cygnusbase

A while back during a wingsuit comp I had a bag lock at pull time. It occurred over a pretty dense wooded area. I was able to fly my reserve around the dbag to spot it's landing but the bag lock just fell too fast before i could spot it. I do not use a flysight regularly but I did for this competition. No One knew I was missing for a while but Michael Cooper responded to my many young childern asking where I went:) He picked me up down the road and we went back to the DZ where he wanted to view the flysight data. Given the attached file we were able to understand the drift area that the Bag would have achieved from the cutaway altitude and current conditions. Back into the deeply wooded area(and I mean thick bushes and mean stuff) and we walked the line from cutaway along wind direction and we found it 50m into the wooded area under some thick bushes, just stepped onto it. Anyway, pretty happy that the little device saved me from having to buy a new main, dbag, and bridle. Just keep it in mind as a possible tool for a few different obscure scenarios around Equipment recovery(Main, cameras, shoes, etc). Kris

I have a few different set-ups(including this one for walls) but I am not sure that the chest protection is the most key for me. I also have never felt a hard opening where my Ribs took any of the blame because I am not even sure they see alot of the opening shock as I swing into the seat. In actuality my neck seems to be the most vulnerable and I have decided that even impedance of a brace or anything would actually interupt the natural flow of the momentum so I gladly accept the whiplash. Not sure I see the need on a skydive. One may also find that the shoulder padding restricts immediate riser access without some discomfort.

Tom, I am not sure I understand. My understanding from the people in the parking lot was that Nick broke both his femurs on Saturday, Jason actually died last year, and you have a six million dollar colon that makes that steve austin sound when you poop. te-te-te-te-te. Maybe the reality is that you are under reporting these incidents and that the Media is actually correct. I also hear that Abbie did a 1 second under a round losing to the CDN fella who actually did 1.5 seconds delay!!! Just amazing!

Well as I am dressed up as an Elf for 12 days, I will gladly Ground Crew. But really I wonder about this whoville and where in fact you may be going. Should this go right under the post about how many times a person should check their altimeter on a BASE jump?

Sorry, my statement of "setting up the rope" was not intended to undermine the Professional Aspects of such an activity. I was there last year and forwarded you the pics for your video and such and by my ignorance i did not remember the acronym by which it is termed. ANyhoo, I apologize for the repost about Moab. Ultimately, I am doing this trip solo and was just looking to make some connections before I got there so I could jump with some folk, if possible. I have always operated on a buddy system in this activity, especially when accessing remote areas. I guess I will just show up at some regular spots and see if I have the skills to overcome my lack of acronym abilities for what I may term as the Parachute thingy off of stone.

Hey Everybody, I was just trying to get an idea of who was heading to MOAB in and around thanksgiving time. With no official boogie people will probably be doing their own thing at various sites. However, I may be the only Canadian eh? So I am a lonely Missionary Man. Just trying to get a feel for the different groups going down. Calvin I think I remember you saying you were setting up the rope again this year. Tree, I saw that you may be heading with a crew as well. What is your arrival date? I am arriving into SLC Tues 21at eve driving to MOAB that Nite if anyone is looking for a ride. I still have to get a rental so who knows, maybe I will be hitchhiking. Does anyone know if Clint will be around. He has not returned my email that basterd!

Well you never quite know what a dork you are until you are doing forward and backward sommersaults on a mat by a pool of Diving Platforms with 5 year olds and their mothers and fathers watching as some 35 year old rolls onto his side to find defeat in a rather pathetic attempt at a sommersault. So Mike and I acquired ourselves a pre-cold war Russian diving instructor who actually worked as a stuntman in Israel for 10 years(Flips and twists with Fire, Car, and tall buildings). Mike and I in our good polite Canadian nature did not talk religion or politics. Having no platform diving experience beside the local E we were a sorry pair of BASE losers among kids who were flippin twisting and chillin off the old 7 m platform. In the spirit of good ole DW we set forth on a mission to have smooth aerials having never tried any in BASE but rather to make the transition a blossoming of sorts as well as practice due diligence in the hopes of preserving some of my own fate for my 4 year old Daughter. ANyhoo, this marks the start of the Aerial Journey. Albeit some of my canadian counterparts like Spence and commanche will scold us for taking lessons, we will continue none the less. However, I do wish there was just one damn aussie in the class just to ridicule our feeble and timid nature to rotate:) Till next class ... when we actually start rotating in some harness ... I can hear the children now " WHy is that old man on that string?" Cheers

