Johannes Grasser stands at the edge of the airplane door, the Nevada desert stretching out before him like a canvas of dust and dreams. Black Rock City, the temporary center of Burning Man, is home to 80,000 people, a semi-circle of tents, art and a sense of community that’s ever fleeting.
He’s not here to get in on the ground-level craziness of costumes and music. Grasser, an Austrian wingsuit pilot, is here to fly above it all, to capture a view that few will ever see. His GoPro Hero 11 Mini, with a neutral density filter, is ready to capture a 4 minute freefall that feels like landing on another planet.
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Grasser’s road to Burning Man 2025 started in the Burning Sky camp, a camp dedicated to making skydiving possible in the isolated Black Rock Desert. Joining them is not easy. You need a big logbook of jumps to prove you’re ready for the real deal, and a willingness to help out with camp activities. There’s also a cash donation to maintain the desert drop zone operational, an homage to the Burning Man gift economy where nothing is free but everything is shared. Grasser got his spot by getting a limited travel ticket that allowed him to board the plane. His reward? A bird’s eye view of a city that only exists for 9 days, from August 24 to September 1, 2025, before disappearing into thin air.
When Grasser steps off the plane he’s not alone. He’s flying with José, a 61 year old Swiss skydiver with 3 years of experience and as Grasser puts it “awesome skills”. Their first jump together is a gamble – wingsuit pilots each have their own style and synchronizing for a clean film requires skill. Grasser focuses on his GoPro, framing the enormous semi-circle of Black Rock City against the massive playa.
Landing on the playa feels otherworldly, especially when Grasser lands to cheers from Burning Man attendees who know that skydiving here is no easy task. The Black Rock Desert, 100 miles northeast of Reno, is one of the most desolate places to jump, with little permanent infrastructure to rely on.
This isn’t Grasser’s first time with gravity. He’s no stranger to pushing limits, having wingsuited off the 14,700ft Täschhorn in the Swiss Alps. That jump was also filmed and showed his ability to find beauty in the most extreme situations.
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