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Hey Tom, I'll get a snail mail address Monday from the tourism people in San Luis. As far as the translations thing. Everyone in upper management at tourism speaks and reads english. I believe that the emails in english will actually have more effect. Thanks for the support Tom..... Jay Epstein Ramirez

It saddens me deeply to inform everyone that the cave has been closed to BASE jumping indefinitely. There are a few wealthy eco-happy individuals in Mexico who have been spreading lies and putting pressure on the government to stop all forms of access into the cave. They are starting with us because we are an easy target and have no full time representation in Mexico. They are claiming that we are killing hundreds of birds a week when we are there. They are also saying we are a super un-ecologically friendly. These are all spiteful lies . I have been on the phone with other two groups and we are all working on giving support to the local indigenous indian council and government. The locals want us to continue returning to this site. The people who are making these claims are not from the immediate area, and have never been to the bottom of the cave. They are making false claims, and unfortunately the local state newspaper ran an article reinforcing these lies. There are also other political agendas working here, as a commercial "Caretaker" company from Mexico City is striving to take access control away from the local Huasteco indian council. They claim they can better manage the site.($$$$$$) I have been going down to the cave for several years, and know that the area has benefited from our efforts. I am from Mexico and have watched the country grow over the last 30 years. What I see in Aquismon is children with food, clothing, and hope. When tours go down there we hire porters, use local families to cook our meals, rent camping areas from the village, buy incredible amounts of beverages and food, gas, transportation,permit fees, and all around services. The incredible amount of financial benefit the community receives trickles down to every facet of life there. I donated a laptop computer to the school there this year, and I know one of the groups has been actively trying to get running water to the village. We lower down locals into the cave and have a cleaning day on every trip. (It's amazing how many people come visit the cave and throw trash into it!!) I hate to put things in black and white, but ............... which is worse?? 6 different groups going to the cave for a total of 7 weeks and about 60 peoples worth of impact , spending approx. 60,000 us dollars in one of the poorest parts of all of Mexico.... or the world for that part, Or in order to regain the economic impact the area receives from jumpers, at 10 pesos or 1 us dollar per visitor, 60 thousand more tourists to trash on the place. At this point the cave is closed until further notice. I am planning on going down in June to organize some support for access. I'm hoping to convince the government to at least do a study, to prove to them that we are zero impact to the birds. We have successfully worked with the local council who have always monitored all of our activities and kept us on point with protecting the birds. I hope the Federal and State government will reinstate the local council. I am asking all jumpers and even future jumpers to help with a letter writing campaign to the Department of Tourism in San Luis Potosi. A flood of letters would really help change the governments mind. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take the time to write a quick letter saying at least the following: If you have been to the cave, 1. Thank you for allowing us to experience the culture and magical time in Aquismon. 2. While at the cave we as a group and as individuals have always been very ecology minded and protective of the birds and there natural environment. We have always waited till all birds have exited the cave, and stopped jumping/making noise as soon as it became apparent that the birds would return. 3. Inside of the cave I have never seen any signs of dead or injured birds. 4. We feel that the benefits to the area we bring are important to the local indigenous people who live near the cave. We feel that the assistance we provide to the schools and community are important to the future of the area, as well as its youth. 5. We respectfully ask that you help us retain permission to legally come back and practice our sport in Aquismon. We also ask that a real study be done to disprove the lies that BASE jumpers kill or harm birds at the Cave. 6. Please don't forget to thank them repeatedly for helping us with this cause, and ask them to contact you personally if you can be of any assistance. If you have not, but want to potentially some day go there, 1. Thank you for in the past allowing BASE jumping in the cave. 2. We feel that if we come to Mexico we would very much like to go to and experience the Cave. 3. We consider the experience to be a lifetime achievement , and would very much like the government to allow BASE jumping to continue there. 4. That you would like to support the local economy and community by spending your limited vacation time in Aquismon. 5. We respectfully ask that you help us retain permission to legally come back and practice our sport in Aquismon. We also ask that a real study be done to disprove the lies that BASE jumpers kill or harm birds at the Cave. 6. Please don't forget to thank them repeatedly for helping us with this cause, and ask them to contact you personally if you can be of any assistance. Please send to : turisslp@prodigy.net.mx Sorry to be the bearer of BAD NEWS!!!! Thank-you everyone in advance for your support, Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com p.s. please feel free to email me directly if anyone can be of any assistance: jayepstein@hotmail.com Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

