CanuckInUSA

First XXX and now XXXXX gets busted? Or was it XXX who got busted? Maybe you should spend more time with Jaap and myself (hiking to the top of a certain mountain), jumping and then consuming mass quantities of raw fish. Then again, maybe all those others just need to follow the local protocol. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Buildings are the most dangerous objects out there and there are tons of them in my hood. The devil in me says go ahead just do it, make the jump(s). They're survivable as long as ??? doesn't happen. But the smart side in me says "Wow slow down there tex, are you really ready for this"? Buildings are the last thing you need to be thinking of right now. Gain the appropriate canopy experience, learn about BASE and look for safer objects to begin with. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I don't wish to create any drama with this post, but due to circumstances beyond my control (ie: being unemployed since April of 2005 with no job prospects in sight), I regret to inform you all that I WILL NOT be able to make this years Eloy Holiday boogie. This is my loss and not the loss of those who will be there. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

If this person is truthful that they have spent time playing up high, then this is better than that guy/gal who insists that they're all that even though they only do normal full altitude jumps. The only thing missing from the guy/gal you mentioned above was whether or not they have received any formal high performance canopy control coaching. If the person in questions has received coaching, dedicates jumps to canopy control and isn't scaring people on a regular basis then why are you concerned about them? Are you trying to hold people back? It's one thing for people to be held back because they haven't sought coaching and haven't dedicated jumps towards canopy control. But it's another thing to try and hold people back because ... well someone else might be afraid that the lesser experienced jumper might actually have a knack at doing this stuff and is afraid to have their ego bruised by the lesser experienced person. Believe me I know what it's like to be the lesser experienced jumper being told by the more experienced people that you don't have a hope in hell in doing well at the start of a swooping season (and I proved them wrong by the end of the season). Because of this, I won't under estimate the ability of the people with less experience than myself if the lesser experienced person is serious about their swooping. It doesn't come without hard work and the right attitude, but the lesser experienced person can succeed if they follow certain rules. Jay Moledski told some of us earlier this year that when he was an up and coming swooper, people tried to hold him back and kept telling him that he was an accident waiting to happen. Look at him now. Hold people back if they don't have a good head on their shoulders, haven't sought coaching and haven't dedicated jumps towards canopy control. But let the up and coming swooper be exactly that, an up and coming swooper if they've done their homework and have a good head on their shoulders. You never know which newbie is that next World Champion in waiting ... Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Of course a landing is a landing and experience in landings can only be obtained through landings. But high pulls allow people to learn the performance envelope and control characteristics of their canopy. And the more you know about what you canopy is capable of doing and how to control it, the better off you'll be on landings. High pulls are very valuable towards learning the performance envelope of your canopy. And if people don't know what this means, then they need to get some canopy coaching from reputable canopy control coaches. These coaches will open your eyes to the world of swooping and will arm you with drills and knowledge you can be doing up high towards learning what your wing can and can not do. It's debatable as to whether we should even be swooping on regular loads, but people learning to swoop really need to do tons of hop n' pops and/or high pulls first before they attempt to go big on a regular load when there is tons of traffic in the skies with you. You shouldn't need to worry about those other canopies when you're learning to do things like 180s and 270s (I want to learn to do 450s but I haven't found the time or the place yet to be practicing these up high and until I find the time to play up high, I'll be stuck doing my lowly 270s). If people want to be serious with their swooping, they will find the time to dedicate jumps towards canopy control. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I was on a jump the other day where you get considerable amount of time under canopy from the exit point to the landing area. Anyway, I flew most of the way on my rears and while my monster of a boat BASE canopies are big to begin with, it's true that in order to get the canopy turning and turning fast, you need to really pull down on your rears. My canopy would hardly be turning if I only pulled 6-8 inches. Not that I would know what the wall looks like (knock on wood), but it's good to know what sort of canopy control inputs work and which ones don't. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I know this is the common thought process among some people in the BASE community (fuck the rules, fuck everyone else, I'm going to do what I want to do when I want to do it, just because I can). But what happens when John Doe shows up at your favorite object, ignores all common sense as well as ignores the local's beta on how the jump should be made. Then John Doe goes in (removing himself from the gene pool which isn't the worst thing to happen), but in the process thanks to John Doe's actions, your favorite site is now hotter than hell and access to it has been permanently shut down. This incident is no different. Some people put fun ahead of common sense and safety. Access to the skies as well as access to fix objects depends on the actions of all of us. The best BASE jumpers are the kind who follow good BASE ethics, do the jump within the parameters of how the jump should be safely conducted and be as stealthy as possible. The best skydives are when people go out and have fun, but don't put fun ahead of safety which could jeapardize access to jumping for everyone in the present as well as in the future. Hopefully these guys learned from their mistakes (we all make them). But to put fun ahead of safety is not very smart and is just asking for trouble down the road. If someone wants some ground rush, take up BASE or better yet bungie jumping. Skydiving is not the place to be pushing the limits of how low can I get away with pulling only because there's a cloud layer at 3k. I don't want to judge the people in this video (we all make mistakes), but having done a lot of hop n' pops in the last couple of years, I kept watching it asking "when are they going to pull"? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Since nobody else has mentioned this, I will. The undefeated Indianapolis Colts lost yesterday to the San Diego Chargers and their quest to play an undefeated season comes to an end for another year. The Colts are still alive and well sporting a 13-1 record and are one of the league favorites to win it all this year. But the fans of the 1972 Miami Dolphins can rejoice as this team is still the only team to ever play an entire undefeated NFL season. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

