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Of course I jump wearing protection - a condom! Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Hang in there Russell! You're an inspiration to us all. On another note, is there any substantial chance of blood clotting? Also, has Russell thought about doing electromuscular stimulation to build up muscle tone and bone strength in his legs to prevent such dangerous accidents from happening again? take care, Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Jaap, is there any chance that there could have been a mitigating factor with your rig? For example, could some of your (although short) bridle worked its way under the corner of the rig next to the pouch after the pilot chute toss? Could pin tension have been high? -Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I suggest grounding this pilot chute. Check the pilot chute for any hot knifed edges that can create one or several small hooks. One of these 'hooks' can catch on something like the mesh and prevent the pilot chute from inflating. A towed pilot chute has caused several deaths. More than having a reserve parachute, I wish we had a reserve pilot chute sometimes for when the main pilot chute is failing. Perhaps when the main pilot chute extracts the pins or velcro, it disconnects the reserve pilot chute. If the main pilot chute fails, (somehow) deploy the reserve pilot chute. I know, I know... The system is now more complicated and can be more prone to failure. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Jaap, proceed very carefully experimenting with the slider. Slider experimentation can easily go wrong, even with advice from the BASE manufacturers. The interaction of the slider with the brake lines is the thing that drives the slider down. This interaction also leads to the tail inflation that is critical to the inflation sequence. I altered my slider during a period of experimentation, foolishly done only in a BASE environment. The result nearly cost me my life and 6 months of recovery. The slider alteration was only about 1 inch. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

you mean 175, B.L. Rhonda, call him, he's been in the hospital with pneumonia. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Here's my 2 cents: the density of fog is much less than dry clear air. I imagine you lost a lot of lift, stalled, and then surged. I encounter this where I jump when I jump at night. Everything seems fine until I hit the wet dew region of the last fifty feet, and the canopy speeds up like a rocket. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Women generally don't want f*ck crazy people. ;) Actually, I absolutely don't tell women I BASE. I prefer the word 'parachuting.' It's so much more socially acceptable. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

started BASE at 20. now i'm 33, but still feel like i'm 20. ;) Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

This video is truly inspirational. Good job Ray and others who put it together. Watching Slim and crew jump is like watching the Harlem Globetrotters in action. extremely skilled, lighthearted, and humorous. There is some education that comes from watching Slim's wall strike from the 250 foot cliff in 2001. Notice how much time he wastes reaching for toggles, all the while he could have been reaching for rear risers. In case of imminent object strike, the rule is to go for rear risers in case whatever is below you is not more dangerous than the object itself. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Ditto... we're all wishing the best for you and your recovery. hang in there and life will pick you back up again. take care, Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Consider of course the shape of the building. A round building won't have as severe of a turbulent zone. Also consider the presence of other nearby buildings, which can be a dominant factor. Additionally, consider the presence of small building(s) upwind of the building to be jumped. The 'wind shadow' of a building can be unique to the object and to the wind direction and wind speed. There are some buildings where you will experience a direct headwind given a perfect on heading opening when jumping on the downwind side. The downwind side is not necessarily the best or optimal jumping side or corner. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

For an educational pursuit of the wind conditions at a building, try releasing helium balloons beforehand if possible. Why get wind info from just near the top section of the building? Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Nick, perhaps what we and the world needs is a bestselling book telling the adventures and exploits of a daring BASE jumping! Hint, hint... Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I had a bad BASE accident in 1997. I shattered my femur and I could have died. I don't think it would have happened if I had been more current and more experienced in canopy control, that I could and should have learned in a skydiving environment. At the time, I had 133 base jumps and ~80 skydives. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

oh yeah! wait till i top that with Kansas BASE in a day! Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Steve earned the nickname from his notorious BASE malfunction rate. 3 mals on BASE jumps, all with the use of a round reserve to save his life. The idea that a reserve is useless in BASE is simply foolish. Funny, his BASE reserve openings were less than 100'. One was at 20'. He once did a time analysis of realization of malfunction to decision to do something to pull reserve handle. The decision time came to 1/8 second or so. Pretty quick and generally beyond the physiological capabilities of most humans. He was enlisted as a pilot at the time. He got sent to Saudi by the military after getting into legal trouble doing a jump off a large California cliff. While there, he scoped out a 600' cliff called 'rag's head point.' Literally a point. Essentially impossible to hit unless the 180 was a perfect 180. He hit the wall and landed in great pain. He had two friends with him. One was filming on top. The other was on the ground. The ground man happened to be a weight lifter, and this allowed him to carry Steve on his back through 7 miles of Saudi desert to civilization. The very next day, Steve missed the Pan Am 103 flight. He had tickets for the flight but had to return them to the military because he missed the flight, for a refund. Simply amazing. I am so glad to have been with Steve when he made his first BASE jump after the Saudi accident. I still have his JD Walker BASE rig that he used to earn his BASE number (174) over in the corner of my bedroom. Steve sent to all his friends his close call list. It's three pages, typed, written in a hair-raising style. I may post here some time. Hey, I thought the Cessna jump from 240' sail slider up with a small pilot chute to be pretty gutsy. All went well, and it's easy to critisize this one if you don't know the details of how it was done. -Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Nick, was this John Hoover, BASE 95? RIP. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

J.D. - haven't heard that name in a while. J.D. and Dead Steve put me off on my first jump, a 600 foot cliff. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

big walls are not really the safest. To say #63 did everything right is a bit of a stretch. terminal big wall jumps can overwhelm a newbie especially since many things are required: good exit, tracking, altitude awareness, visual overload. regarding wing suit jumping, that adds another element of chaos. I would suggest doing simple base jumps for quite a while to get your bearings. Read the base fatality list, #70, while on a wingsuit jump. avoid pilot chutes with hackey sack handles. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

And what about the obscure case of jumping from a ferris wheel and being killed in freefall by a plane in flight? Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I vote yes. The attempt was truly courageous. He landed on the top. Despite losing his footing on the fixed object, he deployed his reserve, which failed him. If we do not honor such limit pushing, what have we become? Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I cannot download such files on my computer. Can you give a verbal description? -Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Excellent point Tom. Some of the early jumper commented that whenever their shoes stuck to the wall more than just a moment, the ankles and legs would start breaking and shattering. Friction seems to be an interesting culprit, but I'm just hypothesizing. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Luck had no factor? Of course skill and equipment plays a roll. You haven't been base jumping long have you? Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174