MWGemini

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6985768/?GT1=6190 I had a physics/chemistry teacher in high school kinda like that... Mike

What'd he do?

Has anyone else tried it? I came close on a few, but the chances of actually winning are slim to none. Somebody is probably using a script or program to run searches, judging by how fast some of them are found. Mike

I'll have to try that. I've got a 1500 foot spool sitting right next to me. I currently use one of those sissy necklace things, by the way. It's called a packing tool (or so I am told). Mike

You mean you don't know how to use the three seashells? Gold star to whoever can guess the origin of that. Mike

Hey Eric- were you ever able to get the video from Todd? I've got no classes on Friday so I might come out and hang out. Sarah and I are taking a free SCUBA class Saturday, but I'll probably come out afterwards if it's not too late for the cookout. Mike

I don't mean naming a url in the post, I'm saying make the ACTUAL URL of EVERY post more descriptive as to it's location. I can post examples if that doesn't make sense. Mike

I've posted several ads looking for a Titanium Altimaster, which was a limited run made in 1999 I think. I never received a single response. That item is probably fairly rare, however, so it doesn't particularly surprise me. YOU wouldn't happen to be selling one, would you? Mike

Sorry to double post, but there has not been any response in the three months since I last posted. Is there any update available on when this tunnel will break ground, if it hasn't already? Also, who controls the hiring, the local site, or the corporate office? Thanks, Mike

Something that I've seen a lot of is people referencing other threads (often multiple threads) in their post. When looking at the URL by mousing over the link, it is impossible to tell where that thread is located, and what the thread title is. I know that it would take a tremendous amount of work on HH's part, but it would be nice if the URLs of threads actually reflected at least the location of the thread (i.e. ?general ?events ?bonfire, etc) and having the name of the thread (?name="First rig questions") in the URL would be especially nice. Thanks, Mike

Thanks, I'll add that to my list of resources to look into. Do you (or anyone else) know of any locations somewhat local to North Carolina that I can apply for a permit to jump (I understand you can't name sites). I'd like to start applying for permits and begin keeping records of when/why/how the applications were denied. That might help later on down the line. Thanks, Mike

I apologize for making an innaccurate post. I did state in the offending post that the information was probably not complete or accurate, however. There is a lot of information out there, and a great deal of it comes from sources that cannot be trusted to give the truth, let alone the complete story. I'm new to this part of the sport and as such, I do not have the knowledge many of you may take for granted. I am trying to learn as much as I can, however. Please be patient while I research things. Having learned something new now, this in and of itself does not seem like grounds for the policies as they are now. 25 years ago, the BASE community was probably just getting started, and probably did not have the "BASE ethics" that are more commonplace in today's community. In addition, the park and the governing body have changed as well. I don't see how the NPS can realistically exclude jumpers from the parks based on (what seems relatively minor) events that occurred 25 years ago, which is before I was even born. Another thing that I've found is several stories of jumpers who have been harassed by NPS officials for possessing (although not using) BASE rigs in a park. I can see how it could be argued that the people in question had the intent to use them, but really, how can the NPS know for sure? And even if it is proven the intent was there, I don't think that is a crime, just the act of jumping itself. Or am I mistaken? Thanks, Mike

From the research that I've been doing (for my paper and in general), it seems that there is a long standing feud between the NPS and BASE jumpers. Some examples: 1980- The NPS, in cooperation with the USPA, legalizes jumping for a period of about three months, but changes their policy to prevent jumping after several jumpers are injured, as well as the damage the jumpers were doing to the park (apparently they were leaving too much trash behind). November 23, 1998- Dan Osman dies on rope freefall jump from the Leaning Tower in Yosemite. June 9, 1999- Frank Gambalie drowns in the Merced river (again in Yosemite) after completing a successful jump from El Cap, while being chased by park rangers. Some sources say this jump was a memorial to Dan Osman. October 22, 1999- Jan Davis dies when her (borrowed) BASE rig has a total malfunction. According to NickD's site, Jan was jumping with a leg throw out system and did not react in time to the change in equipment (she was used to jumping a BOC system). This jump was a planned protest jump to protest the NPS' policy on BASE, and stemmed in part from Gambalie's death. This is just a brief (and probably not entirely accurate) list of a few links in the chain of why the NPS and BASE jumpers do not get along. From what I can tell, the only time the NPS issues permits is Bridge Day, which is obviously an exception to the rule. From BlincMagazine.com, article 36 CFR 2.17: From the 2001 NPS Management Policy: So officially, it is only illegal if you don't have a permit. It seems they refuse to issue permits, however, with the exception of Bridge Day (if anyone knows of any other permits that have been issued, please let me know), based in part on past incidents/transgressions. Perhaps if a regulatory body, such as the USBA, could convince the NPS that we would all be better off with regulated, legalized jumping, even on a trial basis, we could get somewhere. I think the sport has become big enough that "we" stand a reasonable chance of effecting a change in NPS policy, but it may mean making sacrifices as a community. Part of it won't be such a big deal (clean up after yourself, don't leave trash at exit points, etc), but some things may be a problem (the "death camps" that Tom A. has mentioned are a serious threat to the general image of BASE jumpers and can do nothing but harm the prospects of getting it legalized). From a legal perspective, I think that we need to find established precedents where legal jumping has been beneficial (and I plan on speaking with the Fayetteville, WV chamber of commerce about this), in addition to showing that the policy as it currently stands is actually making it more dangerous for the jumpers involved (the deaths of Jan Davis and Frank Gambalie are evident of this- if anyone knows of more, please let me know). There are other incidences (with climbing, as well) where the NPS and the community they are regulating have been opposing each other for a long time, and it is somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy. They make it illegal, but we do it anyway, so they get the impression we are a bunch of criminals and refuse to legalize it. Education is probably our strongest weapon, but how do you educate someone (the NPS) who doesn't want to listen? Mike Edit: typo