Jaap, This thread always fascinates me as I wonder how prepared does one need to be to accept and react to certain deliverance from the universe. And although I accept that the answer is "as prepared as one can be" it still fascinates me because then I wonder ... How many times have you taken steel wool to your genitals to see how ready you can react to herpes or other diseases? ... How many times have you walked into a wall to see how quick you could turn away before hitting it? Sometimes it seems like a trivial thing to manipulate the variables of life to experience a certain thing(in the safest manner) but no matter how safe the playground, I always wonder if more of the experience of certain opening characteristics is about SURPRISE then about familairity, even if you have seen it many times before. I think the real preparation is just have someone else do the packjob and have you experience the surprise of them manipulating the variables with the only rules being that the canopy has to get to at least line stretch. NOW that is the best simulation of these events that one can get for practice. Now come across the mountains and watch dave sleep with the grizzlies. He is so dirty when he feels the fur!

My favorite from the first day I ever jumped. Edited: Crwper - as good as the missionary man can look this is actually DW so don't get your panties in a tizzle:)

Wow, this post from Nick is really inconsistent with many years of postings that provoke thought in so many directions...and perhaps that is what is going on here because this posting is showing "frustration in solitude" as opposed to "inspiration in solitude" which is what I have observed and enjoyed in the past postings. Perhaps there is more below the surface that is not being shared by Nick, otherwise I am quite surprised by what is written because it makes no sense to not be cautious and caring for fellow jumpers by allowing a process that is designed to help people and yield as much hope for an outcome that is favorable to almost all but the Grim Reaper. Perhaps Nick has been affected by the many negative emails he receives about his list and is infact is subconciously exploring those selfish thoughts that he receives for his efforts. It's a crazy world but what WE all enjoy so much is IRONY so let's wait and see what the universe will deliver to such a meesage if in fact it is actually genuine expression. kris

Hey Coco, I wear one on most of my jumps because of the Hike in being longer than a few minutes. Also, the hike out or a possible injury or being stranded on the cliffside gives me good reason to carry water and snack for a 12-24 hour stay. I would have to talk to Jaap on that to confer, god bless'em:) I think i was jumping with you down in Moab at the boogie and I was wearing one the whole time. Before I jump I usually empty it to half or a 1/4 full. I have never had any issues with premature saturation from opening shock or anything that may be mistaken for a blood pool on my back. And that whole trip had bang on straight openings even with the crosswinds, so maybe that is telling me something too.:) All in all, hydration seems relatively important. Of my different camelbaks my jumping one is their plain and simple bag with no zippers or anything hanging off the sort. The only thing to note is that it can float around your back so buy one with a chest strap and size properly, but if you are used to wearing one with a backpak over top like skiing or motrocycling or whatever then you get used to the fact that not everything sits even. However, for the BASE application it is very important that the camlebak is not putting extra and uneven tension across your legstraps or main lift webs for the onbious reason that such tension may affect the forces reacting with your parachute to attain flight and directional control. However, you will find that a 1/4 bag does very little to affect such a disposition. Missonary Man!

Hey Dude, I sent you a PM. I know of these dudes. The one fellow Canadian(gainer duy) I found stranded on the hills of MOAB as he had lost his crew and his sense of direction so he was wandering around looking for the/an exit point.:)

And here's to the friends that surround you in times where you miss your other friends(attachment):) Thank you for sharing your passions with people like myself during the turkey boogie! Kris Missionary Man

It was just recently pointed out to me on my triple risers on my Javelin that I was stowing my breaks like the good ole days with the white loop through the line and then through the ring which was how I was taught intitally with my Skydive Rig and my BASE Gear. However, the argument was that this placed a tremendous amount of the opening force on the stiching holding the white loop as opposed to the riser taking that force. the correction was to place the white loop and the line through the ring and then secure the toggle through the two placing the opening pressure onto the riser. Again I took my BASE course Years ago in Perris and I am not sure if that has already been a discussion here but the question seems timely to this post. Any thoughts?

