"Witnesses have told me that he had problems getting hold of the lever that opens the parachute," said Vibeke Knutson, vice president of the Stavanger BASE Klubb. "When he finally did, it was too late."
Sølve Tanke Hovden of the state rescue service for Southern Norway (Hovedredningssentralen) confirmed that the man "landed out of control" on a pile of stones and died immediately.
Police in Rogaland County said the man was in his late 30s and was a citizen of Australia, but lived in Stavanger.
Knutson said he was an experienced BASE jumper who had logged "around 550" jumps. "BASE" is an acronym that stands for buildings, antennae, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs).
The area around the Lysefjord, just east of Stavanger in western Norway, is popular with BASE jumpers because of its scenic and dramatic cliffs that plunge down to the water.
Knutson said more than 200 persons jump actively off Kjerag, with many of them coming from outside Norway. Tuesday's fatal accident is the ninth at Kjerag since the first jump was made in 1994.
She claimed, however, that her BASE club stresses safety, and BASE jumpers wanting to hurl themselves off Kjerag must document that they've parachuted out of planes at least 250 times. If they've executed less than 15 BASE jumps, they're also required to take a course before jumping at Kjerag.
Witnesses to Tuesday's accident were offered crisis counselling, and several gathered Tuesday evening to talk about the fatality among themselves. It wasn't expected to quell jumpers' enthusiasm for the high-risk sport, however. Knutson said her club would be prepared for anyone who wanted to make a new jump today.
