Embracing Adventure with Stuntman Liparit

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‘Liparit shares his journey from a childhood in Yerevan to becoming a professional stuntman in Moscow. He reflects on the influence of his supportive family, his early love for sports, and the thrill of extreme activities like BASE jumping and skydiving. Liparit discusses the key skills essential for success in his field, memorable stunts, and the importance of staying physically fit. With a passion for adventure, he encourages others to embrace the unknown and explore the world around them, promising that incredible opportunities await those who take the leap.’

Background

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I was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, in 1992. But my family had to move to Russia almost immediately after I was born, because after the collapse of the USSR, there were difficult times in Armenia, and my parents had to support the family somehow. That's why I grew up in Moscow in Russia and continue to live here. At least between numerous trips around the world :)

My childhood was ordinary: school, training, walking with friends. We didn't live well, but my parents did everything possible to provide my younger brother and me with everything we needed.

Since early childhood, sports have occupied a big place in my life. At the age of 7, I started swimming. Mom tells me how after the first workout, I cried, said that I would not practice anymore, as it was very difficult. But she explained to me that I shouldn't give up right away and suggested me to work out for some more time, and then decide.

A month later, I was completely in love with swimming and devoted the next 6 years of my life to it, practicing 5-6 times a week. Swimming laid the foundation for my physical form, developed my body, it made me a strong young man.

I must pay tribute to my parents - they always respected my opinion, talked to me on equal terms, did not pressure or impose their vision, giving me the opportunity to self-actualize. As I got older, I realized how important it was. Thanks to this, I am not afraid to make decisions, take responsibility, sometimes make mistakes, but keep moving on. These qualities have helped me a lot throughout my life.

At the age of 13, I decided to practice martial arts. My parents didn't like it, but they didn't forbid it. I started practicing Muay thai. It immediately fascinated me. I gave myself completely to the process. Soon I began to show results, perform at competitions, and take prizes. These workouts have made my body even stronger and have greatly tempered my character.

This is how my childhood was spent. It was a good childhood, kind and eventful. I grew up in a loving family.

For those learning about you for the first time, can you share what your outdoor passion is?

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The craving for thrills and adventures began to manifest itself at an early age, and over the years it only grew. I liked to tickle my nerves and arrange trials for myself, overcoming which I enjoyed. At the age of 13, I went hiking in the mountains for the first time, it was in the North Caucasus. That's when I began to realize my love of nature and travel. Later on, my love of nature and extreme sports began to have a strong influence on my life.

At the age of 15, I started training at a stunt school. Years later, it became my profession.

At the age of 16, I tried roup jumping. It became my first extreme hobby and an integral part of my life for many years to come. Together with my team, we have organized a lot of cool projects. But that was just the beginning of my journey.

At the age of 19, I started skydiving. I have dreamed about this since childhood, but financial opportunities did not allow it. As soon as I started earning money on my own, I set about fulfilling my dream.

In parallel, I was doing rock climbing. I didn't have a specific goal then, I just liked doing it. I just took on everything that seemed interesting to me. It has always been easy for me to master any sport.

Something carried me away and stayed in my life, and something was left behind. So, I got carried away with snowboarding, then switched to downhill skiing.

At the age of 20, I went to travel to Indonesia on the island of Bali. There I tried surfing and immediately fell in love with this activity. When I was 23 years old, I started doing BASE jumping and paragliding. In 2015, my friends and I made a parachute jump from the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, which is located in the jungles of Venezuela.

A few years later, I began to study mountaineering. Then I thought that I wanted to develop in this direction in order to be able to perform base jumping in remote mountains.

If you look at my hobbies, it becomes clear that I am most interested in activities that involve interaction with various elements. But somehow it so happened that so far, the air is the main one.

What inspired you to become a stuntman, and how did you get started in this field?

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To be honest, I started doing this by accident, I hadn't dreamed about it since childhood, I didn't even know about such a profession. I was 13 years old, then I decided that I wanted to try myself in martial arts. I chose a sports club in my neighbourhood where Muay Thai was taught. I soon found out that stuntmen train in this sports club. But then I was still too young for that.

