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Hello -- During an expedition to the cave in Mexico, there was an accident on November 19th involving Dave Flannell. I was present during the accident and the rescue efforts that ensued. For many of us, it was our first time to the Cave, so all of us were rappelling to inspect the landing area and understand the cave's dimensions before making our first jumps which were to come the following day. We were using a Petzl 5-bar Rack on static rope for the 1,200ft rappel. Dave was approximately 400ft from the bottom of the cave when for reasons unknown to us, his brake hand came off the rope and he was unable to regain control of his descent. Three team members who were already at the bottom of the cave reached Dave within 30 seconds and resuscitation efforts began. At the top, we went into immediate action by lowering down another one of our team members who is an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) with all of our emergency medical supplies. He reached the bottom at the 22 minute mark and took over from those who had been performing CPR since the onset of the accident. After 46 minutes, with no sign of recovery, CPR was stopped. The next 4 hours were spent carefully recovering Dave's body and extracting the remaining team members from the bottom of the cave. We were not allowed to move Dave from the top of the cave until the Haustecan Indian's priest could bless him with a prayer ceremony. After the ceremony, the Haustecans burned a candle by Dave's side and we remained there in silence until the candle burned out late in the night. The Haustecan's genuine care and respect was very moving. As a group, all of us have decided to call off the remainder of the expedition out of respect for Dave's family and friends as well as the Haustecan Indians that inhabit the area. The expedition organizers, along with one of Dave's close friends who is also on this trip, have been working around the clock with the US Embassy to ensure that Dave and all of his belongings reach home safely. Even though I only knew Dave for a few days, it only took 30 seconds to grow a liking to his smiling face and bubbly personality. We are all saddened by this loss and send deep condolence to Dave's family and friends. Please understand that I am in a remote place, so if you write to me, it may be a few days before I can reply. Blue Skies Dave, Bryan

Definitely not my most surreal story, but it sure was at the time. It was my 23rd jump... So we arrive at the bottom of the ravine at 7:50. Ok...so we are only 30 minutes behind schedule...no big deal, right? I grab my stash bag just as Steven is shutting the Van door and we're off. The arduous hike begins - difficult due to the fact that we are behind schedule and must now run up this 750ft high hill. 20 minutes later we are standing beneath the steel, sweat pouring down our faces. Steven grabs my shoulder and informs me that we have company. I look up and see a lone jumper climbing up the structure. Oh good...it's M____, a highly experienced jumper from S___ _____. Without resting, we start climbing up the steel too. I've always hated this part - it's actually scarier than the jump itself. Safe on the catwalk, I give M____ a pat on the back and a silent hello. Daylight is waning, so there is no time to waste. We gear up and give each other a quick gear check. M____ informs us that he is going to jump from the catwalk...his pack job is not rigged for a jump as low as the pillar. We walk the steel grate and I give M____ a quick salute as Steven and I began climbing down the 200ft ladder that leads to the top of the concrete pillar. The tension builds quite rapidly, and I grumble about the fact that I'm climbing down an object, intentionally bringing myself to a lower exit altitude. Just as I reach the top of the pillar, I hear a body go into freefall. I look up just in time to catch M____’s deployment. It's on-heading and he lands safely in the small clearing below. Steven has already selected the side that we are going to exit from. There's no time to waste so I take out my pilot-chute and fold it up into my sweaty hand. I look over the rail and I freeze. What I see sends a chill down my spine. The ground is not abstract, it's very real and defined. Large pine trees rise up and make the 396ft jump seem more like a 200ft leap of faith. All of this is compounded by a tricky exit point. It's a 4 inch wide rail that you have to hoist yourself onto. My right leg starts shaking and I command it to stop, but it doesn't listen. I pull myself up and place both feet on the rail - I'm still hunched over, trying to gain balance before attempting to stand up on my thin perch. As I slowly and carefully stand-up, I am dizzy with vertigo. Steven places his hands on my legs to give me a sense of balance. My right leg is really shaking now - but I know that I am ready… 3..2..1..C-ya! As my feet leave the railing, it's complete and total sensory overload. I wait one second and pitch the pilot chute vigorously to the side. Time has slowed to an unbelievable pace. My brain is processing information in nanoseconds, providing me with some of the greatest visuals I have ever experienced. I am now freefalling toward the trees - I feel as if I am going to crash right into the top of them as my Mojo leaves my back. WHAM! Another perfect on-heading opening. I release the brakes and turn the canopy 180 degrees as my feet seemingly graze the tops of the trees. I come out of the turn and flare to a tip-toe landing in a clearing the size of a small house. It has been a handful of seconds since I jumped, and I am already on the ground. I began laughing hysterically as Steven comes in for a perfect landing. We exchange high-fives as we throw the gear into our stash bags and run down the trail to the bottom of the ravine. Darkness completely settles in as we reach the Van. I look back up and realize that we just made it roundtrip in only 35 minutes. I shake my head in disbelief as Steven starts the Van and we drive off into the night… "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." T.S. Elliot

