renown beaches. Cani freefell at terminal velocity, coming within two metres of the statue, skimmed the earth, and continued flight, uninjured. “This was the most exhilarating flight I've ever expeSEE COMMERCIAL ON PAGE 3