Just wanted to drop a line now that we are back in the U.S., and thank everyone for participating in our March Madness. We spent five weeks with 4 separate groups making a total of over a hundred jumps into the Metalic Canyon and the rather deep Bird Hole . We made many new friends as well as playing with many old ones. The groups of jumpers that came down were some of the best people I've had the pleasure to hang out with in quite a long time. Everyone showed extremely good judgement and excellent jump/canopy skills. Thank you: Patric D. Marta E. Joey H. Johnny W. Ray M. Matt M. T-Bone Morgan M. Dan L. Jeremy B. Arania Rook N. Kirk S. David C. Donavan B. Marv W. Dean P. Chris P. Jimmy P. Heinz Z. Willie H. Roman G. As well as Steph, Michelle, and Gabbi . We look forward to seeing you all in the not to distant future. Jay E. , Ben N. , Scott B , & Damian D. www.adrenalineexploits.com http://basehound.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/johnny-at-el-gigante.jpg

Oh Yeah...... A Photo of the happy crew and wall. edit: Clicky ~ta Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

A burst transmission from Chihuahua................ We are at the tail end of our annual Helicopter Big Wall trip. We had a bit of windy conditions, but were able to get 4-5 jumps per person in a 4 day periood. Jonny W. made his 200th, and Marta E. made her 1100th. Joey H. did his first arial. Unfortionatly Patric D. was caught in unfavorable winds and landed out injuring his wrist. Jumpers averaged 15 - 19 second delays, and logged over a minute of BASE freefall per person. We did some cool helicopter jumps into the ranch, but were unable to jump neither the waterfall, nor the PV. Please contact us if you have any questions about this area. It is located in a national park, and requires permits as well as various preperations in order to jump into. Jay & Ben www.adrenalineexploits.com p.s. Have a subterminal day........ edit: site names ~ta Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

As I am finally back in the US, and plugged back into the net, I decided to post a message about this tragic accident. As the group leader and interpreter, I feel very sad to have only known Dave for such a short time. He was amazingly witty and enjoyably to be around. BASE jumping in Mexico I have made many life long friends, and I knew that Dave was going to be one of them . My deepest condolences to all who knew Dave and to his family. Blue Skies, Jay Epstein Ramirez

Did I mention....... Spanky got pushed.... and his pack job still opened up facing the right way.....

A most terrible thing to happen. Dwain was pushing the envelope and came up snake eyes. This was a "STUNT" gone wrong. I am saddened by the outcome of 12 to 16 inches of misjujment. I swear he almost made it. Dwain will be forever missed as the most experienced jumper in the world. AND MORE. MY condolences.... Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

Mad Prof. ------ I'm so glad you are safe and sound. Remember, Despite the "Cost Of Living".........It's still quite popular. Hope you make it down to Mexico with us again this year, we had a great time with you last. Jay E. www.adrenalineexploits.com http://basehound.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/cave-shot1.jpg

Tom, I replaced most of my zippers with metal on my classic. It works great. I jam a lot of battle gear on for sub-terminal flights, and used to pop the plastic zippers wide open. If you are ordering a new wing suit, you can aquire metal zippers beforehand, and have Birdman install them on your suit. Just my .02 Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

Hands down..... the slickest peice of glass I own, and have used for some really nice video is a .3 Century Optics.They are a little pricey(about 300). but light years ahead of any other lens. I own tons of other lenses, and would trade them all for a second C.O. lens. Jay p.s. call me about the 4th...... Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

Started at 142 skydives..... 212 Classic jumps, and around 40 Skyfliers + 10 BASE. Still feels like i just got shot out of a cannon........ Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

You might check our EMPs web site(emergency medical products 800-558-1551) If you have training... here are a few suggestions of what I bring on BASE expeditions: 1. Water and space blanket. 2. Adjustable cervical collar 3. Mega trauma dressing 4. Sam Splints x 2 5. Wire Splints x 2 6. Oral airway 7. Ashermans chest seal 8. Traumadex stop blead kit 9. CPR mask 10. Elastic comp bandages 11. Short back board and straps. 12. DAN oxygen provider kit 13. Drugs .... if you have a doctor or nurse willing to help you (like if you are building a kit for a remote location). Just a few suggestions . Jay Epstein www.adrenalineexploits.com

Sorry Tom, I thought that this would be an appropriate venue for passing the information about this upcoming trip to fellow jumpers. I apologize sincerely, and will refrain from such posts in the future. Jay Epstein www.adrenalineexploits.com

Jay, Please see the Forum Rules. In particular, rule number 3: Thanks!

