10 things you didn't know about Álvaro Bultó: A life to the extreme

If you are a fan of adventure and adrenaline, you probably already know the trajectory of the Catalan Álvaro Bultó: extreme sportsman who dedicated his life to experiencing strong emotions through disciplines such as free fall, skydiving, rally and motocross.

In addition, he was the television presenter of the Spanish program Así se hace on the Discovery Max network and participated in the 2007 celebrity dance program Mira quien baila and little before his death at the Splash aquatics testing program in 2013. If you want to know more about some details about the professional and personal career of a great skydiving, motocross and skydiving, keep reading to find out!

1. Where and when was Álvaro Bultó born?

The intrepid skydiver was born on June 11, 1962 in the city of Barcelona, ​​Spain, into a wealthy family made up of his father, Paco Bultó, businessman and founder of the Montesa motorcycle factory, his mother, the aristocrat Inés Sagnier Muñoz, and nine siblings.

Since he was little, he felt attracted to the world of motorcycles due to the close relationship that his family had with this discipline, especially his father, and he lived closely everything that was related to this sport. In addition, later on he began to become fond of extreme sports such as free fall and skydiving without ever letting go of his great passion for motorcycles.

2. Did you know that he broke the world record in free fall?

Skydiving was one of his great passions since he discovered it in his teens and throughout his life he accumulated more than 3000 jumps in various sports disciplines. In 2009, and with the help of the Alas Project that he founded with his colleagues Santi Corella and Toni López, he broke the world record in free fall from human flight on Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 2009. with a mark of 6.42 minutes and 40 seconds, surpassing his own record set four years earlier in the Strait of Gibraltar.

3. When did fly over Antarctica?

Álvaro Bultó was one of the first Spaniards to fly over Antarctica again with his companions Santi Corella and Toni López in 2007, with whom he lived one of the most risky experiences of his life. To do this, they used suits with wings that reduce speed and the necessary equipment to combat the 60 degrees below zero that they faced. Undoubtedly, an adventure that Bultó did not fear at any time.

4. Did Álvaro Bultó participate in the Dakar Rally?

In addition to skydiving and free fall, the Catalan has on several occasions acknowledged his love for motorcycles, a discipline that he has always prioritized in his life. Likewise, and despite having practiced sports such as surfing, skydiving or sailing, the world of motorcycles was his great passion since he began touring the roads of his native estate in Barcelona at the age of 11. For this reason, Bultó participated in several competitions related to this sport, among which the Dakar Rally stands out, in which it participated twice, reaching the finish line in only one of them. He also rode in the Camel Trophy and various motocross championships throughout his life.

5. What relationship do Sete Gibernau and Álvaro Bultó have?

Sete Gibernau, runner-up in the Moto GP world on two occasions, is the nephew of Álvaro Bultó. The passion for motorcycles is innate in the family.The ex-driver Gibernau practiced trial and motocross before starting speed racing without knowing that this would be his true passion. In 1996, he made his debut in his first world motorcycle competition riding a Honda 250cc and was on the podium more than 30 times, and in addition to having been runner-up in Moto GP on two occasions, he has also accumulated more than 8 important victories. in this discipline.

6. Did you know that he climbed the highest wall in the arctic?

It was in 2012 when the Catalan decided to pack his bags and embark on another adventure. In this case, he traveled to Greenland to climb the highest wall in the Arctic hand in hand with his wingsuit. Bultó stated on several occasions that risky experiences made him stay alive, and that furthermore, by living through them, he felt that he was taking care of his mind and his optimism grew. Age was never an impediment for the Catalan to enjoy great adventures like this.

7. He was director of a jet ski tournament.

The former pilot also dedicated a large part of his summers directing jet ski tournaments on the Costa Dorada and the Costa Blanca, where on several occasions he could be seen practicing this discipline accompanied by other celebrities such as Alejandra Prat. The fan of motorcycles on solid ground proved during the 2000s that he was also a fan of jet skis. In this way, he participated in the Vuelta a España on a jet ski.

8. Swimming with great white sharks?

If Álvaro Bultó demonstrated anything, it is that he was an adventurous man who was not afraid of risky experiences, but rather produced adrenaline. For this reason, on several occasions he wanted to live the challenge of swimming with the biggest predator in the ocean: the white shark. He himself announced via Facebook that he would swim with this species in the waters of Gansbaai, a small fishing village located in the Cape, South Africa, famous for its dense population of white sharks.

9. Did you know that he participated in a dog sled race?

In 2012, the Catalan launched himself to try a new discipline called mushing, whose operation is to cross a terrain (usually snowy) by means of a sled carried by husky dogs or similar. Álvaro Bultó immersed himself in this sport in a big way, participating in La Pirena; competition that consists of crossing the Pyrenees in a sled passing through Navarra, Aragon, Catalonia, Andorra and France in a total of 15 days. The expilot published images of his adventure on his Facebook.

10. What was the cause of his death?

The athlete died in 2013 due to an accident he suffered while practicing wingfly, in Lauterbrunnen, Swiss Alps. This BASE jumping discipline consists of jumping with wings and gliding at a speed of between 60 and 200 km/h. The Catalan was only 51 years old when he lost his life practicing a sport that he loved, but which is considered one of the most dangerous in the world. Although the exact reason for his death is unknown, some of his adventure companions confirmed that Bultó's parachute opened later than expected and this caused a great impact against a hard surface.

Álvaro Bultó's professional and personal life was full of sport, adrenaline and risk. The Catalan assured in several interviews prior to his death that living experiences filled him with positivity and took care of his mind, so we can deduce that the expilot was happy until the end of his days. In addition to having lived each day as if it were his last, he also accumulated successes and victories thanks to the sport that he explored since he was a child: motorcycling. An example of self-improvement and personal growth that makes us all remember him as a great sports legend.