jimmyp

You won't yet. The first production Rock Dragons are rolling off the line in about 2 weeks. Jimmy P

Whenever something like this happens it concerns us greatly. We have been using snaps with great success for 15 years. About 8 years back, we moved the snap to just the inside of the toggle(rather than through both layers of type 4)to make the action of unstowing the toggle identical to a normal skydiving toggle (a peeling motion on the Velcro and snap). We feel to this day that the snap is awesome for preventing a premature brake release. One thing that could happen is that by grabbing the bottom of the toggle you would be trying to shear the velcro downward rather than peel it. The shearing motion of Velcro far outweighs the peeling motion(thus the invention of the shrivel flap). Any toggle will pull the riser down if you grab the very bottom of the grab loop and pull straight down. The only other scenario we have heard of the snap hanging up is if the snap gets loose(you can spin it with your fingers). You can easily retighten the snap. We are always open to customer's feedback and never assume that we have all of the answers or can forsee every situation as it happens in the field. As far as the loop hanging up in the brake setting, this does occasionally happen to everyone's system now and again, moreso when the loop is new and therefore stiffer. We always recommend that when you unstow your brakes you should pull down far enough to pull the brake setting off the loop(about the chest level although the larger canopies have more brake line distance from the cat's eye to the toggle. The main problem with the loop is that you cannot sacrifice strength for thinness. A smaller line used for the loop doesn't hang up, but has the possibility of breaking. Spectra is a nice solution, but frays more easily than Dacron. Type 2A sheath is great for not fraying and is supple enough to never hang up, but doesn't have the sufficient strength over time. Many manufacturers have been using 500 pound Dacron due to it's strength and resistance to fraying, but it is a bit thick and has been known to hang up on occasion. This is the loop we are using now and it rarely does hang up, but again, we always recommend to clear the traps off of the loops upon unstowing your brakes on every jump, no matter whose toggles/risers you are using. Thanks, Jimmy and Marta Vertigo Base Outfitters

Oh, I kept out some secret details, I assure you. Anyway, I found the person through the serial number and he was very relieved. Thanks! Jimmy

We ended up with a Reactor 4 and a black and white Fox. This gear was left in the park on a picnic table by the Go Fast Booth. They were the last ones out of the park that night and took it with them. I'm sure that the owner wouldn't mind getting their stuff back. Please email adrenaline@vertigobase.com Thanks! Jimmy

We do have a new canopy out, haven't even started publicizing it yet. We've been testing it for about a year now. It is called the Rock Dragon. We needed a canopy that was designed specifically for sinking in approaches and a vent and valve system on the bottom skin for super quick sub-terminal and static line/pca openings. The testing has been going awesome and we have begun to allow others to jump it. We only have a 244 now and it will be available on a very limited basis over Memorial Day weekend. Jimmy Vertigo Base Outfitters

Marta and I went to see Jim yesterday at LDS hospital in Salt Lake City. He is doing really great considering the severity of the accident. They have fixed his hip and facial bones. He looks very much the same with a bit of bruising still evident. He was on his way to physical therapy when we arrived. He is getting up and hand walking down the parallel bars, without putting weight on his injured left hip. He doesn't remember being at the Turkey boogie or the accident, which is quite normal with a brain injury of this nature to have lost the recent short term. He is still confused as to why he is in Salt Lake and what happened. He recognized us and wanted to talk but he has had a breathing tube down his throat for so long that it was quite difficult for him, more of a whisper. His wife Judy is amazing. She is being sooooo strong through this. She understands that Jim may still want to jump and she will be ok with that if he is mentally still sharp. There are good signs of this as when she was cruising him around the hospital in the wheelchair he looked back conspiratorially at her and said, get me out of here! She is living in a residence adjacent to the hospital and is constantly with him. As anyone who has ever been in the hospital or been to see someone, this is very difficult for the visitor and so important for the patient. Your morale suffers and time drags on as you wish for your normal life back. Anyone who would like to help with this situation or has been a friend to Jim, PLEASE take the time to send a get well card or flowers or call the hospital to talk to Judy, she needs the support, although you would never guess it to see her or to talk to her. Thanks, Jimmy P. Contact information for Jim: LDS hospital 8th Ave & C St. Salt Lake City, Utah 84532 Phone: 801-408-1100 He will be there for at least a couple more weeks.

