Video: James Bond stunt rider Robbie Maddison jumps off Utah Olympic Park ski ramp in death-defying leap

Maddison was the stunt rider for the memorable rooftop scene in Skyfall, and his latest stunt sees him tackle the scene of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games

Jack de Menezes
Monday 10 November 2014 07:09 EST
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Robbie Maddison jumps off the Utah Olympic Park ski ramp
Robbie Maddison jumps off the Utah Olympic Park ski ramp (YouTube/Skullcandy)

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You might have heard of Robbie Maddison before. The pro motorbike stunt rider is one of the leading names in motocross having competed in the X-Games, Red Bull X-Fighters and various other FMX events. More famously, he was the stunt rider for Daniel Craig during the breath-taking rooftop motorbike scene as he played James Bond in Skyfall, and he also holds the world record for a motorcycle jump. Not a bad résumé.

Widely known as ‘Maddo’, he has also jumped over Tower Bridge…while it was opened by 25-feet. Oh, he also threw in a backflip for good measure as he flew above the River Thames. So we can assume from all this that he’s pretty brave when it comes to death-defying stunts.

His latest stunt involves tackling the Utah Olympic Park, the scene of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. What’s he doing there, you ask?

Maddison tackles the winding road leading to the park before deciding it’s a good idea to race down the dry bobsleigh run at full speed, coming within inches of guaranteed disaster as he leans through every twist and turn – as if he’s in a bobsleigh.

Not content with that, Maddison then makes his way to the top of the ski jump – yes that ski jump that competitors launch themselves off, flying over 200 metres before landing on sheets of snow at the bottom of the hill.

Watch the video below...

As a helicopter flies above him, the utterly bonkers Australian careers down the ramp and launches off the end at 114kmh (70mph) before flying 114-metres and pulling off a rather comfortable landing.

A simple Google search will bring up all kinds of videos of Maddison’s incredible stunts, but his world record jump in 2008 is probably one of the most memorable.

Watch Maddison's world record jump below...

Maddison jumped 322-feet over an American football pitch in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve in 2007 to set a new world record, one which he has since broken.

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