Are there any other places/events where the NPS HAS issued permits (other than Bridge Day)? Maybe one tactic for getting better access is finding precedents that we want to see become policy. Mike

Heh- I beat it in about 5 seconds, without gathering a single item. Mike

I'd like to do just that. While I am not opposed to breaking small laws to pursue the sport, I would prefer to avoid it if possible. The best way to do that is to help legalize it. I/we can't make a persuasive argument of why it should be changed if we don't fully understand why things are the way they are and why the NPS opposes legalizing it. If we can find out exactly why they don't want us there, and then show them those reasons are not good enough, we may be able to change policy. However, from stories I have heard and read (the thread about the kiting at Touleme is an excellent example), it seems there is a deep resentment of jumpers and any parachute related sport enthusiast which may not be rational, and is more than likely a grudge/feud. Mike

To help me better understand (and fight) the issue, what are the reasons why the NPS doesn't want BASE jumping in their parks, when they don't seem to mind climbers or hikers. Only reasons I can come up with are: 1) Ignorance of what the sport is and the dangers involved 2) Fear of bad publicity from injuries/deaths 3) Fear of damage to the park (trailblazing, etc) Can anyone think of others that I have missed? These three points can all be argued against pretty easily, educating the NPS is probably the most important and the most likely to be successful, however. Mike

Do you feel that it is because "we" are generally fit and knowledgeable enough to rescue ourselves, or is it because of something else (like fear of prosecution, perhaps)? Mike

First off, let me say that I am not currently a BASE jumper, but I am planning on jumping when my skills and knowledge will allow it (another year or two at least). I am writing a paper for one of my english courses arguing why BASE should be legalized in national parks. My understanding of the issue (and if I am wrong, please correct me) is that it is not illegal, *IF* you have a permit, but the NPS will not issue permits (unofficial policy prohibits it, but officially, it is not necessarily illegal). Some of the reasons I'm using to support the argument include safety (for jumpers and everyone else) and fairness (I can climb or hike in the park, but I can't jump), but I'd like to get your opinions on the matter as well. Basically, I have two questions for you: 1) Should the NPS completely legalize BASE? 2) Why or why not? If you would prefer to PM me, that is fine. I'm just trying to get a better understanding of the issue as a whole. Thanks, Mike

I still have one of the original dyters with a LED attachment. I never used the LED in freefall, but I have tested it on the ground and it is pretty noticeable. I'm not currently using it, so if you are unable to find a better solution, I might be able to part with it (although I would prefer not to). Part of why I stopped using this is because it only has one altitude alarm. What I'd really like to see is an LED that flashes different colors based on which altitude alarm is going off, i.e first green, then blue, then red, or something like that. Perhaps L&B will have something like this in the future. Mike

I think the trip the GFD is talking about is just a trek to basecamp, and NOT a climb. Anyone who is/was a climber knows that Everest is not summited in three weeks by the "average person". Messner and Viesturs, sure, but everyone else, no. Everest CLIMB expeditions are generally in the 2-4 month range if I recall correctly. What TruckerBASE did sounds a lot like a trip I tried to do several years ago, which was a 3 week guided trek to climb Kala Patar and then go to Everest base camp, but no higher than that. I'm betting that this is the same thing GFD is talking about. Anyone who is not a good climber should not even THINK about trying to climb Everest, even on a guided and fully supported expedition. Chances are you won't summit. Or maybe you will, and won't survive the descent. From what I understand, however, Kala Patar is a very mild climb that is not much more difficult than a technical hike. I can't say from experience, since I was not able to go, but it is probably within the realm of someone who is in good shape but has never climbed before. Mike

Yeah, I know the feeling. Last night I had a temp of 103.8. Filled the tub with cold water and lay in it for about 40 minutes, took some nyquil flu and went to bed. I'm down to a normal temperature now, but the headache and muscle aches are still there, and now I've got a very annoying phlegmy cough. Being sick sucks. I would much rather be injured than sick . Mike

Can G-Mail be accessed by POP, or do you have to log in to their web portal? Thanks, Mike

I think I can make the sunset load on Friday, but only if the weather is good. If it's freezing cold like it was this weekend, I doubt I'll make the drive. It's been a month since my last jump and I'm getting antsy. I need to find a new job so I can jump more Mike

My wife and I were married New Year's day at Deland. She did her third jump (a tandem) and I did my 50th with several friends, including the notary who performed our ceremony. We had planned on doing the ceremony first and the jump afterwards, but time didn't allow for that, so we did the jump and then the ceremony. Nothing big or fancy, just saying our vows and exchanging the rings. Our ceremony was on the ground (we decided the plane was too noisy and it would be better to concentrate on the jump than the vows). Also, I believe that the law requires the final part of the ceremony ("I now pronounce you man & wife, etc..") to be done on the ground, as airspace is not counted as being in the state/country, but I'm not too sure on that one. We also got video from 5 different angles, but have not made the final compilation yet. For a skydiving wedding, lots of video is a good idea, especially if one camera flyer is unable to get a good shot for whatever reason. Hope that helps! Mike