On Thursday, his brother Adrian Nowland shared a tribute on social media, accompanied by a photo of the two skiing together in British Columbia, Canada, in 2010.

“Rest in peace brother!” he posted on Facebook. 

“Wish we had more times like this together! 

“Hope you’re soaring through the clouds doing what you love forever.” 

Adrian said James “left us too early but doing what he loves!”

James reportedly crashed around 1pm (9pm AEST) on Wednesday, approximately 400 metres from his intended landing spot at an elevation of about 1700, due to a malfunction in his wingsuit.

He and some fellow Australians were basing themselves out of Lupo Bianco at the time.

The 42-year-old’s social media accounts are filled with action-camera footage of his wingsuit flying – a BASE jumping activity hailed as “the world’s most extreme air sport” – in breathtaking destinations worldwide.

He’d successfully completed jumps in Italy, France, Switzerland, China and other countries.