wwarped

I've found myself defending Jimmy. and he provides amazing footage of things few should even try. no questions, no arguments. but how has he advanced the sport? three rings, tailgates, bottom skin vents, organizing events (or locations), instructing, these have helped the sport. while his images are definately impressive, they also raise the profile on an activity generally done in the dark of night. personally, I prefer the local authorities not realize BASE is happening here. Jimmy's videos show the same authorities where to look... again, how has Jimmy advanced the sport? surely you have a reason behind your opinion and NOT some ignorant novice. I'd really like to know what the man has done. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

their goal: Natural, Parachute-free Sky DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

by BASE's injury rate, by BASE's fatality rate, by the loss of BASE's big names, I must conclude we really haven't figured this sport out yet. if we knew what we were doing and could train initiates accordingly, I would not care about training a 16 year old. the dirtbike comparison becomes very valid. this sport has instructors doing everything they know how to teach as well as possible. (there are also instructors running "deathcamps." basically just providing stunts to their clients.) please, please, show us the way to end the carnage. tell us the skills we need and how to develop them safely and reliably. once we know, this whole thread becomes null and void. we would be just like the dirtbike racers. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

it seems strange for the grammar policewoman to end a sentence with a preposition. a couple of months ago, a medical story got some press coverage. some folks who study the brain determined that the risk assessment part does NOT full mature until the early 20's. the news spun it as a possible justification to raise the driving age. (a Vietnam vet at work pointed out that's why the military prefers YOUNG recruits.) the research suggests we need to use care when training young adults without feeling guilty about "picking" on them. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

this really covers 2 areas. first, whose idea really was it? it's extremely doubtful it was the childs. second, does the child wish to do it? I'm with RL here. I doubt you could FORCE them into it. GUILT might work, but not indefinately. the child that's jumping the big gaps must want to do it. assuming your child has never ridden a bike... would you buy the dirtbike, talk to him, explain safety, maybe show him a video, then take him to that 30 foot gap and say "have at it?" I really would expect you to do the tricycle, bicycle with training wheels, bicycle, motorbike progression. the BASE community has lost many friends and thus struggled to find ways to prevent additional tragedies. we need a way to teach people how to handle their parachute and what to do when things get ugly. this, in a sport where the whole jump to landing lasts maybe 20 sec. we have not found a comparable tricycle, bicycle with training wheels, bicycle, motorbike progression. it's either the whole enchilada or none. believe me, we WANT a better method. (actually, I'd consider taking it!) most BASE jumpers are extremely indiviualistic, hating to be limited by "authorities." please don't continue venting on the small community you would like to join. a dose of humility tends to get much better results. hope that helps your perspective! DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

uh, can we please try to get it back? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

I mentioned extensive BASE FJCs back in that post and cited Apex & Tom A. as examples. Johnny U teaches as well. I know some folks who took his class and said he did a great job. many others have taught courses, and continue to do so. I meant no slight to any of them. I also am not trying to endorse the examples I gave. instruction can be intensely personal. potential students should seek out not only qualified instruction, but people that speak to them, on their level. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

There is a very large difference between experimenting upon oneself (putting only one's one life at risk), and experimenting upon others (risking others health and safety). The divide grows yet larger when considering minors as the subject for your experimentation. Tom, I respect you (and others) for training novices. this is because I feel you are "risking others health and safety" every time. the sport is far better for it. this sport was built by dreamers who pushed limits. sometimes inside, sometimes in equipment, and some failed. many say every BASE jump is STILL a test jump. but face it, every new training method IS a bit of an experiment. sure, a good instructor will be ever vigilant to ensure the message gets through... the key when experimenting is to take BABY steps. mixing a new, unproven method with a 16 year old is just plain bad juju. oh, and I love your "letter" idea. morbid, gruesome, but effective. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

first off, in all seriousness, thank you for your efforts, caring, and passion. my point is, the equivalent of yelling or screaming at people doesn't change them. sure it can affect their behavior, for awhile. if you wish to change their thinking, it is a poor tactic. surely, when faced with the various stessfull situations you described, you acted calmly and quite focused. especially dealing with family members. it can't be easy and probably caused sleepless nights. I just think it would be appropriate to show the readers of this forum the same respect. (oh, and later posts have done that. again, thank you.) if experimentation is unacceptable, does that mean you don't respect Carl, Mike Pelkey, or the others? I don't believe THAT. I'd rather think various innovators have been your friends. as far as children jumping go, I'm happy that Jimmy has chosen to stop training them. that alone makes this thread very productive. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

