Evel Knievel Wannabe Returns to Snake River
On September 8, 1974, the King of Daredevils, Evel Knievel made a failed attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Instead of making the jump on his signature Harley-Davidson XR-750, he used a steam-powered Skycycle, the X-2, designed by Robert Truax, a former NASA engineer.
The first two practice attempts in the X-1 in 1972 and 1973 were unmanned and landed in the Snake River with epic splashes.
After nearly seven years of preparations, Knievel nearly killed himself on the third try when his parachute deployed during the rocket bike’s takeoff. The jump was a bust, but thankfully Evel survived with only a few minor injuries.
Now, there are plans to mark the 40th anniversary with another blast off. Scott Truax, the son of the Skycycle’s original creator, has built an X-3. Truax and his business partners have hired a Hollywood stuntman, Eddie Braun, to make the suicidal jump.
If Braun successfully makes the jump this time around, that would be a fitting tribute to the American icon. But if he really wants to impress fans, let’s see him jump over 50 cars, 23 Mack trucks and a couple of dozen Greyhound buses while riding a Harley. That would really be impressive.
Watch footage from the original Snake River jump with commentary from Knievel above and the teaser video for the upcoming event below. Get the latest updates about the jump here.