lifewithoutanet

Check this thread from a few days back: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2056994#2056994 -C.

Nick, Thanks for the updates. Tell Matt we say "enough's enough." Everyone else...here's the link: The FRASCA Story. Russle and I were just talking about the practice throws you put Matt through the other day. -C.

No certification required to climb big walls, hike the trails, paddle the rivers...why should we have one to jump them? Treat us like any other backcountry activity. If getting there requires a permit, fine...but keep the FAA and the NPS off my canopy. I'm all for education in BASE, but the thing to kill BASE may well be a skydiving mentality. Just my $.02. Take it or leave it. -C.

Agreed. "Right" is how I voted. -C.

Agreed, if the off-heading is not a result of the packjob twisting prior to linestretch. Jaap hijacked your question and was pointing out examples where the packjob has turned before any input from the riser. I let him drag me down that path. -C.

Good, 'cause I'm not convinced either way, either. Yes. I think the angle is only a factor when it reaches a point where a part of the container inhibits extraction from the tray. However...at terminal or close to terminal speeds, I could see where air slipping between the container and packjob on the side w/ the lower shoulder could effect the heading performance. -C.

I muddled my point by including that statement. I've since stricken it from the post. Still, I maintain that if a shoulder is dipped and there is no crosswind or oscillation of the PC as a factor, except in extreme cases (i.e. the shoulder is more than simply 'dipped' a little low), and before line-stretch (in which case loading one riser before the other occurs) the angle of the packtray will have little effect. In cases where it's more than just dipped a little low, I'd worry more about the container distorting the packjob as it leaves the tray than on the simple angle alone. Am I making sense now? -C.

But you must take into consideration other factors that could contribute to this, such as the direction of pull by the PC due to oscillation or wind conditions. I'm skeptical that the angle will really play as much a factor as you think when the bridle is extracting the packjob from the tray from a single point (except where a multi is in use). I'd say the direction of pull from the PC would play a greater role than the tilt of the packjob and tray. -C.

On here, you can search through the forum, particularly Jason Bell's (BASE428) posts. He's put a good amount of info up on his dealings w/ the NPS. You can also find more info on his website http://vertical-visions.com. Check the 'Links' link. There's some good info towards the bottom of that page. You should also check out the ABP: http://www.backcountryparachutists.org, as access is their primary focus. -C.

I second that. A lot of people may look at what he and his buds have done and say "They've got balls", but it's the brains that have brought them through this. I've got a lot of respect for them and these days, am rarely surprised when I hear of something else Matt's doing or has done. -C.

Few people are THAT lucky. Damn. Why'd you have to go and bring her up? Watch yourself by the stairs...we might drop you again just for the visiting hours. -C.

Remember... 1.) She was quoted by the media and 2.) winds change. I spoke to one of Matt's friends who was there a little while ago. They were launching into a headwind and even had a couple of short flights earlier that day. I was flying on Saturday (obviously a different site) and on our way to the top, got word that the wind was blowing up from the back. We went anyway, got to the top and the wind changed twice. I launched when I had a headwind and had a great flight. Let's not let this delve into speculation about what he did wrong when most of us aren't paragliders anyway. Neither of us were there. But to add some good news, there's no spinal damage and Matt has no more holes in his head than before he got to the hospital. While still serious, his docs are very optimistic about his condition and are already talking about his recovery. Heal up, Matt. -C.

Denver Health Medical Center Matthew Hecker 200-15 777 Bannock St Denver, CO 80204 -C.

Fuck! Pull through, Matt! Anyone talking to him, send him my best. -C.

I just had a short conversation w/ the jumper in question. If anyone would like further details or possibly his phone number, PM me. I'm happy to give it out. He doesn't seem to get where his actions cross the line in BASE jumping... I quote, "Fuck you guys. I'll jump and do whatever I want." He told me if I wanted to do something legal, I could stick to skydiving. None of us have any issue w/ the legallity of what he's doing. We have issue w/ his ability to attract law enforcement and the wanton disregard he shows by his actions. I'm not one to stir shit up for anyone, but he's really pissed a lot of us off down here. I'd prefer we straighten this guy out to him doing something more to F shit up down here or anywhere else. I'd rather his bad history in BASE stop know and have him clean up his act. So, if anyone wants to give him a call, let me know. -C.

Thanks for continuing to fight for us, Jason. -C.

Hello, Abbie. How does the president of your new company like his tea? "Iced" and "in his crotch" is the rumor I've heard. -C.

This is directed at one particular jumper in Southern California. A reliable source informed us about your little photoshoots gone-wrong. Thanks for the additional heat. It hasn't been warm enough around here already w/ a couple nighttime busts and the "missing jumper" fiasco. Reports are that you decided to dayblaze two objects, at least one of which has been a regular staple far before the current crews started jumping them. Show some respect. If not for us, for the guys who handed those objects to us and managed to preserve them for this long and still jump them themselves. We all know your name and know this isn't the first time you've pulled shit like this. Even if the details are slightly off, your history took away any benefit of the doubt we might have offered. I've heard of your other 'plans' in order to get sponsored. How about you work on that without fucking it up for the rest of us. We shouldn't pay for your 15 minutes of fame, asshole. This kind of bullshit is not appreciated. -C. Edited to correct some details and add some profanity.

I'd think that type of energy dissipation, with that amount of energy and surface area could lead to more internal injuries, or at least a greater risk of internal injuries. -C.

"NSFW"? Dude, that just ain't safe for anything. -C.

Okay, you weren't trying to buy the rig, but still, you got bent out of shape about it. What would you think about someone who WAS trying to buy the rig and got bent out of shape? The person who is more eager to buy gear than they are to prepare for BASE by lining up the proper training is someone who's going to be writing checks the rest of us are going to have to pay. They're not "paying the price" if they go in. They're transferring the debt to the rest of us in the form of pressure from family and friends, not to mention law enforcement or the authorities who may become involved and may as a result become a little more focused or biased against what we do. If your point is we shouldn't be trying to protect someone from themselves... Okay, fine. What we're doing by asking for references is to protect the rest of us and our sport. This is analogous to qualifying the buyer of a high-performance canopy before putting someone under a wing they shouldn't be under. In our case, it's called self-regulation and this is a responsible example of such. -C.

Well done, Matt. You guys did one hell of a job on that project. Older footage and an explanation of how you got started was a nice addition to the flick. Cya soon. -C.

Yawn. I wonder if there's anything good on the dryer. -C.

Really, Gun'? You sure? Cause' I don't think MTV is involved in this one. -C.

I'm in, depending on the dates. I imagine you're waiting to set dates until you figure out who's in. -C.