I continued to practice martial arts; I was in excellent physical shape and two years later I was able to join the stunt training. It was very exciting! The training sessions were varied. At that moment, I had not yet thought about the profession, I just enjoyed the process.

At the age of 17, I first worked in a movie as a stuntman. The first years of work were few. I continued to train and master the intricacies of the profession. In parallel, I studied and worked at another job. A few years later, I was already working a lot in the cinema. That's how I became a stuntman.

Is there a specific stunt you've performed that stands out in your memory, either because it was particularly thrilling or exceptionally frightening?

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It is difficult to single out a specific trick, because at different stages of professional development, the complexity of tricks can feel completely different. In my work as a stuntman, I have fallen from a bridge into a ship floating under the bridge. It wasn't very scary, but it's a pretty interesting and unusual experience.

Once I was burning through glass and fell from a height. This trick was an interesting and complicated combination of several tricks. I was required to control several different tasks at once. And I enjoyed it when I managed to handle it well.

If we talk not only about working in movies, but also about other extreme adventures, then one of the most exciting was one BASE jump. In 2015, my four friends and I went to the heart of Venezuela and jumped from the highest waterfall in the world. We all jumped at the same time. It was amazing! So beautiful, so exciting that I screamed with delight right in flight! I would like to repeat this adventure.

Have you ever had to adapt or modify a stunt on the spot? What was the situation, and what did you do?

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I can't remember such a situation. Movie stunts are planned in advance, must correspond to the artistic idea of the script and, as a rule, require preparation. Therefore, there are no major changes. Sometimes you have to adapt the trick a little to the circumstances.

Sometimes stunt scenes are simplified in the process due to shifting filming schedules and lack of time. But there are no major changes, as this will require additional preparation and time. Usually we just adapt to the proposed circumstances.

Have you ever declined to perform a particular stunt? If so, can you tell us why?

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There have been no cases in my career when I had to give up performing a trick. But if there was a situation that I was not sure about something, or I realized that I was not ready, I would refuse.

Does someone ever get used to the thrill of BASE jumping or is it new every time? Can you describe the feeling for us?

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At least for me it is. When I take long breaks between jumps, I get very scared.

Not like the first time, but scary. But if I jump regularly, I feel much calmer, I have better control over what is happening. It is important to keep fit, this improves the quality and safety of jumps. To do this, I not only jump in the mountains, but also train in skydiving, training flights in a suit.

In addition to jumping, general physical training is also important, since our mental and physical training are interrelated. When I'm in good physical shape, when I jump regularly, when nothing bothers me, then I get real pleasure doing jumps, I can set more difficult goals and develop, and not just feel fear.

What are the key skills you believe are essential for a successful BASE jumper or paragliding pilot?

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In my opinion, the key skills and qualities for success in these types of extreme activity are: a cold, sober mind; attention to detail; attention to the processes taking place in nature; the ability to make quick decisions and accurately perform the necessary actions in dangerous situations; the ability to soberly assess and compare the situation and their capabilities; developed intuition, which It often tells you when to take a chance and when to stop.

When you’re not performing, what are your favourite personal outdoor activities?

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I like to try different outdoor activities, and I try not to miss such opportunities. But there are activities that I focus on. At the moment of my life it's mountaineering, paragliding and BASE jumping. Sometimes I go diving. I also really like surfing, but I still can't devote much time to it.

Thank you, Liparit, for taking the time out of your day to inspire others. At this stage, you are welcome to add any additional information you feel the audience should know about yourselves or share additional stories.

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I just want to give a parting word to those who are just starting to explore this world and themselves, or those who have not yet decided. Don't be afraid of anything! The unknown is always scary. But the world around us is amazing! It opens up to you if you are open to it, open to new experiences. And as soon as you feel it, you will realize that the unknown is incredibly exciting.

Opportunities will begin to open up in front of you, incredible events will happen to you, if only you allow it to be. And your life is unlikely to be the same;)