460

That sucks that your night vision was terrible with contacts. However, I've had no such difficulties wearing contacts. Let's see, the suggestions have been: 1) jump without eye protection with your contacts and hopefully they won't pop out too often, especially if your vision is very bad. 2) wear polyacrylic (hard plastic) goggles that cost $10 and provide safety to the eyes especially when landing in brush or trees. Just go to Academy. 3) spending $1000 or so or on an experimental eye "surgery." (Just get rid of your contacts or jump with glasses which provide little peripheral vision) Guess what? A new nonpermanent eye correction (popular in Europe) surgery is near full FDA approval. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

My vision is horrible and a lost contact would be a disaster. Try polyacrylic racquetball glasses or goggles. I have great results for all jumps using "Head" racquetball goggles. I use these on all jumps from short delays to terminal jumping. They also double as safety glasses when landing in eye-poking brush. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Catastrophic failure is always a possibility, usually as a result of poor rigging. I have a friend who jumped his canopy on a BASE jump just fine. Next jump, a skydive, it exploded. Not inspecting his canopy... Another friend jumped his raven on a BASE jump and it tore on the top skin center cell all the way to the front cell tape and the tail pocket. About pilot chutes, make sure you attach the bridle to the center line loop. This is a common mistake not doing this. Otherwise the tapes take the stress and can and will break. Also, measure your pilot chute. There is a lot of variability in sizes. My 42 measured 38 and my 38 measured 32. The primary BASE manufacturers have gotten much better about quality control now. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I have some complex floating hedge derivative funds we could use to buy the bankrupt Enron building. They're worth about $50 million on paper. I also have some Monopoly money we can use to buy a bridge. BTW, I jumped the new Enron building back in 2001. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Yo mi amigo! drop me a line please at stokelyc@syncor.com long time, no talk. and things are very interesting! and many thanks for lending me the rig a while back. take care, Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Every looked at a Racer freebag? It has a triangular solid fabric attachment to minimize potential twists during extraction. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

The error margin for the stunt is significantly reduced by relying on the turbulent water surface to vastly reduce the destructive power of surface tension. Hot dog skiers frequently practive over pools of water with huge bubble generators to make the impact much, much softer. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

For the newbies out there... Use of so many tools dramatically increases the potential for leaving a tool in the pack job. If one decides to use tools, PLEASE COUNT THEM, PLEASE LABEL THE TOOLS WITH LONG ORANGE PULLUP CORDS, ETC. If you use clamps, USE LARGE ONES SO THEY CAN BE EASILY DETECTED. NEVER USE A CLAMPING TOOL OR PULLUP CORD TOOL ON YOU PILOT CHUTE. IT ASKS FOR DISASTER AND MAY HAVE ALREADY LED TO ONE BASE FATALITY IN THE RECENT PAST. I left a clamp on my A lines once back in 98 prior to jumping a building. Fortunately, I found it before my jump by counting my tools. I prefer 2 to 4 clamps if I have the luxury, but I can also flat pro-pack without any tools. I learned this simply by working in a loft under the supervision of a master rigger. Interestingly, he packed squares on a packing table. Frequently, my pack job can be neater without any tools. FYI, the flat pro-pack I believe was originally done/invented by Moe Villetto. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Here's the answer: All velcro rigs close basically the same way, with slight variations related to the container shape. go to http://www.basicresearch.com and look under "REFERENCE/BR's owner manual" That will have all the relevant info. Their velcro rig is the Reactor. A few very important points: 1) make sure your velcro shrivel flap is oriented upright relative to the rig so that it shrivels open in case you're head down. 2) the shrivel flap, bridle, and pilot chute are properly attached. Especially the pilot chute. This is where errors sometimes occur. Lark's head loop the bridle through the *loop* of the pilot chute centerline tape. Please ask questions if you are not certain. Please get advice/assistance from a competent rigger is confused. 3) Do not run the brake lines outside the slider and keeper ring if you are jumping slider or mesh slider up. Otherwise, your slider will not come down before impact. The line-mod is to be used slider down with appropriate toggles (to prevent toggle jams when a lot of force is placed on them) Good luck and have fun. Most of this gear stuff is pretty brainless once you know the basic rules. -BASE 460 Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Ddog, THANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE EXPERIENCES!!! You remind what living and loving life is really about. I can only say, with a similar experience with mentor Steve Morrell (BASE 174), that both lived in a way that was truly inspiring. I learned to enjoy life once exposed to this individual. Remember not to be sad from what was taken from you. Remember that you've been lucky to have been so ENRICHED. BASE 460 Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Many congratulations to Ted, aka Zennie, who jumped a 300 foot building last night and got the required object to finish the BASE cycle. Wish I could have been there to groundcrew but my snoring overpowered the volume of the ringer on my phone. Very cool!!!!! Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Yo Bryan! Sorry I had to take care of previous obigation. Hoped we could have hooked up the following night. Ain't that the friggin greatest object????????? -Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I'm the primary Houston jumper. Who are you??? -Chris Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I wish things were as simple as Basejumperjeff suggests. Two things: after 300 tower climbs, some from 250 and many up to 2000, pin rigs are impractical on towers. they also are impractical for super-sneaking or cliff climbing. It only takes one mistake to end your life or be paralyzed. think about yourself in the field packing over and over and making one little mistake with results that would horrify your friends and family. The best equipment is the simplist. You can complicate matters, but there is that 1 in a 1000 factor associated with complicated equipment that will arise without any predictions. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Pin rigs definitely open easier than velcro. However, the primary danger in pin rigs is a premature dump when going hand held, i.e. arm extension tensions the bridle too much or bridle exposure to the wind during the hand held exit, which could also create tension on the pin(s). The other significant danger is pin(s) release during movement in a constrained environment, such as some tower climbs. This was the primary reason the first velcro base rig was built. And this was the primary reason Yuri suggested a mod to stiffen the closing flap on Vertigo's 2 pin rig. What is needed is a slightly more user friendly system that incorporates some velcro to remedy these problems. Also, velcro is noisy allowing the wearer to be readily conscious of any problems. Interestingly, I trained in a loft by the person who co-invented the shrivel flap with Phil Smith, BASE #1. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Are TV towers governed federally? Can trespassing at a TV tower site be under federal jurisdiction? We had a cop recently threaten us with turning some info to the FBI and Homeland Security. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Blue skies, black eyes. Ewww. Thinking about jumping a specific tower. What a sin. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

