The base jumping community is mourning the death of a 麻豆社国产athlete who previously made local headlines for launching off the iconic KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2015.
Mike Racicot died on July 26 in Switzerland, his sister told The Chief. It was his 969th jump.
鈥淗e was just the most beautiful soul,鈥� Rachel Polite said of her younger brother, who would be turning 38 years old on Aug. 26.
Polite said some of the defining characteristics of Racicot was his love of living, a philosophy that was literally a part of him.
The words, 鈥淓njoy life,鈥� were tattooed on his wrist.
鈥淭hat was his motto, and he literally lived it every single day,鈥� Polite said.
It was a way of living that led Racicot, a journeyman carpenter and a beekeeper, to choose unconventional paths.
He was known to put in base jumps off the Stawamus Chief before going to work, which he called his morning coffee, Polite said.
His nickname, 鈥楾reehouse Mike,鈥� was the result of him actually living in a treehouse for about a year.
Racicot grew up in Barrhaven, in the Ottawa area. He moved to 麻豆社国产in 2010, but before coming to town, Racicot was drawn to Whistler for the snowboarding life.
Shocked by the high rental prices, he decided to strike out on his own and build a hidden treehouse in Whistler Mountain.
鈥淚t was the crappiest thing you could possibly imagine,鈥� said Polite with a laugh. 鈥淗e lived there for a long time. It drove us all crazy out here, because we were like, 鈥楳ike, are you serious?鈥欌��
Racicot had at least one close encounter as a result of his living arrangement.
鈥淚 even called him one time on my lunch time from work and he couldn't talk because there was a bear right outside of his treehouse,鈥� Polite said, chuckling.
鈥淗e had to hang up on me. I was sitting in this restaurant just thinking, 鈥業s my brother being mauled right now by a bear, and I鈥檓 in the middle of a Kelsey鈥檚 eating, like, a chicken burger?鈥�...We were so happy when he finally got a girlfriend, because we were just thinking, 鈥極h my gosh, does this mean, finally, no more treehouse?鈥欌��
Racicot is also remembered as an uncle who wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to keep in touch with the little ones in the family, and friends posted numerous messages online recalling how 鈥楾reehouse Mike鈥� was a bright person who made a lasting impact on the sport of base jumping.
Indeed, in 2015, Racicot was featured in The Chief after completing 26 jumps from the KL Tower. He was one among 120 people, who, over three days, launched themselves from the building about 3,000 times.
At the time of the event, the KL Tower was considered the seventh-highest freestanding tower in the world.
鈥淭his is the first time I went to participate in the event,鈥� he told The Chief shortly after his jump. 鈥淚 had a dream of going there.鈥�
In addition to taking leaps off world-renowned towers, Racicot also made jumps in Sibu, another city in Malaysia. He also took his aerial adventures to Thailand, and, locally, the Stawamus Chief, among other places.
Professional colleagues also remember Racicot fondly.
An employee with APEX BASE, which sponsored Racicot, told The Chief in a Facebook conversation that the athlete was 鈥淥ne of the best all-around jumpers on the planet.鈥�
鈥淸He was] very skilled, beloved by all, and just a positive influence on the sport and jumpers,鈥� wrote Joe Putrino, who said he had worked with Racicot.
The company also put up a tribute post on Facebook: 鈥淲orking with Mike was an absolute pleasure and we鈥檙e deeply saddened that we won鈥檛 have the honour of working with him for many more years to come.鈥�
In the meantime, a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe was started to assist Racicot鈥檚 family.
鈥淗e lived life to the fullest and not too many people can say that, but he actually did,鈥� reads the page.
鈥淔rom driving a scooter across Canada, to building a live-in treehouse in Whistler, to jumping off of the biggest structures and cliffs in the world.鈥�
Friends and family are invited to a celebration of life on Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. in Norman Rudy鈥檚, 40900 Tantalus Road.
The GoFundMe campaign can be found at:
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