Thor Mieglitz

After finishing work at 3pm, we decided to go for a jump. On the way to Lauterbrunnen we started talking about head low exits. Thor had a series of bad exits in his Alpine 3 in the last couple of weeks. He was even saying that he wanted to stop jumping that suit and that he was waiting for a new one. We took the gondola up to Mürren at 15:38. While gearing up, Thor started saying: “I have to fix my exits!”, then he went down to the ramp to go for a solo. On the ramp he checked his gear and his pilot chute. He said: “Okay guys” and jumped. From my perspective Thor had a weak push with bended knees and he immediately went very head low - almost going for a front flip. We heard two soft impacts and didn’t see him in his wingsuit or under canopy. As we all planned to fly far left, we decided to jump and look out for him. After landing we tried to call him. Then we got a call from Air-Glaciers asking if everything was alright. A construction worker witnessed Thor’s accident and asked the helicopter rescue for help. The rescue team found Thor on the ground in a straight line down from the ramp. As soon as we’re getting his footage, we will know more. One lesson is already clear: Never jump a technical exit when you’re not feeling a hundred percent confident. If you’re having a series of bad launches, practice from more forgiving exits.