Hi Spiderbaby -- Long time, no see. Hope to catch up with you in the desert or maybe for some beers in your neck of the woods. I'll drop you a line in the near future. C-ya, Bryan (sorry for getting off topic)

Hello -- If I remember correctly, Dave Barlia launched himself off a big westerly span with one of these a few years ago for a Master of Gravity show... Pretty fun to watch, even funner if you're the one getting catapulted.

Hello -- Full report to come upon on our return in another week. But for now, short version is that we're having the time of our lives and putting BASE in a positive light for roughly 1/5 th of the world's population. (the jumps were broadcasted live on television to approx 1 Billion people and the audience on-hand was 1.2 million) A new demo mission begins tomorow morning... C-ya, Bryan

I'm sitting in a bar right now with Per Flare, on an island in the South China Sea, both of us saddenned by the loss of an amazing man. We're drinking rounds of beer, looking at pics of the fair-haired Aussie, and telling war stories. I'm sure we will go on for hours into the night. I agreee with my Swedish friend -- Valhalla has become stronger yet again... Bryan

Sweet! Congratulations Zennie!!! It feels good to log in and find cool news like this. I know you've worked hard to get the skills necessary before jumping off a B and I'm glad to hear that it all came together for you. Welcome to the brotherhood... Bryan BASE #677

Nicely spoken Jimmy... Bryan

Hi Spectreflyer -- I feel knowledgeable and qualified enough to give you some insight to the questions you are asking here. For my full time job, I am in charge of a large demonstration team that performs at approximately 55 skydiving demonstrations every year in front of 5 to 6 million spectators. In addition to this, I'm a very active BASE jumper who has roughly 300~ jumps on Mojo 280s, and another 180 on ACEs and Black Jacks. In short, this is my life. I'm of the opinion that a Mojo would make a good Demo canopy, but a new Ace would be an even better choice. Mojos are very nice for everything you need in a demo. They opens quickly, but not too quick. They are very stable in deep brakes and sinks great for a non-vented canopy. They recover quickly from a stalled or near-stalled configuration. The flare is nice and I've found it easy to perform stand-up landings in both cross-wind and light downwind landings which is often the case on demos. The Ace is a superior canopy. I feel its strengths lie in it's ability fly fast or fly slow -- something that's hard to achieve in a canopy. It has a higher speed than the Mojo in full flight, which can be very useful when you need it on a demo. It also flies wonderfully in half-brakes and deep brakes. I cannot compare it to other BASE canopies when I say this, but I have never flown a skydiving canopy that has the range of flight that an Ace has. (and I've flown alot of skydiving canopies for demos) You can perform flared landings from half brakes and deep brakes on an Ace and still have the ability to stand them up time and time again. (standing up is one of the most important things to do on a demo) And if it's forward speed and a little surf that you need, the Ace does it extremely well. It is based on these traits that I recommend an Ace over a Mojo for demonstration jumps. Now, on to another subject: 1,200ft openings on a demo. Unless you are a Department of Defense sanctioned team, you cannot deploy a parachute lower than 2,000ft when performing a demo from an aircraft in the United States. This is not a BSR nor a suggestion. It is the law put forth by the FAA and it is outlined in the Special Provisions of every FAA Form 7711-1 Certificate of Authorization that you receive for a parachuting demonstration. As far as getting this requirement waived, it is next to impossible. If someone were to do this on a demo, and the FAA found out about it, they are going to go after the pilot/s of the aircraft -and- they are going to go after the the person that was listed as the "Responsible Person" in Block 2 of the FAA Form 7711-2. By signing these forms, the "Responsible Person" is entering a legal binding contract with the FAA. I'm not trying to scrunch any ideas you have here, but I do want to spur some thought here: Somehow, if you were to obtain authorization for such a jump, are you qualified enough to do it? And I mean really qualified. It takes training, skill, specialized equipment, and much consideration to open at these altitudes with a reasonable degree of safety. Now, tack on the pressures that a show/performance provides, and you have alot to deal with. My recommendation is to have at least 50 to 100 demos under your belt, with some of them being very large high-pressure events. Have some BASE experience (roughly 100 jumps) under your belt. This will teach you how to make rapid decisions when opening at low altitudes. It will also teach you how to analyze ever-changing situations. Once a person has these things under their belt, they are much better qualified to take on something like a 1,200ft demo in front of a crowd. And of course, this is only if it's legal....if it's illegal, I wouldn't even think of doing it because trust me, you will not get away with it for very long (if at all). I hope this helps you somewhat, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. If I don't get back to you, please be patient -- I travel every week and it may take a few days for me to get back to you. Best of Luck & Blue Skies, Bryan

