Balancing Artist Performs One-Armed Handstand Stunt Over 2,000 Feet Drop

Daredevil Eskil Ronningsbakken lives life on the edge - by performing a one-arm handstand 2,000 feet above a fjord. The extreme artist performed the jaw-dropping gymnastic pose on Preikestolen, a rock above the Lysefjord in Norway. Battling bitter winds and a lethal drop, Eskil managed to hold the one-handed pose despite exerting his lower and upper arm to extreme pressure. The Norwegian claims his latest feat is the world's first one-armed handstand at such a height.

Eskil Rønningsbakken was born on 24 June, in from Vallset in Stange, Norway. He is a world-renowned balancing artist specialized in acts performed at the tops of lethal drops, like cliffs and canyons. He is known for walking on a tightrope strung midair between two hot air balloons, or performing a handstand on a pile of chairs which are balancing on a rock fixed in a rift between two 3,500 feet tall ridges. He is a devout yoga practitioner, he meditates and has developed breathing techniques in order to stay focused. His every act is extensively and meticulously prepared.

Ronningsbakken has a circus background. Although he officially joined the troupe when he was 12, he started practicing in different forms since he was 5. The youngest of three siblings, he spent his childhood the Norwegian countryside where he climbed trees and played on rooftops. The turning point in his life was a TV show of a balancing Indian yogi. It is then when he decided to devote himself to the art. His stunts were guided by Peter Jakob, a renowned trainer from the Moscow State Circus. He draws his inspiration from Nairobi slums where he teaches the youth acrobatics.