If it could only make your head hairy too..... Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

I would seriously rethink your views on BASE. It is so much more complicated that skydiving. You must possess perfect subterminal launch skills, canopy flight skills, rigging and packing skills, just to name a few.There is little to no margin for error if you mis-judge or fail to perform in a near perfect manner on most technical jumps. Skydiving and BASE are related, but not even close to the same sports. If you've never seen a jump in person, or gone out to an exit point with someone, you should check it out some time. The span up in the central US is a good place to see. When you walk out on to the span, all you can think about is that this is about the height you normally start your turn into final when skydiving. With minimal working altitude on may jumps, as well as object strike potential, tight dangerous landing areas with carnage zones on all four sides, remoteness of jump sights,wind gust potential, lack of a reserve(much less the altitude to use one ), add to that the potential bust factor on some sites, the differences clearly make BASE a much much more potentially dangerous sport. Just my .02 Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

At the end of a three week roadtrip, I am sad to leave Mexico City, as I have been shown a marvelous time by my gracious host Gabriel Ruiz. He was kind enough to escort me to the top of his favorite span(2 hours from my moms) . An amazing site, as you jump from a pillar at 660 ft. , and use the road to key off at pull time. I spent two days jumping at the local DZ(45 minutes from my moms place) out of one of Chicago's super otters. The tickets were a couple of dollars expensive..... but the dollar coronas and stellar scene more than made up for it. A week before we got there a cow ran out on the runway, and got smacked by the landing gear(no damage to the plane), the cow flip flopped down the runway, and layed there for about 10 minutes. It got back up and had a tire mark for its trouble...... that's Mexico. I scoped a 1200-2000 foot wall pretty close to my moms. I'll probably check it out with Gabriel in May. I beleive due to scheduling conflicts, we will actually be running only one trip in May to the big wall. We have rescheduled our cave trip for late May. Our cost on it will be 2200. We will base it out of Mexico City(cheaper airline tickets)(1.5 hours more drive time), and offer an extra three day extension at my families private retreat near the D.Z., with a probable large span jump involved(extra 175). We will also start offering the girlfriend slot(yes..... much cheaper) in order to make everyone happy. On our big wall trips, it'll include a private cabin,one day of horse back riding, two days of riding the heli out to watch you jump(you stud you), and of course all food, lodging , and transport. Marta , Jimmy and a few other clients have signed up for May. We will be running this trip with 3 guides, 2 live in base-ground crew, 1 medical personal, and of course heli-crew. We are willing to take up to 9 jumpers on our May outing. This trip will be a 7 day trip with hopefully 5 days of jumping. We hope to yeild at least 6-10 jumps per person. We are obviously only looking for experienced jumpers who are into a little bit of exploration(via helicopter of course). Please contact me if you are interested, and fit into this criteria. Jay www.adrenalineexploits.com Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

