What has 34 skate wheels attached to feet, hands, knees, back, rump, stomach and chest, and skates down a mountain in China every which way at speeds of more than 50 mph? Why, it's Rollerman, otherwise known as French stuntman Jean-Yves Blondeau. And yes, he did skate down a mountain on ... himself. ITN Newsreporter Sam Datta-Paulin said, "Best way to get down a mountain -- ever." As you'll see in the video below, Blondeau skated on almost every part of his body to traverse 99 hairpin turns down a nearly seven-mile-long road on Tianmen Mountain in Hunan, China.
Starting on a ski-jump-like ramp to gain speed, Blondeau zig-zagged his way down the mountain, taking a modified high turn at one point and jumping off a ramp at another, after which he skated through a stream of fireworks to celebrate.
It took Blondeau some 20 minutes to get down the mountain in his specially designed roller suit, steering by throwing his body weight around on 34 skate wheels (or 32, or 31, depending on the source).
Apparently, Rollerman has been skating this way for a while. According to his Buggy Rollin website, Blondeau, an industrial designer by trade, produced a video in 1995 to promote his unique roller suit.
Oh, and one more note: In case you want Rollerman for a commercial or a birthday party, or you just want to stop traffic on your local mountain, he's available for hire.
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