I've given this extensive thought and there was only one thing I could think of. The longer bridle (approx 9ft) could increase your chances of an entanglement with the reserve if you were to have a pilot chute in tow. A bridle trailing upwards 9ft with a PC on the end presents a bigger hazard for entanglements. Please keep in mind that this may increase the chances slightly for a rare situation, but it's something that you should at least be aware of. Other than that, I cannot think of anything else. Blue Skies, Bryan

Hi Will -- Thank you for taking the time to post your experience. Undoubtedly, it will spur others into thinking and make them a little wiser. Also, a big welcome to this wonderful wacky thing that we do. For me, BASE jumping was truly a life-changing experience and there isn't a day that it's not a part of my life in some form or another. I hope it'll be the same for you...and from the sounds of it, it already is. C-ya, Bryan

Hello -- Going out to the Potatoe State and will be jumping Wed the 10th till Sun morning the 14th. By chance, anyone else going to be out there? C-ya, Bryan

Tom -- I sit here at my computer typing with enthusiasm, joy , and excitement because a freind of mine has just made his 1000th BASE jump -- an accompishment that few have ever achieved and few ever will. I'll never forget the things I have shared with you: - As I was packing my skydiving rig in Lodi, some wild-eyed guy said to me, hey, I think there's this jumpable dam in ____. No, I said. There's only one jumpable dam around here. Within a year or so, he re-opened this dam and has since made several jumps off of there...showing me that we should always have an open mind because you just never know... - The excitement that surrounded your very being as you prepared to take off on your very first BASE road-trip...PD-235 in hand. - That same excitement after you returned...17 BASE jumps later (give or take a few). A man who experienced much. His BASE #, a 4-way from the B____, a near cliff strike in Z_____, an antenna shared with Team Bodybag, first jumps from Tombie and W___ Street, and much, much more. - The many local journeys we shared together. Gr___, B____ D___, NorthG___, and how about that time I called you up and said, hey, I'm going to jump Bi___ Cr___ tomorrow morning and you said hey wait, I want to join you. Well, you jumped No___ G___ at 2 in the morning and then drove almost 4 hours to huck that 260ft span with me. - Oh yea...and the encounter with the CHP that followed. :-) - Then there is the H___ D___ experience when your climbing buddy took a 150ft peel off of the slab. You dutifully got him down safely while the rest of us proceeded on and hucked the wall. Talk about not being selfish... - And who could forget the SBASE Boyz? :-) - And Vegas - And Arizona - And the rescue at the bottom of Mineral Canyon for a field-packed jumper... - How about 26 days together in Southern Europe? - Desperately looking for a place to stay only to stumble upon the grooviest little hotel in the middle of the French country-side. - The "up-close with the yellow-line in the road" that followed later that night... - The many people we met along the way. The Grandpa Dutchmen, the cool Italian friend in Milano, and the crazy Italian BASE jumpers that we rode with looking for food on a drunken night, and the randon person who said "Hey, is that a stash bag?" as we were trying to stealthily ride up a tram to 13,000ft. Tom, I could go on for hours on end -- mainly because I have shared many an adventure with you. Adventures that I'll cherish for a lifetime and beyond. With that said: Here's to Tom! And to a Thousand more smiles my friend... C-ya, Bryan