HI Jaap, I am sorry I was not available to show you the magic of the missionary Man but I heard the evil twins took care of you all the same. The great thing is that you got a nice picture of yourself to send home to the girlfriend, whereever she lives whenever you get one.

I agree on that for sure. I feel as though the mountains in that area have been formed by glacier activity which was closer to sea level so the mountain ranges are more like larger more round foothills and they are usually not very overhung unless over the years there has been enough fracturing in the rocks to cause the range to lose half the moutainside like some of the other jump sites seen in the rocky mountains. It is hard to say by this picture but you can see some rock debree below the cliff so there is hope:)! I think it looks like 700-900'. There does seem to be a little belly or outcrop just below that exit point. But nothing a little foo man chu can't deal with.

I liked you better when we used to sit back and listen to ABBA. Now you have become the kool guy. You are now out of the LAA(Loser's Annonymous Association) Forever.... I said goodday!

Well Dave, I am glad you didn't show the opening ... uggg ... Damn those 90's and horse they rode in on. Cygnus

Hey Tree, Congratulations on your child!:) Yes Life has it's suprises and in this case it was a bit of a 180 for me. It's hard for me to say if I corrected it in time. I still am looking for peace there:) For all the BASE parents who find it in their Soul/spirit to pursue what they believe is the right choice, there is nothing greater than that of which you have chosen to be the essence of who you are and who you celebrate that with:) Foot over edge or not, it was always about exploring your inner being anyhow. Koolio. Tree, Keep me in the loop if you are heading to TF or the rocks of chocolate for the turkey boogie.

This is by far the biggest discussion that enters my brain. I am a BASE parent and freshly divorced with 50% custody so I have my daughter week on and week off. Certainly, married or separated I have spent all my time focussed on my child which is why I chose to stop jumping altogether for the last few years until I got things sorted out logistically and emotionally. However, I am gearing up to start up again on the weeks that I am without child because the activity gives me a certain passion for life. I feel that such passion is critical to me and my journey with my daughter at this particular point. It seems that the question of any activity can be plagued by the nagging thought of being selfish and the higher the risk activity the grayer the area of discussion becomes. But what holds true for me is that I believe that the spirit of the child has ultimately chosen you as a parent when he/she enters the world and your natural spirit is what he/she seeks to understand and grow from like a seed in a garden. the only real question you have to ask is did he/she choose you for the journey that you would endure in adventure/risk or the journey you would endure in sacrifice and you have to really look inside yourself for the deep inner part of you that you believe fires your soul. It is this thought that sets my foot over any cliff. Nick, you always bring a rather spiritual perpective to these types of posts(actually most of the posts). But it is not clear to me what you would choose to do although I am sensing you would stop jumping. Am i right? I agree that if I were the remaining parent in this world for my daughter I would start to sacfrifice certain activities becasue the mountains will always be there and you are never to old to BASE jump right?? So, perhaps that is the lesson that I was meant to learn from the spirit that I chose to bring into the world. It would be interesting to hear from your friend Nick. He is a great man, I have often wondered of his personal thoughts on jumping, in between the none stop chores of parenting:) On any given day I wonder if he too looks far into the future when he can at least dream of a jump when his children have found their own path in adulthood. If there is no peace in your heart before the Jump, there is no peace during or after. It's kinda like throwing a WDI of the heart. Are you at peace with your child's journey on this planet without you. if so, get up and walk out your front door and take a deep deep breath.

