Bigwallmaster

My day was going good. . . . .I'm gonna pretend I didn't read this.

OK, Ill admit after I watched it on Skydivingmovies.com I was inpressed, BUT I had to wonder..."Hmmm what is that kinda press doing for the general preception of BASE?" Though the footage was excellent, and the aerials were awesome to watch, in my opinion the gross negligence in letting the dirtbike just impact the cliff was, well to say the least, disappointing. I know some NPS official somewhere is saying..."Yeah...I want THAT kinda of behavior in my parks..." Any ideas and or comments? If you havent watched it jump over there and take a look. ---------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for posting this. I recently saw this on TV whilst sitting around the house on a Sunday, and was unimpressed and quite bothered by it to tell you the truth. First and foremost, I love the Utah desert for it's exceptionally good crack and face climbing. When I climb there I have even gone as far as using redish colored chalk on my hands to minimize any unsightly traces of my presence. Although I repsect Travis' ability to ride a motorcycle (how could you not be), I hope he doesn't consider that a legitimate BASE jump. Nor do I see this as a difficult stunt, that reflects upon his true ability. For the record I don't know much about Travis' level of experience in BASE. I am presuming it is limited, but for all I know he could have bunch under his belt. I guess I am most bothered by the fact that there will now be all these motocross kids wanting to repeat this act while referring to it as a legitimate BASE jump.

As if that's not bad enough, then I read, "To place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions." Sorry, but I'm pissed off beyond words... I'm getting a beer. Nobody screw with me... Jeff ------------------------------------------------------------ Can't blame em. . .she is hot!!

Fucking beautiful post bro. I love this kind of stuff. J.P.

. . . .only if you're a hemophiliac!!

I guess all of this depends on which website and all that. On match.com. . . . .hell no! Chicks on there just want to get banged with no strings attached. The guys and girls on there on just whores that want quick and easy results. It's great! Cheers, Bigwall

I am looking at getting the HC32 or the HC90. Do these models have DV-in? Also does anyone know if these models are appropriate for left mount?

Hi. I am turning to you guys out of desperation. I would like to buy my first camera set up and I don't know what I'm doing. I have read multiple threads on this forum and and I am still not clear on which camera I should go out and buy. I would like to go to "Best Buy" (or online, whatever) and buy one this week. Can anyone give me a list of makes and models that would be appropriate for skydiving that are available at stores or online? Ps. I would prefer a camera that has the capability to transfer videos from mates' camera to my own. Is this possible? Thanks for you help. J.P.

Still very much into climbing, however until recently I must admit that soft tissue injuries have forced me into climbing more moderate routes the past couple of years. I am finally feeling back up to par will be training hard through the winter. But to answer your question. . . . .it's hard for me to stay focused on jumping and climbing simultaneously. I tend to go through phases with each.

the only thing I can add here. . . . . You should've swooped the cop!! In all seriousness. . .sounds to me like you did the right thing. The only real problem is that you probably had to wait a little longer before cracking your beer!! Cheers, J.P.

I concur with Tom regarding the crampon thing . . . . Hell I can't tell you how many time I have gored myself in the calf stumbling my way up the approach to an ice climb. Usually it is the direct result of being fatigued and stumbling, however I can imagine how things could go bad trying to run out landing. Depending on the height of the cliff, and where you pull at, some step in crampon designs might allow you to remove them prior to landing, but this would be costly if you failed to relocate them. Cheers, Bigwall

Ahh yes. . . . Lincoln. Last time I was in the valley I climbed Mescalito and on top out day he was up there lecturing (and perhaps fining) some foreigners about droppin' haul bags. He he. He's actually a pretty cool guy for being "the man" and all. Thanks for the info. Cheers, J.P.

Anyone know what the latest going rate is on fines and punishment for jumping the Captain? Oh and it would be nice to have a response from someone with some legal experience, or someone who's got recent info. Thanks. Cheers, Bigwall

I know this site fairly well, as I am a frequent visitor to this area. In my opinion this is not a suitable site for BASE!! I'll let Tom take it from here as his experience far exceeds mine. But I think you stick with your initial gut that there are several factors that make this site too dangerous.

Godamn this is a good question! I wish I had the the answer. . . . .I am in a new relationship right now I am a little scared to get too attached to this girl because of this reason. I do like her, and I believe the feeling is mutual but she is a little young by my standards. . . .23 yrs. old and I'm soon to be 30. At times the age is noticeable which I believe can have an affect on the related topic. Also I think another important factor is who initiated what. At this point she is the one pursuing me and working to keep my attention, but I know that will change eventually we do become more complacent about each other's presence. I guess the key here to have regular communication about your feelings for one another, because we all know when the honeymoon wears off the relationship will become more challenging. If I had to put a time frame on it: Comfortable 1 month, but this depends on how much time you spend together Secure: 1 year or longer Cheers, J.P.

depends on how fast you learn, and how much time you can take off from work!! I work full time but I still try to take time from my work week to get a lesson. It's going to take longer if you do the weekend thing, as most likely you will forget certain things and need repeat training etc.

