Brian Grubb is a man with a wakeskate and way too many guts! How else could one manage a 77-story BASE jump from the world’s highest infinity pool in Dubai? Not only was it jaw-dropping to witness the American wakeskater along the edge of the infinity pool, standing 964 feet above sea level, but the excitement (read: fear) escalated as the three-time world wakeskate champion, clad in custom Prada Linea Rossa performance gear, was whisked along the 311-foot-long rooftop pool by a custom 6-foot drone and then dropped against the stunning backdrop of Dubai.
The 43-year-old daredevil was seen in a matter of seconds, nosediving toward the ground like a tiny fly speeding towards disaster. This hair-raising moment lasted until he ejected his Red Bull-branded parachute and safely glided to the sand below. The stunt believed to be the first of its kind, coined a new term – WakeBase, per Dailymail. Speaking to The Guardian, Brian said, “I started dreaming about this around ten years ago. It has been a long-time ambition of mine to do this. We had to build a drone strong enough to pull me, and I needed to become more proficient at base jumping. Then, we found this incredible location in Dubai, combined everything, and pulled off the sickest thing I’ve ever done on a wakeskate.”
He posted a video of the incredible stunt on his Instagram, eliciting immense excitement from his followers. One commented, “That was insane, the angle gave me butterflies as he descended the building,” while another humorously remarked, “A very Red Bull way to get from the pool to the beach.” Brian began base jumping in 2008, learning a great deal from influential riders like Scott Byerly and transitioning from wakeboarding to wakeskating.
Who is Brian Grubb:
A pioneer of wakeskating, Grubb learned to water ski before he could read and write. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on July 31, 1980, he graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies from UCF. However, his life always revolved around becoming a professional wakeskater. In an interview, he recounted his journey to professionalism: “It was about riding at the right place at the right time, hanging out with Byerly and those guys. I was wakeboarding then and did a few pro events, but then I started wakeskating and wanted to see where it would lead me. Byerly helped me a lot along the way.” His achievements include two world championships in wakeskating and, more recently, the groundbreaking WakeBase stunt amidst Dubai’s iconic skyline.