The doctors keeping Jim unconscious for at least a couple more days to allow healing to continue. They are going to reconstruct the bones in his face and repair his hip joint during this time. We will not know the extent of the brain damage until they allow him to regain consciousness. The doctors have said that this might not happen until after the weekend. His condition is critical yet stable. Again, we will not know anything until he regains consciousness and Jim can answer questions. HIs wife will let me know as soon as anything develops and I will immediately post it here. Jimmy

If anyone wants to send cards to Jim, He will be at Latter Day Saints Hospital 8th Ave. and C St. Salt Lake City, Ut 84143

He was wearing a freefly helmet(Aviator). A full face helmet would have helped. JP

Hey everyone, I have permission from Heidi, Jim Guyer's daughter to post this. He is in surgery right now in Salt Lake City. He was giving thumbs up when asked to and was aware and giving one word answers when asked prior to being put under anesthesia. He has facial bone damage which is putting pressure on his brain. They are now trying to repair this damage. As soon as Heidi learns more, she will contact me and I will post it immediately. His pelvis is apparently broken, but that is secondary at this point. On Saturday of the Turkey Boogie, Jim went with us up to Black Dragon wash, just West of Green River, which is about an hour from Moab. There were about 15-20 of us on this adventure. Several people had jumped already. Jim had a less than perfect exit which contributed to a 180. His body was turned a bit after opening and by the time he was ready to turn the canopy around, he struck the wall. He struck the wall again lower down and then struck the talus quite hard. I was near the Suburban and luckily within cell phone range(very uncommon in the canyons) at the time and drove immediately to within 150 feet of the talus while someone else called in an ambulance. Jim was near the wall and when I got the backboard and medical kit to him, Spence and others were already working on him. Spence is a respiratory therapist and was extremely effective and calm. Jim was breathing and apparently unconscious for a short while. He came to before I arrived with the board and kit. We got him on the board, into a cervical collar and out of there within about 15 minutes. We loaded him into the Suburban and met the ambulance on the way out towards the I-70. They took him the rest of the way to Price, where he was airlifted to Salt Lake City. Heidi, his daughter, has asked that everyone not contact the family at this time, as they don't know much until he gets out of surgery, and obviously things are a bit hectic. Our prayers go out to Jim and his family and we ask that everyone send out the healing vibes to him! Jimmy and Marta

Hey there, About 4 inches fell, it has been pretty cold but windless. Most of the snow is gone. It will stay in the shade for the rest of the Winter, which means the long way up to Indian Cave, but it melts right away on the rock and the SW facing hills. The temperature is supposed to be around 50 F. There are about 20 people here already. ONE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: We are moving Mineral Bottom up one day to Friday instead of Saturday. The weather MAY deteriorate on Saturday and we don't want to lose our day out there. This year we are hiring two Unimogs(military transports). Everyone is welcome to stop by the shop when you hit town. Thanks! Jimmy

The first jumpers are flowing into town. About 10 so far. We had our first snow yesterday, maybe 5 inches. Blue skies today, should melt most of the snow in a few days. Weather report looks good for the rest of the week. See you soon! Jimmy P.

Sounds like we better buy some more turkeys! Don Mays(Twin Falls boat master) has threatened to come down and do some cooking for us on Thursday. Just a reminder that Motel 6 is offering rooms for 2 people for 28.99. That's the best deal I've heard of in hotel rooms. Just mention that you are a BASE jumper coming for the Turkey Boogie. The phone is 435-259-6686. See you soon! Jimmy and Marta

We also have a pop up menu on the website with all of the Turkey Boogie details and at the end under addtional information, we have the number for Motel 6 which is offering jumpers super cheap rooms if you say you are a BASE jumper as well as the number for the Lazy Lizard hostel. see you in November! Jimmy

I am afraid that if Mr. Stout files a suit against the state of Idaho, that rather than bothering with regulating jumping, they will decide that if the jumpers can't be responsible for their own actions, then a ban would be more appropriate. The beauty of the state of Idaho, is that it allows people to make their own decisions, unlike the majority of the rest of the country. Jimmy P. Vertigo

