Russian skydiver and high-altitude balloonist Sergey Boitsov set a claimed world record for the highest parachute jump from a hot-air balloon on 22 August, exiting the balloon at 11,551 m over Russia’s Altai Krai.
The jump was conducted from a balloon operated by Ivan Menyailo, president of the Russian Ballooning Sports Federation. The balloon began its ascent at 0639 local time and reached the record altitude at 0754, when Boitsov exited the gondola.
Boitsov remained in free fall for about 2 minutes 30 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 501 km/h. His parachute deployed at 1,565 m, with the complete descent from exit to landing taking 7 minutes 19 seconds.
The attempt required equipment adapted for operation above 11 km, where conventional skydiving equipment is unsuitable. Russian companies involved in the project included Rusbal, which designed the balloon; Paraavis, which supplied the parachute systems; and PTS, which developed the oxygen equipment. High-altitude clothing was prepared by Cool Zone and Chulé.
The oxygen system was designed for the physiological requirements of the jump and for operation of the balloon’s equipment at altitude. Boitsov also underwent hypobaric-chamber testing at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre, including exposure to conditions corresponding to an ascent to 12,000 m. The tests assessed his tolerance to rapid pressure changes and susceptibility to decompression sickness.
The project was initiated by Boitsov in 2023 and involved more than 100 specialists during its preparation, including skydivers, pilots, engineers and medical personnel. The previous altitude record cited by the project organisers was 10 km, set by Polish skydivers using a hot-air balloon.
The 11,551 m jump therefore represents an increase of more than 1.5 km over the previous figure cited by the organisers. Independent confirmation of the world-record claim was not provided in the source material.
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