Skydiving Rigs and Terminal BASE Jumps

[kleggo 145]

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Is it legal to jump the with skydiving rig?

I know base rig would be better and safer there.

It is my understanding that Skydiving gear is not recommended at Kjerag. Perhaps this is a way of filtering "undersirables" out until they have the requisite exit and subterminal airspeed skills????
Additionally it is likely because modern gear is not well suited for landing accurately in the grassy area.

I'd be interested in hearing why you, or others, feel that BASE gear is inherently safer than skydiving gear at this site.

I would have no reservations about jumping my old stored-in-the-closet rig, ( Centaurus, Pegasus, Raven 1 ), at this site with no modifications other than using the tail pocket already installed on the Peg and using an appropriate bridle / pc.

thanks

craig

edit for thread name ~TA

[TomAiello 26]

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I'd be interested in hearing why you, or others, feel that BASE gear is inherently safer than skydiving gear at this site.

1) BASE gear is more reliable. The system is (a) less complex, (b) designed for BASE, and (c) engineered with several years more experience thrown in.

2) A beginner requires instruction. More experienced jumpers hanging around there, even the majority of the qualified instructors, won't be able to provide nearly as much help with the converted skydiving gear as they will with real BASE gear. This is simply because their experience is more focused on the BASE gear (since with a couple exceptions, the vast majority of their jumps have been made on relatively modern BASE gear).

3) Having a reserve can lull a beginner into a false sense of security. This means that they are less likely to treat the BASE jump as a separate exercise, and more likely to treat it as just another skydive. I mean, it's the same gear, so it's got to be a pretty similar jump, right?

4) Having a reserve can encourage people to pull way too high. If the canopy is packed for terminal, and people are pulling 3 seconds down (so they will "have enough time to use the reserve") they are going to see some pretty squirrely openings, and they are going to be pretty close to the wall for those openings. It's actually far safer to take a reasonable delay (and actually reach terminal) than it is to open high to "save altitude for the reserve."

5) Using their skydiving rigs will encourage people to use undersized canopies. If they are trying to stuff a canopy into their skydiving container, people are not going to be able to get a full size BASE canopy in, and we'd see people putting in whatever canopy they could fit--even old skydiving canopies with less than desirable opening characteristics. If they are going to buy a second rig to make the jump, they're better off buying a (cheaper, even) real BASE rig than a (more expensive) larger skydiving rig, for all these reasons.

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I would have no reservations about jumping my old stored-in-the-closet rig, ( Centaurus, Pegasus, Raven 1 ), at this site with no modifications other than using the tail pocket already installed on the Peg and using an appropriate bridle / pc.

You have vastly more experience on that gear than pretty much any of the rest of us. In addition, you have far more experience with the jumping than any beginner who might be headed out there. These two things combine to make something acceptable for you that would be completely unacceptable for a beginner.


I'd write more, but I'm out of time.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[TomAiello 26]

I've split this off of the "tracking position" thread.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[K763 0]

Please go to www.basekjerag.com and read all the pages. There are some specific guidelines there that you MUST know before arriving at Kjerag, such as "skydiving gear is not allowed, you must you BASE-specific gear at Kjerag and Smellveggen". If you really prefer a 2 parachute system, the Scorcerer is the only one you will be allowed to use there.

Please note, people, that Stein Edvardsen has put a LOT of work into creating the baseKjerag website to help people come to Norway informed and prepared. Please take the time to read the website fully and contact Stein or Vibeke with any questions you may have AFTER reading the website thoroughly. I'm amazed at the amount of people that go over there without doing their homework. Just yesterday a man came by the shop and said he was going to Norway in June, and wanted a POD for his skydiving rig....

Peace...
K

[pBASEtobe 0]

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Please go to www.basekjerag.com and read all the pages.

Clicky for those lazy people.

[BASE813 0]

http://miller28.server101.com/...les/differences.html

Differences Between B.A.S.E. Jumping and Skydiving
by Tom Begic
Differences Between B.A.S.E. Jumping and Skydiving.
Why A B.A.S.E. Jump is Not Just Another Skydive.
You Can't Skydive From a Cliff!

A nice article I think..............

[outrager 6]

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If you really prefer a 2 parachute system, the Scorcerer is the only one you will be allowed to use there.

If for any weird reason you do want a 2-parachute system, Vector 3 with SkyHook installed can be a reasonable choice as well. I am sure Stein can be talked into accepting such a configuration, assuming you know what you're doing.

bsbd!

Yuri.

[kleggo 145]

Thanks for the cogent reply Tom.
As is most often the case your raise good points and i do not see any reason to dispute any of them.

I asked this question simply to hear others opinions and reasoning. I am not advocating using any gear other than that recommended by our Norwegian friends.

Of my meager 17 jumps at KJ, all have been on CR and BR BASE specific gear.

If the poster that listed Tom Begic's link could post the correct URL I"d be grateful.

Tom B's writings are definately worth reading and considering.

Hey, he does CReW, and does it well, how bad can he be
be safe

kleggo

[Kinaa 0]

Here it is.

[Tyrion 0]

http://miller28.server101.com/discus/articles/differences.html

[egons 0]

Funny you mention this!

In fact we have had a few skydiver's buy V3's Skyhook equipped with intentions of low opening - obviously we have no idea what they do with them or where they jump them

"Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

[TVPB 0]

Main reason is keeping away those zippy little ellipticals. Bit dangerous on deployment, especially if you have spiraling line twists and you didn't track too well.

I think its a waste anyway. They take longer to open which is a waste of freefall altitude.

Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck

The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.