Base Jumper Slams Into Cliff, Dangles Above Ground In Death Defying Video

A parachute likely saved a base jumper's life, but not the way you think ... the chute got stuck on a rock moments after the man slammed into a cliff wall, preventing him from careening to the ground at high speeds from 100 feet above.

It all happened over Thanksgiving weekend at the Kane Creek Canyon in Moab, Utah ... about 4 hours southeast of Salt Lake City.

Hikers at the location recorded a base jumper leaping off a 400-foot cliff known as the Tombstone ... when out of nowhere, a gust of wind seized the parachute, forcing him right into a rock wall at a high rate of speed, seemingly knocking him unconscious.

What happened next probably saved the jumper's life ... the chute got caught on the cliff and stopped him from falling to the ground with, at best, a partially deployed chute.

The jumper was rescued after hanging on to the chute and the cliff for over an hour, according to FOX 6 ... and was airlifted away.

Of course, base jumping is the sport of jumping off of fixed objects like buildings, bridges and in this case, cliffs. Yes, it's very dangerous ... jumping from relatively low heights, and near objects, the chance for serious injury or death is very real.