Another death-defying stunt for Gunnarson
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/01/2012 (5246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Famed Manitoba escape artist Dean Gunnarson was back in Manitoba just two days after what he said was “another close call” during an escape high in the mountains of China.
Gunnarson performed at the Manitoba Water and Wastewater Association’s annual conference and trade show Tuesday night at the Keystone Centre. The performance was one of the more family-friendly shows Gunnarson puts on at company functions or charity events, when he’s not risking life and limb during his elaborate, large-scale escapes.
While Gunnarson, an Onanole resident, said he has no intentions of retiring any time soon, with shows booked right up to the end of 2012, he said his age and his career are finally beginning to catch up with him.
“I’m getting older, and my body is getting pretty banged up,” Gunnarson said. “I’m going to be 48 this month, but I’m still enjoying travelling and seeing the world.
“I’m sure some day my youngest daughter is going to come to me and say ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to do this anymore,’ and that will probably be the hardest day of my life.”
Gunnarson said he continues to shield his youngest daughters from his more severe escapes, like the one he performed a few days ago in the mountains near Xining, China, more than 10,000 feet above sea level. The escape required him to break free from a straitjacket and chains, and then an ice tomb he was encased in, before a 10-ton bus suspended overhead exploded and crushed him.
“We had originally worked out which spot on the tomb would be the softest place to break out from,” Gunnarson explains. “But that spot froze completely solid overnight.”
Gunnarson made the discovery, which would horrify most, while the escape was already underway, but went to a secondary plan to get out. He ended up escaping a few seconds late, but luck was on his side as the lack of oxygen at that altitude caused the pyrotechnics on the bus to fire late.
“After I escaped, the cameras couldn’t find me, since I came out at a different spot than originally planned,” Gunnarson said. “Everyone thought I was dead for a while; some of the production people were actually crying.”
“Houdini lived to 52, so I figure I’ve got at least another four good years,” he said, chuckling.
Gunnarson was presented with his award of “World’s Greatest Escape Artist” by the Chinese government, and named an official ambassador of the lake on which he performed his escape.
» Winnipeg Free Press
