The Woman Who Went From 'Safe Mother' to World Record-Holding, Base-Jumping Daredevil

By 'Daily Mail' (UK)

When Australian mom and corporate executive Heather Swan turned 40 she decided she needed a big change, and today she is a world record-holding base-jumper. In May 2006 she and her husband climbed Mt. Meru in Tanzania and threw themselves off, breaking the record for the highest-ever base jump. They are the only husband and wife base-jumping team in the world, and Swan has written a book about her transition from corporate mom to daredevil. It was her adventure-loving husband Glen, a skydiver and outdoorsman, who got her into the sport. She first jumped out of a plane with him in 1999, and has been hooked on the thrill ever since. It took her some time to get used to the idea of jumping off a mountain, though, and her first base-jump was in 2005. She was injured once in an bungee-jumping accident that perforated her small intestine and sent her to the hospital, but she says even with those dangers her life now is less stressful than it was as an executive. "I find myself going base jumping just to relieve the stress sometimes," she said. "Some people do yoga, I jump out of a plane."

December 9, 2009