TFN Talks with Amber Forte
This week we are talking with the incredible Amber Forte, the currently ranked fastest female wingsuit athlete in the world. In 2018 Amber became the first female in history to place in the top 10 at the international FIA performance wing suit competition and the first female to become part of the Norwegian National Wingsuit Team. She is a key member of Team OneCall, Norwegian airsport/stunt demo team and a social media influencer who uses her wit and infectious humour to inspire others to push past their limits.
Amber, where did you grow up and how did you get into skydiving and BASE Wingsuit?
I grew up in a small town called Kingsteignton in the South West of England. I had a great childhood, but always wanted to leave England and explore the world. When I was 18 years old I bought a one way ticket to Australia and set out on a mission to find something to do with my life that held meaning. After one year in Australia, I bought another one way ticket to New Zealand. Not long after moving to New Zealand I met a boy who had just started skydiving, he inspired me hugely and motivated me to start skydiving myself. After six months working as a parachute packer and camerawoman, I decided to take the step to start working in indoor skydiving. This led to my next one way ticket, taking me to Voss in Norway, to pursue my dream of becoming an instructor in the wind tunnel. After moving to Norway, I realised the potential to take my flying skills outdoors and into the mountains. Not long after, I started to learn wingsuiting and committed to become a BASE jumper. And, it continues from there.
What have been the highlights of your career as a BASE Wingsuit jumper?
One specific jump does not come to mind, but something that stands out in general is the change that BASE jumping brought to my every day life. Before I started BASE jumping I spent a lot of time indoors. BASE jumping feels like it has connected me more closely to nature and motivated me to become fit and physically able to climb big mountains and take care of myself in raw nature. This has enhanced my quality of life dramatically and given me a lot more to feel passionate about than just the flying itself.
What are your top three favorite lines to fly and why?
There are so many amazing places to fly in Norway, many that I have not yet experienced. But, I think my favourite that I have flown so far is an exit called Skjerpisnuten just outside of Voss, it's a spectacular mountain with a beautiful flight down through the valley of Gudvangen and landing down next to the Fjord. I have jumped here once with my boyfriend Espen Fadnes and it was a jump that I will never forget.
What is the biggest challenge you were faced with and have had to overcome in your career?
I would say I am currently going through it now. In August I had an accident on a skydive landing where I shattered my thigh, dislocated my spine from my sacrum and shattered my L5 vertebrae. It has given me huge physical and mental challenges every day since, but also fuelled my motivation towards flying. I look very much forward to the day that I can start flying in the sky again!
One thing that stands out for me in you as a person is your incredible, infectious positivity and fantastic sense of humour with which you inspire and entertain everyone around you whether it be in person or through your social media. How have you been able to keep this energy up during and after your accident when you were faced with so many challenges? Did you have moments where you felt defeated by your circumstances, and how did you push through them?
I have always enjoyed entertaining and making people laugh around me, even if they are laughing at me, it gives me energy. Being injured has been a real challenge because for a long time I lost this part of myself, I barely had the energy and ability to do the most basic life things. For a long time, I chose to be alone and avoided being around people too much. It exhausted me beyond belief, I would literally just fall asleep. Since I was very young I have always kept a diary, where I log my experiences and feelings, I have always dreamt of sharing this story with the world one day, by writing a book. When I discovered professional use of social media I was very excited by the opportunity to share my story with the world live. I am not exactly sure why this inspires me so much, but it feels meaningful to be able to help, support and inspire others around the world. I believe that everybody has the potential to inspire, it just comes down to how much you are willing to share with people. My goal with this is to open up completely, so that people can relate and connect to me and realise that we are all just human. This process has helped me hugely through my recovery so far, I have been blown away by the amount of people who have reached out and supported me in various different ways. But, of course I have had extremely challenging/depressing days and weeks. I have always had these sometimes, it is just that when you are dealing with such an injury, everything becomes amplified. Thats just life. My love for what I do and desire to come back and continue learning and progressing in flying gives me strength and drive to keep pushing forward.
You are obviously a phenomenal athlete, and having followed you on social media I also recognize an obvious and powerful talent for connecting and inspiring others. Have you ever entertained the idea of writing a book about your experiences, doing keynote speaking engagements or maybe even a blog series or reality show based around your adventures?
Writing a book is defiantly a long term dream of mine that will have to wait until I find motivation to sit still for enough time and make it happen. I am actually currently working on creating a motivational presentation that I would like to start holding soon. Although, I am having a bit of a mental block with this at the moment, so I need to overcome this and learn to deal with my fear of speaking to large groups of people! I have actually produced a series of VLOGs back in 2016 with my boyfriend Espen, they where a lot of fun, but seriously hard work! In the end, we just couldn't keep it going. But, I have not forgotten about them, I still have a desire to do another series!
If you were to list all the reasons why you are in love with BASE Wingsuit, what would they be?
Flying- Nature- Flying through nature- Challenging myself mentally- Risk assessment- Friends- Learning and progression- Exploring- Creating- Performing
Have you taken up any new hobbies during your recovery or read any cool books you would recommend?
I have been reading quite a few books, which is something I do not often have time for. Some of the best ones I have read are "I Am Pilgrim" and "The Health Revolution". I am even more excited about the ones I have to come! I am about to start reading a book called "The Ecology of Wisdom", written by a Norwegian philosopher and "Mein kampf"... although I am a little afraid of this one to be honest. Probably the most profound thing that I have changed since my injury, is the practice of meditation. I have become very dedicated to meditating for 10 minutes every day and it has enhanced my mental focus and ability to accept challenging situations. I would highly recommend everyone to begin this journey! It is not easy by any means, but with perseverance and time, the benefits are very noticeable.
Describe a perfect day in the life of Amber Forte…
Wake up naturally early, before my alarm clock (does not happen often!). Start the day with some physio/physical movement and meditation and finish with a long shower. Have a good breakfast with Espen and share a meaningful conversation. Spend an hour organising life things and removing all the annoying thoughts from the day about what you "need' to do. Get out of the house with my base rig on my back and explore in the mountains. Land somewhere beautiful and drink a glass of white wine with my friends, whilst watching the sun go down. Come home relatively early and eat something amazing for dinner. Spend one hour editing and creating a video from the day. Read some of my book and go to bed. Ready to do something similar the next day! :) What are you most looking towards in the next 12 months? Getting back to flying and regaining freedom with my body!
Watching your partner Espen Fadnes (also a world class BASE Wingsuit athlete) stay by your side through thick and thin while you were recovering from your accident and the beautiful relationship between the two of you that you have shared glimpses of with your audiences brought many people I know to tears. What do you think is the secret to having such a solid and symbiotic partnership?
Love and honesty. Things are not always perfect for us, but we love each other dearly and are both willing to work hard to be good for each other. We are always honest with each other, even if it is uncomfortable, this helps us to understand how to support and encourage each other throughout life. It's very important that we both feel that we have the opportunity and support to do the things that are meaningful in life. We aim to never hold each other back, but to live our lives as individuals in a supportive and encouraging relationship.
What would you like to achieve in your career as a BASE wingsuiter or skydiver, which you have not already achieved?
My motivation for flying has always been very driven by my love for exploring flow and movement within the body. I thoroughly enjoy learning and progressing within flying, experiencing this process fascinates me. I am on a mission to fine tune and perfect my flying, to feel continuous flow. I like this goal, it continuously rewards me along the way, but it is never ending, there is always something to learn and improve. I hope that I will be able to continue doing what I love until I die of old age.