Jaap, I am glad you finally came out with your parents. I am not sure which video you decided to show them but I am certain it was a great choice...Not like that one you had to show when you told them of your "secret" lifestyle. When I first met you this past weekend I had my doubts but at the end of the day as Pam and I looked back at you in the backseat of the convertible with that ocean air tossing your curly hair all over the place while you sang to your favorite ABBA tunes I knew you were an OK messed up person to Jump with. Congratulations. The great thing is that your parents should be prepared for the "next" conversation with respect to your after hour visits to the zoo. They probably do not need to see that video but I know Chachi and I will give it an overview...He likes Zebras. cygnus

I would like to ask a fairly technical question with regards to this incident and the weather native to Calgary. I happened to be up that particular evening here in Calgary while my daughter had a severe temperature and so I saw the relatively varying wind conditions of the whole nite and noted them because that's what people who love/hate wind do when all you think about is where will you be standing on your next jump. The city of calgary is notorious for it's chinook conditions and from wedensday to friday there was a chinook arch covering the city. As 587 and crwper will attest this can create an interesting instability in the region with respect to the existance of wind or lack there of. However, over lunch time discussion with crwper i asked the question...IN a city that can have rather unpredictable winds during chinook type activity, if you are standing atop of a building and feel nothing for wind is there a possibility that the bernouilli effects can bring higher velocity winds at the midpoint of the buildings. I guess what I am asking the forum is how much experience is out there to suggest that you can have much greater winds in and amongst the buildings as compared to what may seem like a little on top? Given the recorded conditions as listed in crwpers posting with 20km/h or so at the airport 10 km to the NE of the jumppoint and 9 km/h 10 km NW of the jump point there was evidently wind. The following morning recorded winds gusting 50km if I am not mistaken, Do any of the more experienced building jumpers have anything to say and does this lend hand to why jumping buildings in a city environement brings more caution with respect to wind conditions. My feelings with respect to this incident is that I feel that it sucks when any of my brother or sisters of BASE get hurt in the activity, regardless of where the jury will assess the blame. or where the political environement is taking the popularity vote. That said, my favorite aspect of BASE is that it governs itself accordingly and only allows for so much poor judgement or repeated ignorance. The beauty of that aspect is that the truth of this incident can bring awareness but not righteousness and the only thing beyond that is your next jump! C-YA! Kris CYGNUSBASE

HI Clint, Great to hear things are coming along with the DZ. The missionary man is trying to get donw for the boogie. Did you ever get the tape removed from your camera?? We had some good times there! kris

Hey Crapflinger, With a whopping 10 head/neck injuries with 3 full on concussions I have some suggestions. After my last serious one which was a mid-air collision hard helmut to my soft face I had severe neck trauma resulting in my vertabrae fusing together with scar tissue. Months of regular massage/Chiro was not getting the consistent "back in action" results that I desired and I was getting frustrated with constant neck pain. There are a few Chiro's out there practicing ART(Active Release Technique). This is an agressive form of soft tissue manipulation. Although the treatment can be a small torture on a person's aching muscles, the results have proven excellent. There are even some massage therapists trained in ART. It is NOT an adjustment it is just an agreesive form of physical therapy. ART gets mixed reviews among some of the hollistic folk because they believe it may be too aggresive to be considered a "Healing of the spirit". Personally, I can't speak much about that, I am not sure if my spirit is aching like my neck used to but everyone has their thing. All I know is that I can jump slider down and not be too concerned with neck injuries although I do not fly camera equipment in my BASE activity.

Hi freakydiver, I seem to have a lot of friends in the community that share your opinion. It is one that I can respect because the activty is so intensely personalized but I am not sure that I understand the selfish aspect. I do as I do, not for the things I destroy or create, but for what it is that I am. I think the concept of selfishness falls in the realm of guilt and a few other feelings that group themselves with self exploited righteousness. For me to know any better and acknowledge selfishness I would need to understand the intent of my existence which aside from various relgious followings or new age beliefs is still a bit of a mystery to me. The one thing that is certain is that we all share the common thread that life is full of experiences and as much fun as the good ones seem, the bad ones are just as important to living a great life. I think the concept of selfishness supports the argument that bad experiences are not only undesirable but should be avoided at all cost including avoiding anything with an element of risk greater than what may be commonly accepted in our daily lives. There is only one thing that can end a BASE career...ground. It may be the literal ground or the metaphorical grounding of one's personality to reject the risk/reward of the activity. Either way, I respect all those who have explored the deep corners of their minds to know themselves better through BASE.