The bridge isn’t there yet but you can go on foot from Calabria to Sicily it is still a possible undertaking. For very few, of course. Indeed, to tell the truth the circle must be narrowed further: for just one. His name is Jaan Rooseis 32 years old and has Estonian nationality. Any particular signs? Three-time world champion slackliningthe very thin material of indestructible fiber on which he walks in balance, covering sidereal distances.
Circus skills? Much more. Because Roose’s crossings are the manifesto of humanity that attempts to defy the laws of nature. Jaan is not a simple tightrope walker, but a visionary constantly looking for new records to shatter. The partner in crime for one of the latest undertakings – it was last July – was Red Bullalways on the ball when it comes to signing extreme feats.
This time, however, the mission was seriously complex: Roose had to complete the stretch that connects Calabria to Sicily, the Strait of Messina, walking in perfect balance on this wire just 19 millimeters thicksuspended 200 meters high above the blue expanse that opened up from one coast to the other. From the pylon of Santa Trada, where it started, to that of Torre Faro, where it arrived, it is a total of 3640 metres. Only these elements make the measure of the company.
The first factor is concentration: you lose it for just an instant and you slip. And in a walk that lasted almost three hours it is more than possible. Ad Jaan happened just 80 meters from the finish line. No Guinness world recordbut he still remains the first human to have completed such a mission. Then there is the effort. The lactic acid that accumulates in the legs risks making them brittle, because they are in tension all the time. Even the arms and torso, which are essential for maintaining balance, are constantly stressed. Finally, the atmospheric factors: the air currents make everything oscillate, it is certainly not a straight and placid walk.
Roose ultimately made it in 2 hours and 52 minutes.
“I’m so satisfied”he said taking a breath, “because even if the world record hasn’t arrived, this is a first for humanity”. Nothing else would be missing. In these parts people have been talking about the bridge for two hundred years. He did it himself.