On a complete and total whim, I'm going to go home, throw some rigs and clothes in the car and go to Moab for the weekend. If anyone else is going to be there, you can call me on my cell phone (719) 238-2776. I'll also try to check back into this forum Saturday afternoon... Hope everyone has a sweet weekend -- I know I will! C-ya, Bryan

Hello -- Great post! I can associate with your thoughts -- I too went through a similar phase in the last 9 months or so. I too was confused as to what was going on. For 4 years, BASE consumed every wandering thought that traveled through my brain. Standing on the edge was my breath -- it was the source that fueled my soul. I've been around death and carnage many times over, but a rash of freinds and heroes dying last year effected me and slowed me down. I've always been one to only jump when the need and the desire was truly there. To do so otherwise is foolish. I still BASE jumped here and there (3 or 4 a month) but not with the fire and the passion, nor the consistency in which I did for so many years. One night, after a beer or two, I found myself pondering the same thoughts that you write above. I came to the following conclusions: 1) I have a great job, but it keeps me working around 70 to 80 hours a week. It effects me to a certain extent -- how can one get up in the middle of the night when so much energy is directed in other places? 2) A rash of accidents and fatalities did slow me down somewhat. Sometimes it takes time to dampen the pain... 3) I figured that I would let things be and when the time was right, and the passion and fire returned, so would I. Well, about 6 months passed. During that time, I was jumping enough to stay current. And somewhere along there, I went out and met some really cool folks that helped kindle that fire again. One was an old timer that took me into his home for a week while I was on the road...we enjoyed many a site together. And the other was a guy who was relatively young in the sport...who also welcomed me while I was traveling on the road, and took me out ot one of their prized objects, with open arms. It was a fun evening -- meeting someone who was fairly new in the sport, and was just like I was when I started. Respectful, eager, and soaking in everything like a sponge....ready to absorb and put to use when the timing was right. The person I met that night was almost a perfect reflection of me several hundred jumps ago. These 2 gentlemen reminded of all that good in this dangerous sport. While BASE jumping itself is an amazing endeavor, the wonderful and whacky people that you meet along the way is another kick-ass facet of BASE and is just another thing that makes it so worthwhile. (thanks KN...and thank TB aka "Z.....") So I set out on an adventure or two and the fire has once again rekindled itself. I'm up and running again at full-steam and is sure feels good to be back. And it feels good because I'm stepping over the edge knowing that I came back around on my own accord and on my own conditions. Maybe your fire will rekindle itself one-day too, when the timing is right. But from what you wrote above, it seems to me that you are certainly on the right track to going about things the right way. Continue doing what you're doing now -- look back and think about what makes this thing called BASE special to you. Going through the process, you just might rediscover it all over again and find that the second journey is twice as nice as the one before. I have a deep quote in my mind -- and I can't recall who it was from, but it goes something like this: "Self-discovery is exploration until you get to the place where you started, and know the place for the first time." Best of Luck, Bryan

Ok -- I can't resist. A joke from a fellow mate who's also a full-time skydiver: What's the difference between a large pizza and a professional skydiver? A large pizza can feed a family of four! (thanks Rusty) Blue Skies, Bryan