J.D. Walker, BASE 37, did it in a day, in the order B, A, S, and E. This is the same person who started the whole Get Extreme with Dew (Mountain Dew) theme of the 90's. There a few others who've accomplished the BASE cycle in a day. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

dude, no disrespect, but get a grip. that site has been jumped only legally. on top of that, that's where slider down jumping was first figured out doing numerous test drops before Phil Smith (BASE 1) and Carl Boenish (BASE 4, considered founder of BASE jumping) did paid test jumps before actually jumping into football games, etc. and then BASE 175 and BASE 58 did it for the Thrillfest (motorcross event). And then some friends and I had the option to do it a couple years ago through Pace Entertainment, all to be done legally. The more legal exposure such as this that our sport get, the better. It's a little absurb to block out this site name and then point to an illegal jump in a cathedral, which by it's nature, would be offensive to probably far more people. In fact, I had considered jumping inside the Vatican, but hey, next thing you'll read is "base jumper killed in senseless tragedy by pope." Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

I read a section on free soloing in rock climbing that applies very well to basejumping versus skydiving. It's an except from John Long's book "How to Rock Climb," with the words replaced from aid climbing/solo free climbing and skydiving/base. "the penalty ... is almost certain death... even experts will question the sanity of the campaign. To the person not given to risk-taking, even the most passionate explanation will ring hollow. Remember, base jumping is rarely a reckless practice - rather a very calculated, conscious act. And it's a matter of degree... To the novice witnessing this first hand, it seems the purest madness. Why do it? You should certainly not attempt it to find out why. The few who regularly practice base jumping are inevitably experts who technically know exactly what they are doing, and intuitively know exactly why. What the base jumper craves is either raw intensity, or the joy and freedom that comes from mastery. If he craves notoriety for his feats he is motivated by sham values and may pay for his vanity. The reasons to base jumping must come from the heart and be monitored by an icy, analytical mind. Anything else courts disaster. We all jump, amongst other reasons, because it is exciting. So when the base jumper ups the ante to include all the marbles, you can imagine how the thrill is magnified. Foolish? Perhaps, but an element of tomfoolery runs through the very skein of any jumping. Then base jumper has simply pushed things to their ultimate expression. His rewards, in terms of intensity of experience, are the greatest. And so are the penalties. Amazingly enough, very few base jumping accidents ever occur. This is a clear testament that the practice is undertaken by experts in a very measured and sober way. Unlitmately, base jumping is a distinctively personal affair, and even daily practitioners discourage the practice, as they should. There is certainly no reason for the recreational jumper to ever even consider it." This is what base jumping means to me. -BASE 460 Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

Then if someone has information on super-low jumps, please send it to me directly at basejump@rice.edu Honestly though, if someone believes something off a forum and it doesn't make complete sense to them, and if they jump and die based on such info, then that may be the luck of the draw or just their own stupidity at work. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

TARD: generally not considered among old timers to be a BASE jump. By defintion, the canopy must be in restricted to a container. This was done since some of the original jumpers did pull offs using rounds off of towers. Alan Hetherington did a number of static line jumps from single digit buildings. In other words, 9 stories. My question, what is possible over dirt? I have an option of jumping a 90 foot statue over dirt and think I can make the controlled crash. But I have little knowledge of this regime. Any help would be appreciated. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

This is the great thing about BASE and it always goes into my instruction: Expose a person to as many ideas that are potentially well thought out and let a person make up their own mind as to what makes sense to them. There is no single authority on the art of the base technique and a person has to rely totally on themselves when putting their lives in their hands. My only feeling is that based on wall strikes (a few pretty bad) i've seen, that slider down opened a little faster than the jumper could reliably respond too quickly. And mesh slider up just gives me a little more time in case of a 180, even though a off-heading is more likely. This is just knowledge I picked up from old timers who jumped old crappy gear and were top members of the 180 club. The truth is out there and it's good this forum is provocing a civilized technical discussion. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

dude, if you dial in the pack job you mesh slider up will open on heading with a rate that will allow to correct quickly. slider down 180's are harder to deal with because you experience a pendulum effect from you forward launch coupled with you canopy flying backwards, potentially with a half line twist. off-headings are not an issue if you know what you are doing. we're not frigging relying totally on the russian roullette aspect of the opening to survive. i've had full 180's from sub-300 objects with full corrections based on awareness of body position and how the canopy will open based on these body positions. think, think, think... CRW, particularly accidental CRW is the guide. Are the jumpers of today so unskilled they must rely totally on the luck of the draw of the gear they do not understand totally rather than learn the simpler skills of how to deal with the rapid emergencies of dealing with a crappy openings. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

1000' without anchor points, surveys, and maybe 6 sets of guy wires, without FCC licences, on cheap land costing about ~12k, the cost of the tower without an elevator will be between 200k and 400k. Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174