A thrill-seeking individual engaged in extreme sports tragically lost his life during a vacation in Turkey.
Vyacheslav Gribanov, aged 37, collided with rocks on Babadag mountain after taking off from an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet. This incident marks the third fatality in recent weeks involving free flying activities along the Turkish Riviera. Speed flying, a sport filled with adrenaline, entails rapid descents near the ground utilizing a compact, high-performance wing or canopy, smaller than those used in paragliding.
Reports indicate that shortly after initiating his solo flight, Gribanov lost control and tragically crashed to his death. Video footage captured the moment the daredevil took off on what would be his final flight before the fatal outcome. The sport involves significant risk, with participants reaching speeds of up to 95mph and flying in close proximity to the terrain. The smaller wings enable higher speeds and steeper descents. Following the crash, Gribanov’s camera went missing, prompting an investigation to determine the cause of the tragedy.
An eyewitness video revealed the location of the incident. Gribanov, an experienced paraglider who owned a construction company in St Petersburg, had recently transitioned to speed flying and was under the guidance of an instructor. According to reports, a German tourist lost his life in a flying accident, while a Polish individual died as a passenger during a descent, making the series of fatalities “unusual.”
In a separate incident back in July, an influencer in extreme sports met a tragic end after crashing his bike and falling 600 feet into a ravine. Andreas Tonelli’s family raised concerns when he did not return from a ride in the Dolomites, Italy, leading to a widespread helicopter search around 9pm.
His body was discovered in the Vallunga area of Val Gardena three hours later and was retrieved the following morning. Authorities suspect that Tonelli tumbled from the mountain into the ravine following a bicycle mishap. Tonelli, aged 48, had a substantial following on Instagram, where he frequently shared videos of his adventurous mountain biking expeditions.
Moments before the fatal incident, Tonelli posted an Instagram story displaying a smile at the mountain summit. In a prior post, he expressed his passion for travel, stating, “But since I spend seven months a year traveling, I also call home all the other places in the world where I feel happy and free.”
Since 2003, Tonelli had been organizing biking excursions across Italy, Europe, and eventually worldwide. Known for his skills in photography, hiking, and climbing, Tonelli had proudly recounted his bicycle ascent of the active volcano Nevado Ojos de Salado in Chile.
Among his achievements was conquering the L’Onda di Hokusai (‘Hokusai Wave’), a route in the Dolomites primarily comprised of frozen mountaintop, as well as successfully scaling the Tupungato volcano in central Chile.
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