0:0:0 I actually made it to the DZ on Saturday, but never got airborne due to the fact that there wasn't enough people to send an extra load and I gave up my slot so that two other friends could do a two way together. But I did get a bad ass jump in off of a local earth bound object yesterday that put a smile on my face. What a cool jump this object is (and scary all at the same time) and it's good exercise hiking to the top without having to worry about pounding the legs on the climb down. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Hey Joe Find balance in your life and do non-skydiving things with your free hours. Don't be afraid to take some time away from the sport this winter and do some other things. But if you can afford it, DON'T SELL your gear. I haven't been jumping much since I left CO. But I am trying to find other things to fill the void. I still love being in the air and I'm itching to get some good swooping in, but I'm okay with my current status of not jumping that much. I made a jump off of a local cliff here yesterday and while I was scared as shit prior to exiting, I was very very happy to be back under canopy (this object we jumped from yesterday is pretty sweat) and am still on my high from that jump. Skydiving is the shits. But there are many many other fun things to do in life. Get out there and explore what the world has to offer. When you're ready to make another skydive, hopefully you'll have some gear to jump. Steve (whos' missing CO, but has found a few cool things here in BC) Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Hey where's my version. Oh I remember now, it's right here with all my other BASE and skydiving movies. I think I need to watch it again. Almost got a jump in off of an interesting "E" this weekend, but it was too windy and there was ice at the exit point. There's always another day right? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

A cross-braced canopy is designed for fast high performance canopy flight. A competent canopy pilot can still fly them straight in, but that's not the way they were designed to be flown. It's a narrow, rigid wing aerodynamically superior to it's non cross-braced cousin. Coming straight in on a cross-braced canopy causes you to come in steeper and faster than a traditional design. But due to their aerodynamics, there's tons of lift to play with if you know how to use it. So these canopies can be flown straight it. Just know that they're like race cars. Race cars can be driven on the street. But race cars are designed for race tracks. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

You say this as if I care? Fuck Quebec, let those bastard go!!! Sorry Remie ... I say Alberta and BC should form their own country. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm like a stack trace working my way backwards... Build a society where youths don't feel they need to turn to crime as a way of making money. I don't think there is a solution to this problem. But it's a pipe dream to think that passing a law will rid the country of all handguns. I'm all for passing laws that throw the book at criminals who use guns in their crimes (and this includes people being caught smuggling). But to outlaw all handguns is a joke. I propose we (in Canada) pass a law that forces politicians to stop being such idiots. But that's a pipe dream as well. PS: It's clear that the USA doesn't have a monopoly of ignorant politicians. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

As some of you know, I'm not a big fan of fire arms. But I'm also a realist and Paul Martin the Prime Minister of Canada is going way too far with his election platform. Today he's announce that if re-elected he will legislate an outright ban on all hand guns in Canada. See more about the story here. What the fuck I say? What kind of moron is Paul Martin? The gun registry in Canada is nothing more than a waste of money targeting legitimate gun enthusiasts instead of targeting the real problem. The illegal drug trade by organized crime and gangs. Go after the criminals Martin. The gun enthusiast are not the problem. He's clearly trying to buy votes preying upon the fear many people have thanks to the recent gang violence, violence by youth gangs against rival youth gangs. Yes every once in a while an innocent person is being shot and that is sad. But for the most part, you're seeing criminals killing ciminals. For the record. I am NOT a gun enthusiast. I don't need guns in my life. But I don't have issues with the gun enthusiasts. Passing a law to remove all hand guns from society is a pipe dream. It's going to hurt the law abiding citizens and do nothing about going after the real problem ... building a culture where young people don't feel that they need to turn to crime in order to make money in life. Paul Martin is a moron!!! PS: Have I learned anything JohnRich? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I voted that I thought I would never get there and realistically I doubt I ever will get 100 different objects. For sure I agree that those people who have more different object sites have built a broader experience than those who have just pounded out a bunch of jumps at only a few sites. But can we agree that BASE means different things to different people? For some, BASE is a passionate lifestyle where they travel the country side looking for the next site to jump. For others BASE is a way to enhance one's life and pursue it at their leasure. As long as someone stays reasonably current (both in jumping as well as in gear knowledge) and follows the ethics of the sport, what's so wrong with pursuing the sport on one's own personal pace and comfort levels? I've only got 10 object sites (1 B, 2 As, 2 Ss and 5 Es) in 76 jumps (50 some odd of those jumps are at you guessed ... Potatoville ... and my other span wasn't in WV) and as long as I stay healthy, I see the potential of adding another 25+ maybe more sites to this number. But BASE is not my passion. I enjoy it otherwise I wouldn't be here. But it doesn't define who I am. I pursue BASE for my own reasons. Not to make a name for myself nor as a way of notching that next mark on my head board. Power to those who can concured many sites and for sure they possess more experience than the rest of us. But BASE means different things to different people. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I've only got a handful of Moab exit points under my belt (nothing too exotic like the C-Tower spire some people are talking about here) but I like each and every one I've jumped from. I'll always like Tombstone for it's easy access (and I've jump this one by far the most as I'm sure everyone else has), plus I've done Toom'ie solo a couple of times now as I passed through town. What can you say about Mary's Gash except that it's in Magical Mineral Bottom. Echo is super fun (if you don't mind the climb) and Igana Dome (sp?) is pretty darn cool as well. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

