Idaho is home to the Snake River, which runs through a canyon that at one point is about 1600 feet wide. On September 8, 1974, legendary daredevil Evel Knievel attempted to rocket across that gap in a rocket-like contraption he called the Skycycle. He didn’t make it.
Four decades have passed and Knievel is gone, but CNN reports—and the video above explains—that on September 17th a Knievel-inspired stuntman named Eddie Braun believes he’ll outdo his idol:
Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun plans to pay homage to the late Knievel by making the jump himself. After years of planning, Braun says he will attempt the Snake River Canyon leap on Saturday with the same type of aircraft and technology.
“Evel Knievel left one side of the canyon in 1974,” said Braun, who was a lead stuntman on the “Rush Hour” movies with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. “In 2016, I hope his spirit lands on the other side.”
Oddly, CNN reports that Knievel’s own son, Kelly Knievel, doesn’t think this is a great idea. Kelly has said that he thinks Braun is “out of his mind.” He also reportedly was very “skeptical” of Braun’s ability to get across the Snake River canyon and said the stuntman would “be lucky if he doesn’t blow up on the ramp.”
Evel Knievel’s daring stunts were legendary in the 1960s and 1970s, but they came at the cost of more than 30 broken bones as well as numerous concussions. As spectacular as his Skycycle’s failure over Snake River was, he walked away from the incident with just a broken nose—just another day at the office for Knievel.
Eddie Braun said to CNN that he grasps the fact that some of the interest in his Snake River jump may be in seeing whether he lives through it or not. But after preparing for three years, he feels totally ready.
“There are people who say I’m on a suicide mission, or that I’m going to blow up. But I’m not a foolish man. I’m not doing something stupid,” he told the news network.
h/t CNN