Watch David Blaine Ascend 24,000 Feet Using 42 Helium Balloons
Talk about a real life version of Disney’s ‘Up’.
As part of his latest stunt called Ascension, David Blaine has been carried up into the sky by 42 eight-foot helium balloons alongside 10 smaller balloons measuring roughly 4-6 feet each. Blaine’s selection of balloons were all based on his weight of 198 pounds, as per Variety. The crazed magician and performer underwent intense training in both skydiving and breathing in low-oxygen levels prior to the stunt.
For safety reasons, he’s also equipped with a parachute and a team is nearby tracking his vitals inside a helicopter just in case his body temperature drops to hazardous levels. The magician is attempting to reach a height of 18,000 feet. “I’ve never gone up beyond just a few hundred feet,” Blaine expressed in the earlier moments of his stream.
The performance was originally planned to happen in New York City’s Hudson River earlier this week. However due to inclement weather, Blaine and his team moved the stunt to the Arizona desert. Watch the stunt in the video above.
In other entertainment news, Akon announced that construction for his “Akon City” will begin in 2021.