Hello -- I am of the opinion that yes you can bounce back and return to slider down jumping. Good massage therapy and chirpractic care does wonders. A good massage therapist can return range of motion in your neck that you probably forgot that you even had to begin with. It may take a good 3 or 4 sessions before you start to see a huge difference, but it will make a huge difference. Combine this with solid stretching exercises every day and you will heal twice as fast. Once you are healed, take 10 minutes a day and work on strenghtening the muscles in your neck to help withstand the occasional 2 or 3 second delay. Preventive Medicine: Some jumpers use neck braces when they jump. Some people do not like the restricted range of motion, but some people swear by them. Either way, it's worth a shot. I wrecked my neck 3 years ago -- received lots of massage therapy and chiro care and got back in the saddle surprisingly quick. Daily stretching and careful planning has kept my neck almost pain free, and that's not bad considering that I am a full-time skydiver and avid BASE jumper to boot. Hope this helps, Bryan

Personally, I'm a fan of making your buddy drive back across the busy highway bridge, so that you can hop out and get the sling back... Ha ha...what's funny is the fact that I just had a dream about that excursion in a foreign land...what a fun trip in many, many ways... C-ya! Bryan

Kim -- Thank you so much for all the wonderful service -- everytime I've emailed or called Birdman, you've been extremely freindly and helpful. Best of luck in your new pursuits and I hope we cross paths in the future. First round is on me. Long Flights, Bryan

Hello -- Not that this system wouldn't work, but one thought comes to mind at first glance. It seems to me that this system would require a greater force to actually break the 80lb break cord. Looking at the picture, when force is applied to the system, the load will have to travel up through the climbing sling and over the railing and then onto the break cord itself. Essentially, you're introducing a pulley effect with this system, resulting in a higher force in order for the break cord to snap. As to how much force this is, I don't know. But it could be enough to lead to center-cell stripping, etc... Thoughts? Bryan

Hi Andy -- Generally, it's good form to retrieve your static-line attachment point after a jump, so there is no evidence left behind. I don't like to tie the static-line directly to railings, etc. due to the sharp edges -- they may cause a premature breakage of the static-line. So most of the time, I use a climbing sling. If you have the luxury of time at your particular exit point, you can take the sling and wrap it around the railing so that both ends meet on one side, but are not wrapped around each other. (kind of makes a U shape) You can then tie your break-cord through your attachment point on your deployment system and through both ends of the sling. Then when you jump and the break-cord snaps, there is nothing left securing the sling to the railing anymore, and 99% of the time, it will fall off. (if the force of the break-cord snapping doesn't do it, eventual winds will likely blow it off) And to take it even one step further, you can even use cord to tie off a loop -- just make sure the material you use is plenty strong and the knot you use is very secure. It's usually cheaper than climbing slings and even less likely to draw attention if found at the bottom of an object. I'm sure there are other slick ideas out there, but that's one way to tie in without leaving the evidence hanging behind. C-ya, Bryan

Thank you everyone for all of the replies! I researched everyone's advice heavily and just settled with the .3 Diamond. I like the fact that it is super-low profile and light, making it less likely to snap off the camera during slider-down openings. It also gets good reviews on the quality for the price. ($175 + $10 shipping) I looked at Century Optics, and as Jay said, their quality is absolutely top-notch, but decided to go with the slightly less expensive Diamond, and will shoot with that one while I dial in what this thing we call video. Then I'll look into higher quality optics and as I expand into more lenses. Thanks again for all the advice and I'll be sure to post any sweet footage that I get in the days to come. C-ya! Bryan

I have Jason Bell's Dual Raptor Belly Mount (it's an awesome set-up) and was looking to see what size lens other folks are using? I'm thinking .3 Anyone got any hot-tips on which manufacturer to go with for a .3 and the best places to shop? I'm also going to cross-post this in the Video Forum, but thought I would hit up some of my fellow BASE mates out there to see what they're shooting video with on belly-mounts... C-ya, Bryan

Hi Craig -- Congratulations on making some jumps and more importantly, expanding your knowledge base. I'm an active jumper in your area -- drop me a line at sky_guy_ca@yahoo.com C-ya! Bryan

Congratulations BASE 813!!! That first one is a sweet one that you're likely to never forget. C-ya, Bryan BASE #677