motherhucker

I like thor alex's WTC jump, not only because it was badass, but also, with both Thor Alex and the WTC being gone, nothing/nobody gets burned. Let's preserve what we have by being selective what we give to the media machine!! mh

Was there any kind of exclusivity or video rights waiver signed by the teams (specifically the camerapersons)? If not, then at the very LEAST they need to be paid for their footage if it's being used commercially at all. In my experience in the industry, it seems to be common courtesy to provide camera persons a complimentary copy of the finished product for their own records. If there WAS a waiver signed, then quit whining about it and pay the $20 for a video. $0.02 mh

You're a sick bastard, JeremyNeas.

you should talk to Outrager about it. I believe he has more jumps on a Merlin than just about anyone. From what I know, Their shape does not affect their function, only the packing method, but then, I haven't jumped one yet. mh

either way...I think it's always the best policy (if conscious and lucid enough) to give people the minimum amount of information needed. Tell the ambulance drivers or doctors you "fell." If they press the issue, say "I jumped off this thing and landed differently than i thought" or something along those lines...make them DRAG it out of you. These aren't lies...just only part of the truth. The insurance company never has to know. If there's police involved, well--you're on your own.

To my knowledge, there are still very few places that BASE jumping in and of itself is illegal. You never tell an insurance company about BASE. You refer to it in terms of "parachuting." Ask if they have any parachuting exclusions, not BASE jumping exclusions...

You need gear huh? Sure! I'll sell you whatever you want. I won't ask you any pesky questions that look out for your own best interest like "How many jumps you got?" or "Do you have a mentor?" All those assholes on the net are hypersensitive and paranoid. Besides...you and I both know that it doesn't take ANY skill or knowledge to throw your body off of a fixed object, RIGHT? All of this bullshit about learning how to skydive and/or fly a canopy BEFORE you learn to BASE jump is just hype! You'll be flying a parachute EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A BASE JUMP!!! isn't that enough experience? OK, sure, I guess you could be totally fucked if anything out of the ordinary happens on your BASE jumps if you don't have proper training and such, but what are the odds of that happening? So when you need your gear, give me a call. I'll hook you up. Don't go in without me, mh

you should talk to the legislators in my metro area. They'll soon have laws against BASE, the straw breaking the camel's back being a jumper who made a broad daylight building jump downtown, scattering lunchtime pedestrians everywhere. LEAVE NO TRACE MEANS DON'T GET SEEN! mh

I guess it depends on what BASE stands for...Brittney's Ass See's EvilDave'sFinger? Seriously though...I'm not sure the way you're thinking is a safe one. This is a sport where we jump off fixed objects low to the ground and open a parachute mere seconds before impact think about that. Not to sound like Kenny Loggins, but you're in the Danger Zone when you're BASE jumping...PERIOD. With the possible exception of a 6000m "S", there is NEVER any room for complacency. Ask ANYONE who has reached 1000 BASE jumps...they'll tell you the same thing. The longer you feel uncomfortable while standing on top of an object, the safer you're likely to be. An INFAMOUS ragged-out old BASE jumper came through our town many years back, and we somehow ended up on top of an antenna with him. He shakily climbed up to the top rail of the antenna, looked back at one of us who was doing his 5th or 6th BASE jump and still a bundle of nerves, and said: "Kid...It never stops being scary." With that, him and his clapped out Wonderhog and Fury and whatever shite he was jumping disappeared into the darkness. There's a nugget for ya. mh

Personally, I'd say jump #1 through jump #2000 or so.

There is. He had the right tools for the job. Dave's gear did not fail. He was properly trained but for some reason did not perform the rappel as instructed. The right gear for the job was the gear/configuration he was using when he died. This is pretty clearly user error to me. mh

Please enlighten us then with the details of how YOU would have rigged a 1300 ft. free rappel. You give vague examples, but how about getting specific? Name the device, knot, or whatever else you would have used and how it would be configured... mh

I'd try to get leftovers from the turkey boogie if I was you...much better chance of making the gravy if ya know what I mean... mh

Could you add a category for dropzones to list thier field elevation among thier vital statistics? Thanks!

http://www.taperesources-store.com/store/prodinfo.asp?number=DV60P-S&dept=6 for mini DV.

Who's gonna be there when?

TA; If you're having confidence issues at the exit point, perhaps you should see a shrink--Otherwise, don't try to convince these people that when you puke at lower exit points it's an "advanced technique!" That's just wrong. Admit it--it's just scary. We're here to help. Besides--I think that more people are familiar with the exit point "grunter" than the vomit.

*** On August 26, 1992, Nicholas Feteris and Dr Glenn Singleman jumped from a ledge known as the "Great Trango Tower"[/quote I don't count that joke as a BASE jump. That to me is more like a couple of guys that happened to fall off of a cliff simultaneously and were lucky enough to have been saved by a subsequent parachute opening. What happened between "exit" and "opening" was nothing short of embarrassing.

[Kenny Loggins] "Flyyy innn toooo the danger zone!" [/Kenny Loggins]

no debate. No other post; Just thought it should be clarified that the two events are indeed seperate, and that the jumps in Moab will not be an option for a newbie. Now it's done. cya mh

Probably a good thing to note that although the turkey boogie WILL rage, and everyone is welcome to come party, there is a minimum jump number requirement (30 jumps I think) that must be satisfied before attending the TB. Moab is not a place where one should be jumping without the proper experience.

...followed the link, but failed to find a pink hook knife: are you delving into other colors?

Tom; was it difficult to find your hook knife in your handbag? I prefer to keep them more accessible, but, as you've pointed out in the past, they do not accessorise well. At least you landed OK. Good job.

This may have been posted before but I'm curious if any serious swoopers have experimented with wearing weights that could be discarded during a hook turn? If I suddenly [somehow] dropped 12-15 pounds of lead somewhere in the bottom of my recovery arc, how would that play out during the swoop? I know...how would one carry/drop said weight? I have no good answer, and the potential safety problems involved would likely prove to make the returns insignificant, but just a thought... If anyone has ever experimented with this I would love to know... mh

I like Tom's beginning better...