Chris Byrnes hit 333km/h, set new BASE jump record

Garden City daredevil Chris Byrnes surpassed his own speed record when he jumped from the top the Eiger – a notorious Swiss mountain.

Toowoomba wingsuit racer and the world's fastest man, Chris Byrnes has set a new world record after hit 333km/h jumping off the Ecstasy Board, an infamous rocky outcrop at the peak of The Eiger, in Switzerland.

THE world’s fastest man – Christ Byrnes – has set a new record, flying at 333km/h after BASE jumping from the north face of the Eiger, in the Swiss Alps.

The jump comes about a year and half after the Toowoomba thrill seeker sought to set three world records in one jump from the same mountain.

They included longest distance travelled in 30 seconds, fastest speed and highest altitude gain, but he had to call it off due to poor weather.

Last week Mr Byrnes jumped from ‘The Ecstasy Board’ an infamous rocky outcrop, about 3700m above sea level.

“I have been dreaming of this jump for years,” Mr Byrnes said.

The Swiss Alps are the ideal setting for set BASE jump records because the air up there is so thin. The Eiger is the mountain on the left. Picture: Chris Byrnes.

The Eiger is one of the most difficult mountains to climb with lots of loose rock, ice and snow.

It has claimed the lives of more than 50 mountain climbers.

“I was keeping an eye on the weather and conditions and felt like that day was my best shot,” Mr Byrnes said.

“My other friends were not keen to go so I hiked it solo.

“It was a very special experience and I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself.”

Mr Byrnes hiked about five hours to reach the summit before flinging himself over the edge.

While 333km/h might seem like a breakneck speed to the average person Mr Byrnes is committed to pushing further.

“It is one of the best places in the world for setting wingsuit speed records because of the thin air at the high elevation and the steep face of the mountain.”

The higher the airspeed the more smooth and precise his movements need to be to fly at such steep angles, generate speed and not spin out of control.

It all takes practice.

“I for sure think I can go faster – 350km/h would definitely be possible from the Eiger,” Mr Byrnes said.