An extreme sports enthusiast’s birthday celebration ended in tragedy when 45-year-old Elizaveta “Liza” Gushchina fell 290 feet to her death from an abandoned boiler tower near St. Petersburg, Russia, just minutes after completing a successful high-adrenaline rope jump.
According to reports, Gushchina had just leapt off the tower on an elastic rope as part of a planned birthday jump. The mother of two shared video footage of the thrilling moment, laughing and shouting “Let’s go!” before swinging safely just above the ground.
But minutes later, witnesses say Gushchina climbed back up the 290-foot structure without any safety equipment, reportedly hoping to take a selfie as a keepsake. As her 23-year-old son Nikita watched in horror, she slipped and plunged to her death.
Rope-jumping company 23block, which operates the site, confirmed her death in a statement, calling Gushchina an “experienced jumper” and a beloved member of their sports team. “This is a very big tragedy for us,” the group said.
The facility promotes itself as a destination for adrenaline junkies seeking rope jumps, free falls, and extreme recreational experiences. However, the Russian state prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the incident to determine whether the operators complied with safety regulations.
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