SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Werndl, a few days ago, the world-class mountaineers David Lama, Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley were killed in a tour in Canada. Her route was considered very dangerous. Why is it so hard for extreme athletes to quit?

Werndl: Extreme sports are like an addiction. It's like an alcoholic who wants to stop drinking - but can not put the bottle away from now on. I also knew that basejumping was wrong. But the sport was so important to me that I could not imagine a life without him.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why?

Werndl: Basejumpers, motorcycle racers, freedivers and cliff diver are all addicted to the feeling of maximum presence. They are looking for moments when they can completely switch off. I experienced that as a basejumper during my jumps: nothing is still there. Everything that was just important, which I was perhaps worried about, is gone. It's like a catapult throwing you into the now.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Two years ago you decided to stop baseballing. How did you manage that?

Werndl: I had decided a year before, when my last jump should be. I first had to finish internally before I could actually stop.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: When did you decide to quit?

Werndl: At bedtime, I used to take a look at the basejumper's death list, which you can call up online. At night, I often woke up with sweat. I dreamed that I would crash against a rock or on the ground. But going on could not stop me and even the death of colleagues and close friends. In the four years I've been involved in the sport, 117 basejumpers have been fatally injured - out of a possible total of 300 to 400 that belong to the scene worldwide.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How did you deal with that?

Werndl: I just wiped that away, I did not feel anything at the time.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Until a certain moment?

Werndl: Yeah, I had a key experience: In a jump we went up three of us and two downstairs arrived, that was in the summer of 2016. Later we learned that the third collided with a rock, he was dead immediately. There are only one exit in this sport. While I sorted myself after the jump, my colleague came over to me and told me that the recovery would take about 40 minutes. Whether we should meet up at the top of the jump in an hour to jump again? That's when I realized how dull this sport is.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Did anyone help stop it?

Werndl: I went to a coach. At that time I was extremely dissatisfied with myself, my job, my body, my girlfriend. I always wanted something better. Only the basejump made me forget these feelings. The coach helped me to work through and understand where my dissatisfaction is coming from: inside me. After all, there was nothing left to flee from. I felt no pressure to jump.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do not you miss the sport?

Werndl: I dream about it every now and then, yes. When I drive past rock faces, I still think about it today: would they be springable? For example, I think about where a good point for the jump would be. This feeling will never let me go again.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Did you try to persuade other extreme athletes to quit?

Werndl: I talked to many about it. Some react to it aggressively. But I am sure that I triggered something with everyone. Of course, the switch does not fly immediately and a basejumper says: That's right, you're right, I stop. Some people called me later and said, for example, that they can not stop now. Some will just take a while. I hope you have enough time to make the right decision.