Jeb Corliss facts for kids

Jeb Corliss was born on March 25, 1976, in the United States. He is famous for his amazing skills in skydiving and BASE jumping. BASE jumping involves parachuting from fixed objects like buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). Jeb has jumped from many famous places around the world, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. He lives in Venice, California.

Early Life and Facing Fears

When Jeb Corliss was a child, he was diagnosed with something called counterphobia. This means he tended to seek out activities that scared him, instead of avoiding them. From a very young age, Jeb looked for things that would make a normal child feel afraid. For example, he jumped off a high diving board when he was only 18 months old! By age 7, he was catching live rattlesnakes near his family's home in New Mexico.

Jeb had some difficulties in school and even got into fights when he was young. Because of this, he was homeschooled.

Amazing Jumps and Adventures

A Scary Moment in 1999

In 1999, Jeb had a very dangerous BASE jump at the Howick Falls in Howick, South Africa. His parachute opened unevenly, and he flew right into the powerful waterfall. It was a very close call!

Attempting a Jump in 2006

In April 2006, Jeb Corliss tried to BASE jump from the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York City. He was wearing a camera to film it. However, building security stopped him, and he was prevented from making the jump. He was later permanently banned from the Empire State Building.

Flying Like a Bird in 2009

In 2009, a TV show called Daredevils: The Human Bird on UK's Channel 4 showed how Jeb faces his fears. The show ended with an incredible jump. Jeb leaped from a helicopter about 180 meters (590 feet) above the Matterhorn mountain. He was wearing a special wingsuit, which lets jumpers glide through the air. He flew so close to the mountain's peak, just about a meter (a few feet) away! He continued this amazing flight down the entire 900-meter (2,950 feet) side of the ridge.

Gliding Through a Mountain Arch in 2011

On September 25, 2011, Jeb made another incredible jump. He jumped from a helicopter at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) and then glided through a 30-meter (98 feet) wide archway in Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China. After flying through the arch, he landed safely with his parachute on a nearby bridge.

Overcoming Injuries in 2012

On January 16, 2012, Jeb had an accident while flying very close to Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. He hit a rock ledge with his legs. This caused him to break both ankles, three toes, and a bone called a fibula. He also tore a ligament in his left knee and had a deep cut that needed skin grafts to heal. Despite these serious injuries, Jeb recovered and returned to BASE jumping. A video of the accident was later shared.

The "Flying Dagger" in 2013

On September 28, 2013, Jeb Corliss completed a jump he called the "flying dagger." He jumped from a helicopter wearing his wingsuit and flew through a very narrow "crack" in Mount Jianglang in China. This crack is about 18 meters (59 feet) wide at the top and only 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide at the bottom. It's also over 270 meters (886 feet) tall! After safely making it through, Jeb said it was "the single gnarliest thing I've ever done..." and that he had "never experienced anything so hardcore." He even said he had "not been that scared in my life."

Working on a Movie in 2016

Jeb Corliss was a technical adviser for the wingsuit flying stunts in the 2015 action movie Point Break. He even made a short appearance in the film!

Other Ventures

Jeb Corliss was also the first host of the Discovery Channel TV show Stunt Junkies. He appeared in 12 episodes of the series.

Jeb is also one of the people who started 3 Triple 7, which is a clothing brand.