Exactly, who says you can't use a wingsuit in Moab-hah! We will be flying out of Canyonlands airfield(the one just North of town). It's the only real airport in the area, the rest are backcountry strips that were put in for the mining yesteryear. We will definitely be using a couple of those as well. On the Saturday of the Turkey Boogie, we will probably do some flights out of Mineral bottom, with a little swooping over the exit point. I'm sure you've already thought of the cool perspective from the swooper's point of view filming a BASE exit. JP

Thanks to the hard work of Clint MacBeth and Mike Carpenter, Moab will now have a USPA drop zone!!!! We will have Skydive New England's 182 and be open Fri. Sat and Sun this Winter, with appointments possible during the week. Mostly tandems with all fun jumpers more than welcome! We will have the 182 for the Turkey Boogie, so if you're coming out or bringing a non-BASE but skydiving friend, they can have a bunch of fun too! Jimmy and Marta Vertigo Base Outfitters

I should have been more clear on this point. Bill and RWS did not copy the Sorcerer, far from it. Their system is brilliant. The thing that is exactly the same is that the reserve is static lined by the jettisoned main. With RWS's Skyhook, in the event of a total, the reserve is deployed normally with a spring loaded pilot chute. With the Sorcerer, in the event of a total, there is a handle on the left shoulder that is connected to the base of the reserve pilot chute. When you pull this handle the reserve is disconnected from the main riser and you deploy the reserve in a pull-out fashion. The reserve is packed in a free bag. Jimmy P.

The Sorcerer has been around for 15 years. It was born from a slider hang up. The system is extremely simple for what it does. There have been minor modifications throughout it's lifespan,but the functionality is the same. We sell very few these days due to a feeling of well being with single parachute systems in the BASE community. People are jumping modern gear with BASE specific parachutes. The malfunctions that a Sorcerer is designed for are catastrophic failure of the main parachute(broken lines,blown cells), slider hang ups or a total malfunction such as the main pilot chute entangling with the jumper. In the secondary situation, the reserve can be deployed independently of the main. The entire jumping community is very very comfortable with single parachute systems, including myself. The question really remains with the jumper. Do I want an extra parachute if my main catastrohically fails? There are 2 reported Sorcerer saves. There are more than a few instances where we feel that a Sorcerer could have saved the jumper's lives. The Sorcerer is designed for slider up jumps where the jumper decides to pull a bit higher to give them time to cut away. The reserve can be packed slider up or down depending on altitude and jumper preference. If you're pulling at tree tops anyway, then the Sorcerer wouldn't offer you much protection. To say that the Sorcerer is old school or to ridicule people who jump one as being "too safety conscious" is disturbing to us. As a matter of fact, the Relative Workshop just introduced(15 years later) the exact same system on their skydiving rig. I think that it's awesome that we can have as much confidence in our single parachute systems as we do, but be careful just how confident you are. Even the most perfect machines malfunction, it is Murhpy's law. Jimmy and Marta Vertigo

Just to be clear, I had broken my back 7 months prior to this jump and had 2 rods screwed into my spine. This was my first BASE jump since the accident and we just happened to be at a 1200 foot cliff which I just couldn't say no to. Not that I'm saying that I wasn't scared shitless, I was. And I am. I'm pretty sure this feeling will keep me alive much longer. I was feeling pretty invincible up to that terrible jump that I broke my back on and it marked a turning point in my life. Although BASE jumping is one of the best things in my life, my choices are more cautious now and I go over my emergency procedures prior to EACH jump, whereas before I was less focused on this aspect.(ie, not practicing in my head emergency procedures right before exiting). As I move further away from my accident, I am regaining that feeling of confidence(a phenomenon which has been confirmed by those who have been seriously injured and have recovered to keep jumping). I am striving to remember how it felt to lie in that hospital bed and what I can do to avoid that one again. The figure of a 100 jump life expectancy is ridiculous. If that was true, I doubt if any of us would jump. As a matter of fact, most of us would be dead 5 times over. We need to emphasize the risk of our sport to newcomers, as it looks easy if done correctly. It's horrendous if it is not. Jimmy P.

