Weird1 min(s) read
Published 13:05 03 Sep 2020 GMT
Illusionist David Blane has successfully pulled off one of his most dangerous stunts yet - floating thousands of feet above a desert using just balloons.
The 47-year-old was strapped into a harness and held onto 52 helium-filled balloons as he rose in the sky above the Arizona desert yesterday (September 2).
"#DavidBlaineAscension is beyond anything that I could’ve imagined. It’s also really complex so it will now take place in Arizona. I'm hoping to ascend in a few days, so set a reminder to get notified when I take off," Blaine wrote on Twitter several days prior to his ascent.
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Footage of his “Ascension” stunt - which was live-streamed on YouTube at the time - shows the moment he says goodbye to his daughter and ascended while simply appearing to hold the balloons in one hand.
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Blaine manages to go past his targeted 18,000 altitude, and nearly reached 25,000ft, before he fitted his parachute onto his back and let go. He then free-fell to the ground before releasing the parachute.
The video ends with him floating back to the surface to cheers from those watching.
Watch the incredible feat below:
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Upon landing, Blaine let out a relieved gasp before shouting, "Wow, that was awesome." He then spoke with his daughter via radio, who said: ‘That was great. You did it. I love you.”
The illusionist has garnered a reputation for putting his body to the absolute limits by doing a series of physical endurance stunts.
Other jaw-dropping stunts have seen him being encased in ice, submerged in an aquarium for a week, and being held up by his feet over an ice rink.
Ascension, however, was one of his most dangerous acts, due to the possibility of hypoxia - a lack of oxygen to the brain due to increasingly thin air.