Hi I'm new to all this so don't bite my head off if this has been asked in the past. What's the difference between PC & HC models? Also, does Bonehead offer a helmet that is suitable for the HC90? Cheers, J.P.

I need to get away from here, find a new place, find a new job, etc. My life is so very mundane right now. Has anyone here just picked up and moved? How did you decide where to go? Was it scary? Did it work out? Has anyone suddenly changed careers? Again, how? ------------------------------------------------------------ Yeah I live in southern California until the age of 18 and then one day I just up at split to Seattle. I lived there for 5 years or so and it was the best thing I ever did. Eventually I moved back to So Cal for career purposes, but I hope to find myself back in Seattle in years to come. From a skydivers perspective, it's pretty hard to go wrong with Southern California, Northern California, and Arizona from a moderate weather standpoint. Whatever you decide I would say go for it, but make sure that the place you choose has jobs that are capable of supporting your lifestyle. For a really long time I wanted to move to Driggs, Idaho which borders Jackson, Wy. in the heart of the Grand Tetons. Small town. Absolutely beautiful part of the country. Great skiing, climbing, and fishing, but ulitmately the job market sucks there and I wasn't willing to starve my way through each winter working as a chairlift operator up at the ski hill. Do you have friends living somewhere that you might interested in moving? Good luck and let us know where you decide to go!!

Well . . . .that definately makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. Thank you.

Field trip? . . . .Boogie!

I have been really sick for the past 3 weeks with pneumonia type symptoms. This has been somewhat upsetting for me because I am an otherwise very healthy 29 yr. old. My doctors recently diagnosed me with RSV-Respiratory Syntical Virus. I know this particular virus is very common in infants and children under the age of 6. Apparently it's not totally uncommon for adults to get it as well. Regardless, I am pretty concerned about it at this point and was wondering if anyone out there has been through this. . . . .Somebody please make a skydive for me in my absence!! Cheers, J.P.

Way-O JP. I like that. . . ."skydiving is no place for backseaters!" Cheers, . . .the other J.P.

The best gloves for cold days are made by Mountain Hardware. They are constructed of windstopper gortex, and they are not overly bulky. They are similar to the gloves used by American Football athletes, but warmer. I use them for ice climbing; placing ice screws when leading is not easy with bulky gloves, if not impossible. I would search for them at: www.mountiangear.com Cheers, J.P.

Anon1234, I relate to some of things that you have said here, as I was also an AFF student at Perris a few years back. I remember at times feeling the same way as you, but to be frank. . . .you've got to take action and speak up! Wendy is correct; Perris is an extremely busy DZ. When I was an AFF'er I did have times when my instructors were too busy to answer every one of my questions, so I just waited until they could. If I wasn't comfortable with something before the jump, then I didn't jump. Equally, (and I'm not suggesting that you didn't do this) when I decided to go through AFF I read the "Skydiver's Handbook" over and over to ensure that I would have a working knowledge of the types of safety questions I should ask of my instructors. I understand what you are saying the about the "gear check" thing, but at the same time you must have seen your instructors do gear checks on you several times throughout AFF. At those times you most certainly had the opportunity to ask them to walk you through it as they were doing it. To Perris' credit, I strongly feel they taught me the most essential core safety requirements: 1) Secure your harness properly 2) Know your EP's and practice them before and during the ride to altitude 3) Maintain altitude awareness at all times and pull at a safe altitude 4) If the canopy is no good, cutaway by 2500 5) Under canopy be very aware of other canopies and obstacles. But at some point beyond those essentials you must take responsibility for yourself. If an instructor is not available, try talking with other experienced jumpers to find the answers you're looking for. The skydiving school is not a nursery and ultimately it is you who rides the plane up and jump out. If at anytime while going through AFF at Perris you were uncomfortable or not feeling safe about the jump, then you should have immediately told your instructor(s) that you did not want to do the jump until your questions were answered. If you're too timid to speak up to ask the questions that are going to cover your ass, then I would highly recommend asking yourself if this sport is for you. Also I really don't understand what you are so afraid of in relation to Saturday's accident when you end your post by saying that you are confident in your ability to deal with a malfunction. Sorry for the flame, but I just get really frustrated when people knock their instructors' ground training. . . .after the skydive! Makes no sense. Cheers, J.P.

I don't disagree with anything you have said here. My response was simply intended to outline yet another theory as to why we are there. So far the most popular reasons seem to be Oil, Corporate exploitation, the Bush agenda (ie. revenge), promotion of democracy (he he yeah right!), Al Queda, and prevention of terrorism. To be honest with you all, I think these are all truly reasons we are there, whether right or wrong. I think the scariest thing of all, is that Bush truly does believe that if we establish democracy there, that the rest of the region will be stabilized as a result. That's bullshit and we all know it. There is alot of Muslims (certainly not all of them) that view democracy as the "Christian" form of government. That in and of itself spells trouble for a long time to come.