Vertigo Turkey Boogie 2003 Who: Any jumper who has at least 30 BASE jumps and wants to jump a bunch of new areas in Moab. What: Guided approaches to many new sites and revisiting many old favorites. Turkey dinner at the shop on Thursday evening. Where: Moab Utah. If you arrive early, call the Vertigo shop upon your arrival in Moab and we will let you know what’s happening at that moment. When: From November 27th through November 30th. Many jumpers are arriving early. If you are arriving early, we will help you hook up with other jumpers at that time. We will start guiding on Thursday morning. Meet at the McDonald’s parking lot at 7a.m. Why: Because most people don’t have the time to find new exit points when they come here on vacation. We currently have about 70 exit points and about 1,198 to go. Last year the weather was perfect all day for the entire event, this is typically the best time of the year to jump, however 2 years ago we got shut down pretty hard by the winds. It is usually calm all day and the temperature is perfect (in the 60’s). It’s not a bad idea to come prepared with a Winter jacket and a rain jacket as well. How much? This year we are charging a $25 boogie fee. We are giving $5 from each participant to the BLM this year for permits. Your money will get you all the free guiding you can handle, transportation by Coyote Shuttle on Saturday for Mineral Bottom, a Vertigo T-shirt, lunch at Mineral bottom on Saturday and a Turkey dinner on Thursday night (everyone brings a side dish). Tentative schedule of events: Thursday November 27th: Meet at McDonald’s at 7:00a.m. for a convoy out to Day Canyon and possibly one other location. Dinner will start at 6pm at the Vertigo shop. At this time you will have the option of choosing which adventures you will go on the following day. Friday November 28th: All participants will meet your group leader wherever and whenever they told you to the night before. Some destinations include Echo Canyon, Black Dragon Wash, Moonflower Canyon, Potash Road, Mill Creek, Fisher towers, the Rim wall, etc… Each guide will be moving on to additional locations throughout the day. Saturday November 29th: We will spend the day out at Mineral Bottom, a Unimog(military transport) will be shuttling jumpers up from the bottom all day. Jumpers will want to bring whatever you need for the day as it is a 30 minute drive back to the last gas station once you are there. Vertigo will be setting up the grill and serving burgers and hot dogs again. Additional information: There are many hotels(Motel 6 is offering a sweet deal to jumpers again-just mention that you are coming out for the Vertigo BASE jumping event (435) 259-6686), a hostel-which includes the Watermelon and Grandmother’s house (435) 259-6057, and spaces in some rental houses available. Camping is always an option here, but be prepared for some very cold nights. We will have fixed ropes set up at some of the more technical sites. For these, you will want jumars, slings and a harness(and everything else you need to jug) to access these sites. Some are only twenty foot sections that can be toproped(harness only) but one is a 100 foot vertical wall which requires a knowledge of ascent with jumars. We do not have any tower climbs/jumps planned at this time, but if anyone is interested in this type of specialty jump, please contact us prior to the boogie so that we can arrange climbing partners. We have some new sites and some great new adventures planned. Thank you and we look forward to another great event. Jimmy and Marta Vertigo Base Outfitters 2710 So. Hwy. 191 Moab, Ut. 84532 Vertigobase.com (435) 259-1085

OK, Before everyone starts to get the tar heated up for the feathering, I have contacted him to let him know that the heat is on. The conversation that you had with him at the exit point really doesn't sound like him, but people definitely have their moments. When I saw him exiting from the railing, Marta and I explained to him why this was uncool and told him to stop and he did. He didn't understand why he shouldn't do that, but now he does. Really, this is all my fault. I stopped exiting from the railing last year along with everyone else. (about the time they put that traffic light in). On the morning that this incident happened, I was alone on top of the bridge and noticed for the first time that I can remember, there was absolutely no traffic on the bridge in either direction,and no spectators on either wall. I did the unthinkable. I hopped up on the railing and jumped immediately. Thinking I had got away clean, I knew that I was naughty, but thought no harm had come of it. It was a nostalgic moment for me and not to be repeated. Anyway, he had seen me do this and wanted to try it. The moral of this story is that there is always someone watching you at the bridge. Marta and I are always trying to set a good example by cleaning up ours and other's empty cups, taco bell bags, etc...in the packing area by the visitor center, talking it up with the tourists and the folks who work at the bridge, curbing our language in the boat especially when Don has clients on board for the tour and generally being the ambassadors for the sport as we all are when we are anywhere among the public especially at the bridge. I let my behavior slip for one second and the ripples started without my even knowing it. I can't put him out to dry for this one. His attitude sounds crappy at the exit point on this one occasion, but he is a great kid and very new to the sport and I would hate for everyone to think that this is what kind of a person he is. He does not have a bad attitude and is very excited about our sport. Jimmy P

