Eddie Braun does what Evel Knievel could not: make successful jump over Snake River Canyon

Stuntman Eddie Braun did what his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel, could not do, clearing the Snake River Canyon in Idaho on Friday.

Braun, a 54-year-old stuntman from Southern California, utilized a steep ramp just like Knievel to help propel his rocket-powered craft across the gorge near Twin Falls at 4 p.m. PDT.

The rocket, named “Evel Spirit,” reached approximately 400 mph after launch. The jump covered more than 1,400 feet.

Video of the crossing follows the rocket to its apex, but the sun makes it difficult to track the flight until the craft is well across the canyon with the parachute deployed for the landing.

The rocket was designed by engineer Scott Truax, whose father constructed Knievel’s rocket.

Knievel attempted a similar jump on Sept. 8, 1974, but the parachute deployed too soon and the rocket failed to clear the canyon, landing along the banks of the river.

Internet and wire reports were used in this story.

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