Dean Potter is no ordinary guy. Climber, line walker and “human-body-flyer” he has free-soloed Yosemite big walls, flown from cliffs and slack-lined over huge open spaces in the desert.
UPDATE: Watch “When Dogs Fly” video now.
So it makes sense that his dog is also extraordinary. Meet Whisper, the word’s first wingsuit, BASE-jumping, rock climbing dog.
Potter is making a movie about Whisper called “When Dogs Fly.” It will document Potter’s inspiration to wingsuit BASE-jump with Whisper in 2013 in the Alps and the trailer will be online on May 27.
From Potter’s Facebook page: “Dean has decades of experience performing the most dangerous outdoor-arts known to man. However, flying with his innocent mini-cattledog on his back pushes him to question what’s right and wrong and ultimately what’s safe for his family.”
Dean has found balance and love for the first time and realizes he doesn’t want to obliterate it. Together with his girlfriend, Jen, the little family lives tucked beneath the West Flank of the Eiger. Throughout the idyllic summer they fascinate upon simplicity and the connectivity of nature.
The outline continues: “Never wanting to leave his dog behind, Dean creates new gear with hopes it will allow Whisper to accompany him while they yodel Sounds of Music and fly throughout the Swiss Alps. Life is never that easy. Many other winged-pilots are splattering dead within the tight BASE community. Dean is becoming more attached to the anodyne life. He can’t bare the idea of hurting or killing his dog, disintegrating everything he values. Torn between his precious loves and his dark arts, what will the lunatic conjurer choose?”
Check out the trailer on May 27th, or learn more about Potter and Whisper on Dean Potter’s website.
—Sean McCoy