The deceased has been named and he's not a name I recognize from the local CO jumping community. So I'm happy from that perspective. However it sucks for this young man, for his family and friends and just sends out a message to the rest of us to leave the rogue rope jumping to guys like you and to stick to safer activities like jumping from these cranes with a BASE rig. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Never said I wanted to totally restrict my access to DZ.COM ... I just need to think about it less (which I was able to do these last few days ... of course up until now). Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

That is does. As a former ski patroller (from Lake Louise in the early 90s) I would often ski without ski polls and could be seen skiing with tools and/or snow fences in my arms. But I can't commit to anything at the moment ... and I've yet to make a Ski-BASE jump. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

Do you give lessons on how to do this? I sure could use some help. I tell people that I want balance in my life, but the scales have been leaning towards the fun side for a while now and my professional life has suffered because of this (and my current unemployment stint reflects this). But I have been working hard for about a week now upgrading some of my J2EE development skills and one of the things I need to do to be successful is to stay away from DZ.COM and concentrate on the work needed to be done. So what am I doing here then? Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

This sucks ... I sure hope it's not someone we know ... it's bugging me right as I sit here and think about all those 22 year olds I've met through jumping. Of course you would have been high on my list of 22 year old Boulder rope jumpers ... but unless you're not the real Calvin19 I can rest assured that it's not you. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

You obviously did something right on that swoop. But it was clear in practice that you and that canopy of yours was fast. I was impressed!!! So impressed that I bought the company. Well maybe not the company but I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my own JVX. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I'm unemployed and looking for work in the IT field as well, so this thread does apply to myself. I have tweaked my resume numerous times in the last few weeks sometimes having references to skydiving in it and sometimes not. My current resume has no reference of skydiving. But I do have "FAA Certified Pilot (Single Engine Land) - 2001" on it in my "Special Training" section and not long ago I had "Competitive High Performance Canopy Pilot" in it as well. But unless you're a skydiver, you likely don't know what a High Performance Canopy Pilot is. And I'm not even going to refer to swooping in my resume as whuffos won't know what that means. Anyway if/when I do get a job interview and we start getting serious about employment and/or they ask me about certain interests, I will talk to them about my skydiving endeavors and will tell them that I am a competitive swooper (explaining to them what swooping is). Plus some employers do this ... they google you. And if you google my first name, last name and Colorado, one of the first hits is from a profile of myself from the canopypiloting.com website and in that profile it states (you've got to read between the lines) that I've made "X" number of BASE jumps. So any resourceful snoopy employer can find out certain things about you without your knowledge. Of course it's my fault for having this BASE jumping reference, but I'm not worried about it ... at least not yet. Oh and in my last interview a few weeks ago (which didn't go as well as I would have liked it to go, so I have been spending time here at home working on improving my J2EE knowledge), this employer made a reference to "hey we're likely going to through you off of a cliff, but not without a parachute" which translated to we're going to throw our technology at you and see how you deal with it, but someone will be there to answer some of your questions. So I've got to wonder if this employer googled my name and came across my canopypiloting profile with a picture of myself standing on top of a cliff with my BASE rig on in Moab. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

I agree if this is used in reference of knowing that every jump is different and you'll never be at the same exact altitude on every turn. For myself, my digital altimeter tells me what sort of turn I need to make once I get to my setup point (or if I've totally botched my approach and have arrived at the setup point much lower and/or higher than my window and then I need to abort the swoop). But I think they are great tools for helping you get to your setup point. But once I start my turn, it's all about the sight picture and knowing when to get off of the risers and start your recovery. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over