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Espen Fadnes travels the world chasing adrenaline-filled experiences. The multisport extreme athlete hails from Molde, Norway, where he spent his childhood skiing, climbing and swimming. Today, he’s a professional freeride skier, base jumper and wingsuit flyer. When he’s not flying through the air, Fadnes is a motivational speaker tackling subjects such as risk management and conquering fear. Learn more about Fadnes in the October 2015 issue of Viking magazine and see more from the interview below.
“I started alpine skiing at a very early age. It was a normal childhood activity. After I retired at the age of 20, I started freeride skiing, skydiving and base jumping.”
“I have to fully take charge of all safety issues, and nobody will either teach nor help me. It sure is a challenge, but the most positive one. Being independent facing potential lethal situations makes me more aware and capable. Solving those situations is very rewarding.”
“[These sports] are based on four pillars—physical, mental, technical and tactical. The first three are like a solid education. It makes me capable. The last is about solid analytical planning of the actual project about to be executed. If all pillars are properly taken care of I get down to a decent uncertainty level, fear can be handled and the reward is bigger than the risk.”
“I don’t have any desire to win competitions in skiing or wing suiting as they are situations which limit creativity. Again, rules and regulations limit me and everyone else from evolving freely in the direction that feels right. As of right now, we have just barely touched the potential of human flight. I hope the pace in this evolution will be quicker the next 40 to 50 years.”
Check out videos of Fadnes and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.