Definitely go with a bigger canopy. For someone your size we would recommend a Dagger 288. Of course, this also depends on your canopy skills, the elevation where you jump, type of landing areas, if you have a bad ankle or other injuries, and so on and so forth. If a bigger canopy is not an option for you at Bridge Day, landing in the water is a great idea. With regards to your inquiry about the chest strap: Vertigo has been using type 17 chest straps since day one, 14 years ago. They have been used in the skydiving world for even longer than that. The webbing itself has never failed. Type 17 webbing breaks at 2500 lbs, more than adequate for the job. There have been a coulple of cases where the STITCHING at the chest strap has failed. In both cases the rigs were loaded unevenly and in the most recent case the jumper was also head down going at least 150 MPH. A few years ago, many skydiving manufacturers started to do a "wrap around" where the chest strap webbing wraps around the harness webbing, rather than being sandwiched in between the two layers of harness webbing. This was done to address potential problems with the ever evolving sport. On the same note, BASE is evolving at the same pace if not faster. Orders for canopies as large as a 313 (this means very big guys) are becoming more common. With these larger jumpers comes the issue of increased loading on the gear. There will always be bad body position no matter how advanced we are. Looking at the scenario of a big guy, long delay., no slider and bad body position (uneven loading) it is easy to see the potential for the same problem happening. To avoid any possible chance of this situation happening in our world, we change our chest straps to the "wrap around" for jumpers heavier than 190 lbs. We use type 17 unless the customer asks for another type of webbing. All of our Wizards have always used stiffeners underneath the Velcro on the side flaps. If you don't have them in your side flaps, it was modified. Thanks! Hope this helps Marta Empinotti of Vertigo BASE Outfitters

Absolutely, no one I know is interested in mini risers for BASE. Just FYI, the mini riser that broke for Pick was the old non-reinforced mini risers which were completely recalled from skydiving for this reason. Jimmy

Vertigo has been making all of our risers mini ring type 8 for 15 years and will continue to do so. Marta Empinotti used to work at the Relative Workshop and both of us attended a 3-ring manufacturing, and specifications seminar. We witnessed several risers pulled to destruction.(very cool) The interesting thing is that the risers break consistently where the type 8 webbing wraps around the harness ring. The risers(both mini ring and large ring type 8) are so overbuilt, if you actually had an opening that would break the riser, There wouldn't be enough of you left to save. The big issue with mechanical advantage is with cutaway force, NOT riser destruction. I highly recommend not cutting away with a single parachute container unless there is a cop attached to your pilot chute. You can use mini ring risers on large ring set up containers but you can not use big ring risers on RW-8(mini) equipped rigs. The design specs on BOTH large ring type 8 risers and small ring type 8 risers are +/- 1/16 of an inch on every dimension. This means that they both must be manufactured within the same tolerances. NOW, apart from looking very sleek and sexy, the gap around the harness ring on mini ring risers is smaller than the gap around the harness ring on large ring risers. This allows the riser to float around on the harness ring more, giving you just a bit different loading on each jump. I've seen big ring risers actually float all the way around on a big ring equipped harness, so that the riser had to be reset to load correctly on the harness ring. In my opinion the 3-ring loop was a bit long, allowing for this. The whole point to this is that whether you use mini ring risers or big ring risers, they are not going to break when manufactured, assembled and maintained correctly, so quit worrying about it, there's plenty of other things to worrry about out there. Jimmy P- Vertigo Base Outfitters