This Tiny West Virginia Town Hosts an Extreme Sports Event at One of the World's Longest Bridges

"Every October, 100,000 visitors descend on Fayetteville, West Virginia, a small town of less than 3,000, for a single-day event unlike anything else. Bridge Day, held annually on the third Saturday in October since 1980, transforms the soaring New River Gorge Bridge into the stage for one of the largest extreme sport gatherings anywhere-and one of the world's few legal opportunities for BASE jumping."

"For one day only, vehicle traffic halts on the 3,031-foot-long bridge and pedestrians stream across. From 876 feet above the New River, hundreds of BASE jumpers-named for leaping off Buildings, Antennas, Spans, and Earth-hurl themselves into the gorge, often landing in the river. Rappelers dangle from the steel arch, thrill-seekers race across a zip line, and spectators cheer as colorful parachutes drift overhead."

"The New River Gorge Bridge's height and location make it especially coveted among jumpers. "Height is your friend, as is no object close by. The longer you have to think and make sure nothing will go wrong, the better," says Finck. At 876 feet tall, the bridge, a highlight of New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, nearly doubles the height of Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho -the only other legal BASE jumping site in the U.S."

Every October about 100,000 visitors converge on Fayetteville, West Virginia, population under 3,000, for Bridge Day held on the third Saturday in October. The event closes vehicle traffic on the 3,031-foot-long New River Gorge Bridge and turns it into a platform for legal BASE jumping, rappelling, zip lines, tandem jumps, and other extreme-sport activities. From 876 feet above the New River, hundreds of jumpers leap into the gorge, while spectators watch parachutes drift overhead. Beginners may participate after meeting minimum skydiving experience and course requirements. The bridge's height and clear surroundings make it especially prized, nearly doubling the height of the only other U.S. legal BASE site.

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