Almost a World Record

While everyone is Jackson is chucking themselves off big drops, my friend Ben Stookesberry is also chucking himself – off waterfalls. This was a possible world record first descent. The current waterfall world record is 107 feet run by Tyler Bradt. According to the Denver Post, “Kayaker Tyler Bradt dropped 107 feet over Alexandra Falls, located along the Hay River in Canada’s Northwest Territories, and in the process setting a new World’s record.”

Ben estimates the drop he took to be around 120 feet. Not only is the falls big, but at the bottom of falls live a 22 foot anaconda, according to locals. Ben’s account of the event came to me in an email:

" I can't take the tittle away from Tyler Bradt yet, but there is a good chance I will 

run this one again with some sort of supper glue on my spray skirt and a willingness to 

get beat down by massive converging currents in the pool below.   This 33 - 39 meter 

falls is an example of hydraulic perfection in Brazil. 3000 cfs on the Current River 

converge into a 15 foot wide power tongue that plummets into the pool 107 - 115 feet

below.  Due to heavy rain, the river was running about 9 feet above base flow creating

a roiling pool with a 6 - 10 foot boil in the pool below. Certainly the act of running 

a falls like this seems to be the epitome of hedonism, but certainly the act of running 

a falls like this seems to be the epitome of hedonism, but I like to think about it as 

a group descent.  My safety and film team at the bottom consisted of Ryan Mac and Chris

Zawacki. Ryan McPherson has been to Brazil for the last 5 years and knows more about 

Brazil's class V rivers than anyone else on the planet.
Chris Zawacki is your go anywhere

do anything positive laid back kind of guy that is an amazing boater and photographer.  

My company at the lip consisted of two of the most positive people on the planet... 

Jesse Coombs and Pedro Olivia.  Pedro has been pushing this trip to the amazing quantity 

of huge runnable falls that exist in central Brazil and he can be seen in the photo 

living it up in the 70 degree spray of this monster. As you already know, Jesse Coombs 

is the hardcore kayaker\business man that brings a coherent analytical perspective to 

extreme end of the whitewater spectrum."

Ben's sprayskirt blew when he reached the bottom of the falls, which means he cannot claim a the Wolrd Record. But I give him huge props for the attempt and cannot wait to see his upcoming video.