COSENZA – The world challenge of Jaan Roose, Red Bull, who will cross the Strait of Messina walking on the sea. Red Bull, always alongside extraordinary athletes capable of realizing and planning feats that transcend the imaginable, prepare to write a new legendary chapter. The next protagonist of this epic saga will be Jaan Roose, an Estonian slackliner who will attempt an incredible feat: crossing the Strait of Messina walking on a ribbon just 1.9 cm wide, suspended at a dizzying height of over 200 meters above sea level. The slackliner will challenge the laws of physics in an unprecedented test and will attempt to beat the world crossing record, walking across the strait for over 3.5 km at 200 m above sea level.
Starting from July 2024 (the choice of date will depend on climatic conditions), the athlete will face a breathtaking journey of over 3.5 kilometers, the distance that separates the Calabrian coast from the Sicilian one. An incredible crossing which not only could break the slackline world record, exceeding the previous record by almost a kilometer (approximately 2.7 km), but which will represent an unprecedented challenge, with a crossing distance symbolically greater than 30 football fields.
After detailed inspections of the affected area and long and intense preparation in Estonia, Roose decided: pit will start from Santa Trada (Villa San Giovanni), from a point of the pylon 265 meters high – a measurement higher than the tallest Italian skyscraper – and will try to reach Torre Faro (Messina) at a height of 230 metres.
The estimated time to accomplish this epic feat is approximately 3 hours, during which Jaan will face a height difference of approximately 130 meters between the starting height and what you will find in the central part, more or less near “Scylla and Charybdis”. An almost mythological symbolism that underlines the extraordinary nature of this challenge, evoking man’s eternal struggle against the limits of the impossible.
“Putting the challenge with myself to the limit”
“It’s a mix between fear and excitement, I gotta Feeling to take the challenge with myself to the limit”: these are the emotions that Roose says he feels during those moments hundreds of meters above sea level. And if slacklining seems like just a matter of balance, Jaan confirms that the psychological component is fundamental: “From a mental point of view I have to focus on what I’m doing at that moment. I have to minimize any distractions and move forward, trying to stay as clear as possible, step by step.” Jaan Roose, three-time world champion of the specialty, he is no stranger to these legendary feats.