Just got to a real web connection in Mexico City, and thought I'ld post the following(reprint from Blinc): After dropping off our clients yesterday, I find myself with a few moments to post a semi-complete report. After 12+ hours of transport from El Paso,(tolls, customs, border crossings, hassles, millitary checkpoints, ect.) we arrived in the area and enjoyed a good nights sleep. We got up early and finished some logistical tasks. We moved the group to the top of the cliff and I jumped in to demonstrate. Jim W. promptly jumped in behind me. Ray M., Matt M., Dr. Kinnet , and Drew E. followed respectfully. Of course with Damian coming in last. I am very sorry to report that Dr. Kinnet misjudged his landing and was injured severely. We initiated first aid, back-boarded him, and started a heli-rescue. Dr. K thought he had either broken his back, his cochix(sp??)his pelvis, or maybe something else. As it turns out.... Steve broke all of the above. Steve is one of the most pain-tollerant people on G-ds green earth. He refused to leave that day, and tuffed it out over night, untill he realized just how broken up he was. We wanted to heli-vac him to Chihuahua, but he refused to be put back into the chopper. We made him as comfortable as possible, and loaded him up in a vehicle. Jim W. (the man) decided to drive Steve and his Girlfriend Milly to the El Paso. Jim scooped #3, and felt he had gotten what he came for. He also has spent some time with the doc at the cave, and wanted to be the one helping him back out of Mexico. We are very sorry to have had an incident involving injury. Steve(if you don't know who he is, was the poster child for Bridge Day last year) is a very experienced canopy pilot. This accident reinstates how unfriendly the enviroment outside the l.z. really is. It is one hundred percent unlikely you will remain unscathed if you choose to land out. This wall is at the confluence of three seperate river canyons. The winds are questionable every day after 9 a.m.. It is nescesarry to be on top by 7 a.m. daily. Normally one to three loads can be made in the morning. Access out from the bottom is pressently not possible... beside there being too much water in the river to cross, there are a couple of local growers(of you know what), that would not appreciate any gringos rolling thru their fields. The logging road in to the top area has been destroyed by torrential downpour. The gov. has plans to rebuild the road in the next year. We are currently working with the local and state gov. to build horse trails in to the base thru one of the other canyons. We are hoping to organize the area into a more accesible area within the next year.Our hopes are that in the near future, it will be possible for people to roll down there on their own, and be able to jump these sites with minimal assistance. The local gov. will start allowing limited jumping two and a half months a year . At pressent time, a guiding service is required. Presently we are the only company certified to guide jumpers in the area. We are planning on bringing Gabriel Ruiz with us next trip in order to properly pass on all pertanent information to him. We are psyched to be opening up such a cool area. The Gov. in Mexico is difficult to deal with at times. The most important thing about jumping in Mexico is to be responsible for your group. You are solely responsible for all evacuation and medical treatment. You can not rely on the Millitary or Gov. to come pick up the pieces. There is NO infrastructure to help you. If there is one more incident in the canyon involving the millitary....... thats it...... we have been warned ....... they will shut down the entire area forever. An example of how things work. Two years ago a girl was swept over the waterfall and dies. It takes 3 days to find the body. The millitary helicopters in to do the recovery. After the recovery, the Fed Gov. locks up all paths to the falls, canyon, and park. They literally padlock everything shut. It took a lot just to open the area back up to hikers. Anyhow, back to the trip..... for the next 3 days Matt, Ray, Drew, Damian and I made 1 to 2 jumps a morning, averaging between 14-18 seconds on each jump. Matt and Ray got six, while Drew, Damian, and I got in seven. We all clocked almost TWO MINUTES of freefall time in four days of jumping. Damian and I flew wingsuits on a load or two. We had an amazing time, and were able to coordinate a couple of loads where we used the chopper to film people as they launched. Matt, Ray , and Drew performed flawlessly, and proved just what kind of jumpers they are.The kindd we want on future trips. They also showed us their master skills at horseback riding(which turned out to be one of the coolest things they did the entire week). They took an afternoon and rode out to the top of an 1800 foot waterfall. Here's a few small video clips of the sickness....... Two Way Birdman Birdman mpeg 2 Way mpeg And a few photos......... http://basehound.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/jay_at_ledge.jpg http://basehound.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/group_photo.jpg http://basehound.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/heli_shot.jpg We want to thank everyone who joined us, as well as all the people who gave us amazing support to make this dream possible. We are truly appreciative to the Mexican Gov. for allowing us to enjoy a National Park to the fullest point possible. We have two 7 day trips planned in Mid May. We are planning on 5 to 6 days of jumping on those trips. We also have one trip planned for October, which we may run in cunjunction with a cave trip. I will be updating our website when I return from Mexico in two weeks. I will be deep incountry working on a few new large(I mean LARGE) projects. Putting myself in mortal danger in order to further our sport(hee-heee). Somebody has gotta do it. From Down South, Jay and Ben www.adrenalineexploits.com p.s. the scariest part of the trip....... the drive down there.......way dangerous. p.s.s. Anyone with any questions about the area is more that welcome to contact me via email... jayepstein@hotmail.com or phone 303-898-7562. Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

The movie is called Arch Enemy.... and he flies both an ultralight and a small cesna thru all kinds of crazy stuff. I believe you can purchase the video at the Moab Diner. Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

I believe the cameraman was Tod Sutherland??? Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

I remember Lou being there..... and maybe Drew....... but I don't think I partied that hard that week. Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

A few suggestions.... 1. Always jump a rig with cutaway housings in the risers. 2. Get the Birman bridle, and open corner container mod .IT WILL FIX A LOT OF PROBLEMS!!!! Call Morpheus Technologies, they'll rebuild your old bridle for under 20 bucks, and I think less than 50 for the open corners. 3. Don't get gready with altitude... if your having issues, go back to pulling at five grand for ten or twenty jumps. 4. It's all in your head.... just like any other dicipline of skydiving..... you really need to take a breath and relax at pull time. Collapsing everything for a second or two prior to pull can add a good amount of stability as well. 5. Pay a competent Bird-Cameraman's slot to film your glorious opening. 6. Don't try your first BASE jump till you got at least 100 birdman jumps.(oh where'ld that come from.....) Just my .02 Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

In Colorado, theres 12-15, with about half that actually being active. Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com

My personal view is that they are 50/50. Living in Colorado, with a landing AGL of 6,000 ft, everything gets quite cold, and u.v. worn. Two things that are hard on plastic. I spent quite a few years cave diving...... and any tech diver would look at a plastic hook knife and call it way sub-par. Why would you not invest a few dollars into a bullet-proof knife?? I personally sat on my chest-strap one cold day, and snapped mine in half. just my .02 Jay Epstein Ramirez www.adrenalineexploits.com