It is time to recognize and celebrate the achievements and life of Xaver Bongard (BASE #362), a true Swiss legend. I am proud to have been his close friend. “Toto”, as he was affectionately called, was a Swiss mountain guide, world famous big wall rock and ice climber, and the pioneer of BASE jumping in Switzerland. Anyone who was fortunate enough to have known Xaver remembers his friendly smile, cheerful laugh and his great sense of humor.
 
I first met Xaver in 1989. Our paths crossed one day in Yosemite Valley when he told me he would like to BASE jump from El Capitan and wished for me to teach him. I remember the energy of his presence and saw the alertness in his eyes which instantly set him apart from the others who I had been asked to mentor. I told Xaver the same thing I said to many others; that before we can begin, he first needed to complete a 100 skydives, learn how to track and accurately land his square parachute.
 
The very next summer in Yosemite he briskly marched up to me and handed me his logbook stating: “I’ve made 100 jumps and have my B license”. I inspected his parachute rig and we disappeared into the forest where I began to teach him how to pack, make an exit into still air, and how we would escape.
 
The next night we jumped off El Cap together bathed in the silver light of a full moon. Xaver’s girlfriend, Annabelle Crivelli, was part of our ground crew. I’ll never forget listening to the sound of her soft voice cooing over the radio telling us in beautiful Swiss German that the coast was clear, the winds were calm, and that everything was right down below. Xaver and I had a wonderful first jump together. I remember surprising a group of sleeping deer in a grassy meadow below as we came out of the night sky above them.
 
Our partnership had begun. We enjoyed some more climbing and BASE jumping together for the next few months. The next year we were very fortunate to work with each other on an award-winning film which documented the passion we both had for the sports we enjoyed so much.Xaver kept talking about “this beautiful valley” in his Swiss homeland. He said Lauterbrunnen was in his backyard and that “the cliffs overhung so much that the valley is shaped like a fishbowl”. He exclaimed how it offered the potential for a great many exit sites around the rim. Xaver proudly proclaimed that “best of all was the fact that we don’t have to run away and hide after we jump!” He explained that: “In my homeland we are a mountain culture and accept that things can happen”. Lauterbrunnen sounded like a fairytale to me. I remember learning how Walt Disney was inspired to create Disneyland after visiting Switzerland, so as an American I made the ironic decision to “re-cross the Atlantic in pursuit of freedom”.
 
In 1991 I went to France to climb and jump. I called Xaver after traveling around Europe for a few months and he said: “You need to get out here now - I’ve already made 10 jumps from Staubbach. You’ve got to see this place!” So, I got on a train the next day and joined him in Interlaken. That is when the magic began.I’ll never forget when Xaver first drove me into Lauterbrunnen and we stood by the church together looking up at the Staubbach. The waterfall was so beautiful! I distinctly remember the feeling of how stunned I was after making a slow pirouette and taking in the view of the whole valley. Xaver pointed all around the valley rim showing me how there was potential for jumps to be made everywhere. The great cliff walls were seemingly “color coded” with long yellow and orange streaks showing where water never touched the stone. I found all the beauty and wonder hard to comprehend.
 
That night Xaver and I prepared and checked our gear. The next morning Xaver helped me sign up for REGA before we set off on a hiking trail where we leaped off the Staubbach. We landed at noon and the church bells exploded and rang loudly. I was brought to my knees by the beauty of the experience. We laughed, “high fived” - and embraced each other in a big hug celebrating the gift that life is - a feeling jumpers know so very well. Both of us were very happy and truly grateful after each jump that we made - and to be able to stroll a short distance back into town for some tasty treats and drinks was the icing on the cake!