Sydneysider dies in Swiss wingsuit crash

Rated one of the best in the world, Alex Duncan became the second Australian wingsuit diver to die in Europe in a month after hitting a rock face during a jump in the Swiss Alps.

The 26-year-old from Sydney was killed on Tuesday in the rugged region of Valais, Switzerland, after he jumped near the summit of the 2243m Croix de Fer peak.

Mr Duncan went off track during his jump, hitting the rock face some 300 metres lower down the mountainside.

The Australian, who was living in France, was considered one of the best jumpers in the world.

Two weeks ago, Mr Duncan posted a video on YouTube, which showed exhilarating footage of the Sydneysider flying through the air.

In it, the former Manly resident explains his love for the extreme sport.

"You have to have a mix of a little bit crazy and a little bit brave, but you have to be sensible, too," he says.

"You need to have a good balance where you don't let fear overcome you."

Tributes to Mr Duncan have been flowing.

"Those who felt the taste of the skies, will never have lived in vain" said one.

"R.I.P Bro, fly free at the blue skies," another wrote.

The World Wingsuit League and ProBASE World Cup have also paid tribute to Mr Duncan.

The president of the Australian BASE Association said Mr Duncan was due to compete at a BASE jumping event in Malaysia next week.

Mr Duncan had been BASE jumping for five years and completed more than 550 jumps, said president Gary Cunningham.

In the past couple of years his jumping had started to excel, he said.

As BASE jumping is not permitted in Australia, locals flock to the Alps during the European summer.

Mr Duncan's death, three weeks after an Australian was among two base jumpers killed in separate accidents in the French Alps, has raised concerns about the risks some thrillseekers are prepared to take.

The Australian BASE Association, which represents wingsuit divers, says the sport is in some ways safer than base jumping, which involves jumping from heights with a parachute.

"In theory, wingsuiting can make jumping safer, because it allows you to fly well away from the cliff," Mr Cunningham said.

"But what they're using wingsuits for now is to follow the contour of the terrain down a mountain, they're getting very close and leaving finer margins for error ... some people miscalculate."

Mr Cunningham was not addressing the specific circumstances surrounding Mr Duncan's death.