DexterBase

That's the exact method Dwain explained to me when we talked about it.

I know Raistlin, on the way home from work the other morning I was listening to a GreenDay song that reminds me of Josh. I'm glad I was alone with my thoughts and I'm thankful for the long drive because there's still tears that show up from time to time. For some reason, this one has been a lot harder for me to deal with. Maybe it's just because I don't understand it, even after some time has passed. Maybe that's what is wrong... I'm trying to understand something that can't be understood. I just want him back so we can go make a jump together and drink beer. I want him back so all of his friends won't have to hurt anymore. I want him back so the world can bo back to being bright like it was before he left us. I didn't really know Josh as well as many of his friends, but I guess with Josh, none of that mattered.

Right now it looks like it's going to rain. We're still going, so we'll just have to see how it plays out.

Oh yeah? well... I'll be drinking beer at Woodies or somewhere... hotel room?

To clarify, we're talking about the 23rd of this month. In a couple days.

Can I have one? I'll let you ride me off the bridge...

Okay. Start by reading this and this. This should get you started. Once you've read these, you will be better equipped to ask more specific questions.

We're not keeping anything from him. We have plenty of time to talk with him about gear choices so I don't think it does any damage to pause for a little advice. He is, after all, here for advice right? A lot of times good advice on a topic comes along while you're looking for information on a different subject. I won't simply tell him to do a search and he'll come up with numerous threads discussing this very topic. I don't like it when I see people do that to others asking for advice. The information they find may be dated and better information may be posted in a fresh conversation. I think that someone who posts this particular question here may not have done a whole lot of internet research on this topic. If not, then they might not know it's not generally a great idea to get into BASE jumping with that amount of experience. I don't find it too difficult to make that connection do you? Now that we've warned him about the dangers of getting into BASE jumping at low jump numbers, we can continue on with a technical discussion on what type of rig a beginner BASE jumper should be looking for. Everyone agree?

Good...good. Want to do some more silly jumps?

The following post comes from direct personal experience and may save your life if you pay attention and do a little honest soul searching. DO-MORE-SKYDIVES I speak from experience. Getting into BASE jumping before you know how to fly a parachute will hurt you. WILL hurt you... Will hurt you.... May kill you. Landing a parachute in a big open field 70 times does not mean you know how to fly a parachute well enough to start BASE jumping. I tried it. I almost didn't make it to sit here and type this. Do more skydives and don't buy a BASE rig now. Don't give in to this temptation because it will lead to a bigger one. Buy a BASE canopy if you're serious about getting into BASE in the near future. Don't buy a BASE container. Pack the canopy in a skydiving rig and jump the hell out of it. Jump it all summer. Skydive your ass off and by the end of summer you'll probably have enough jumps to take a course and find a mentor. Set a goal in skydiving. Promise you won't order your new container until you reach this goal. Reward yourself for preparing thoroughly by getting a shiny new BASE container. (((cough....from Asylum...cough...cough...))) If you buy a complete BASE rig now and start jumping it out of an ultralight, I promise you, the temptation will be too great and you're going to end up BASE jumping before you're ready. You think you're different or immune to the draw of it. You don't think you'll hear the siren song of a packed BASE rig on a windless night. Until you've been bored and looked over on the floor to see a packed BASE rig... you'll never know what I'm talking about. Edit: If you follow this advice, you will be BASE jumping by fall. Is that too long to wait?

I can commit to being there the 9th and 10th but I can't do the weekdays because I'm taking time off the 23rd to the 29th of this month to come to TF. If you guys want to hash out some stuff on those days (9th and 10th), I'd be willing to just work and not jump. I can show up Friday night and leave sunday night. Can I help?

If I use a closed mushroom I can make sure it's out of the burble when I throw it to bridle stretch. Combined with the super mushroom, when the PC reaches bridle stretch my weight falling away from the PC fully extends the centerline and the PC pressurizes normally. With the open mushroom, the user doesn't have as much control if they want to toss the PC to bridle stretch. If they want to "place" the PC into the air, it's fine but it's slightly harder to throw it to bridle stretch. Since the technique I like to use is tossing the PC to bridle stretch, and I don't like how an open mushroom acts when I do that, I prefer a nice super mushroom. Looked at a lot of video, played with it, and decided against it. If it's working well for others, and I do see a lot of people using this method, then rock on. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, or unsafe even. I just don't like it. edit: typo

This is getting off topic but, why do you use this method? What benefits are you experiencing from it? What have you noticed while using this method?

I would soooo not be cool with that. Nothing, to me, is worth destroying what we have.

I personally don't like that technique at all and won't use it.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure having a gorgeous russian model girlfriend counts!

This is a cool pic of a bridge jump in the snow. The fullsize version looks awesome. A buddy's girl shot this one.

(((cough))) or calling your friends...(((cough, cough)))

Bring your own hot BASE jumper chick. Kmonster is MINE!!! hehe...

That's I-82 I believe.

Yeah, as I past the border into Oregon I'll call and say, "GO!" hehe.....

Hehe.... Story time.... I was cruising out to Twin Falls for a weekend of BASE, beer, and good times. I was about four hours from home when a black Prelude passed me. I noticed the license plate frame was from the town I live in. I sped up to see if it was anybody I knew. As I pulled alongside, I got a look at the driver who turned out to be a young blond female that I didn't know. Well, she mistook my move as a challenge or something so she floored it and took off. I laughed for a second but then the guy in me, fueled by testosterone and the knowledge that my car is faster, refused to be put down so easily. I sped up, pulled even with her so I couldn't be accused of doing the "rice-by" downshifted and proceeded to pull on her... hard. She responded with a futile effort to squeeze a little more speed out of her car but it was...well... futile. Once it was clear who the alpha dog was...hehe... I slowed down just enough for her to catch up to me. We were cruising along at about 110 when we passed a couple more imports who gladly hopped in behind us for our little cannonball run. A few minutes later I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the unmistakable grill of a gunmetal Dodge Viper coupe. I punched it and my litte car valiantly gave all she had, still, the Viper shot past me like I was redlined in reverse. So, once he had established his position as the big dog in our pack, I dutifully took my place behind him at our new speed of around 125 miles per hour. The speed limit where we were was 60 miles per hour. I was thoroughly enjoying myself when I saw something up ahead that struck me with a deep immediate fear. There was a state trooper ahead on the shoulder with a radar gun in his hand. To this day, I have never felt such a sinking feeling as I did when I passed a state trooper while doing double the speed limit and change. "I'm totally, absolutely screwed and I have nobody excepy myself to be pissed at" Those were my thoughts. I let my foot off the gas and looked in the rearview mirror in time to see the cruiser fly out onto the road like a chase scene from Dukes of Hazzard. "Holy shit......" I slowed down to the legal speed limit and the Viper kept going... fast. The State Trooper flew past and disappeared over the hill in hot pursuit. I managed to get my heart out of my throat and back into my chest where it belonged then coaxed it into an acceptable pace somewhere under 200 beats per minute. The other imports behind me slowed down even more and exited the highway. A couple minutes later I passed the State Trooper who had his gunmetal Viper pulled over onto the shoulder. I learned a thing or two about speeding that afternoon, so 10 hours is somehow okay with me.

I drive from Seattle. Depending on weather it's about 9.5 hours. Not bad at all. If you leave in the morning you can do a sunset load and then go get food and beer. For a weekend, we'll usually leave Seattle on Friday morning and leave TF sunday evening. Two full days of jumping is worth the drive to me.

I could probably make a trip out. What do you have in mind? We should be there in a couple weeks too.

You owe me one buddy.