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Dean Potter is just as famous for his wingsuit flights as for his free solo climbs.
His " two polar opposite arts" have led to some breath-taking photos, as seen here. But it's the calm, not the adrenaline, that Potter seeks.
"The moment before I jump is filled with anxiety and what-ifs. But then as soon as I enter the air, I'm filled with this calmness and that's the main attraction to it," Potter told OurAmazingPlanet.
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Dean Potter scales the face of El Capitan, nearly 3,000 feet up.
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Clutching El Cap, Dean Potter climbs with no ropes or safety harness.
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Potter was the first person to free solo climb the main face of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan. That's 3,000 feet (900 meters) straight up. Without a rope.
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A moment of reflection for Dean Potter after his record breaking free solo climb on El Cap.
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Potter doesn't immediately fling himself from mountaintops. Here, Dean Potter walks across a high-line at Cathedral Peak in Yosemite National Park.
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The team's workshop at Homathko Camp.
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The Mt. Bute expedition team throws rocks down the side of the cliff to study Dean Potter's possible jump.
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Dean Potter free climbs Mt. Bute.
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Ready to make the leap, Dean Potter pushes the boundaries of human powered flight.
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Dean Potter dives headfirst off the side of Mt. Bute, hoping to reach speeds over 120 mph.Read OurAmazingPlanet's full Q&A with Potter.