I seriously hope you take BASE jumping a bit more serious than this thread. if you bring the same emotion to hucking off a tower as I just read, dude, you're asking to get hurt! stop, and think. a few years ago USPA changed its model from a huge, all-encompassing FJC to the ISP. it trains students progressively, as they need the knowledge. it may be wise, it may not. Tom A., Apex, etc. teach an all-encompassing FJC. Jimmy seems to get a committment from his students to a series of training sessions. he actually can use the famous "building block" approach, and does not have to unlearn bad habits. neither model alone will prepare any student for any eventuality. (wingsuit BASE anyone?) sure, I can find flaws in EVERYONE's training regime. and Jimmy's has obvious weeknesses. and until I actually saw him teaching, I WOULD NOT recommend it. still, I prefer his calm rational style on this forum. that is what I want at the exit point. not incensed emotion. (or for that matter, dealing when with the authorities...) DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

Dude..... you and I (and many others) know that Chris was an exception among mortals!! have you met Clair? how does she differ? ----- when this thread started, I had a negative image of Jimmy. but he showed amazing composure under a full on assault. he also responded to solid logic. he obviously has thought through a lot of this. I do not know the conditions behind his training, so I can't actually comment. it appears quite wrong, but I've tried to keep an open mind. personally, I don't wish to train ANYBODY. that's just me. the hard, emotional, unwavering opinions to shut Jimmy down, without knowing all the facts, reminds me of the attitudes of NPS rangers. it appears the critics have won in this case, thanks to a clear law. something the NPS lacks. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

makes sense. why are you so upset? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

no, surfing & motocross are BAD examples. they compare poorly to BASE. initiates to surfing are first taught to swim, then paddle, and maybe some balancing lessons on the beach. motocross riders first develop their skills on relatively flat land. in both situations, the student gets to perform their activity in a very controlled and safe environment. and youths will literally spend all their free time pursuing these sports. compare their time on bike or board to anyone's under canopy. while I'm betting Jimmy did his best, I'm not convinced a "safe" BASE environment exists, anywhere. ----- and gender should not play any role in a discussion regarding her abilities. it actually may help Clair as teenage BOYS tend to act more recklessly. gender plays a role only if Jimmy is attracted to her. I'll defer to Tom's post. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

uh, why? you are articulate and appear to be intelligent. you create quite popular videos. and I'm betting you knew that your comment would stir up many critical replies. so, again, why post it? what good does it serve? do you like being viewed negatively? BASE jumpers learn quickly that they might break laws. normally, they also learn to keep it to themselves. so why publicize this training? looking for more customers? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

Clair, congratulations on your jump. I'm glad you had fun and landed healthy. please stay that way (I'll say that to ANY jumper...). there have been many excellent posts on this thread. thanks to all. keep in mind that the posters feel passionately about this sport. a sport that is dangerous and can involve questionable legal activity. skydiving sits on more solid legal ground, but most dz's won't let minors jump. there is a reason. something bad can happen to ALL of us on every jump. but any incident involving you will hurt this sport quite disproportionately. realize you're not the only one to love BASE jumping. and be thankful so many "strangers" care about you... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

that might be the request... but how will the NPS respond? if this lawsuit proves successful, the NPS may feel like BANNING is the easier solution. no budgetary impact of moving the privy, and they can possibly rid the park of those pesky climbers. that alone would free up a variety of resources dedicated to a small number of visitors. surely they'd rather use those resources to the benefit of the majority. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

it sounds like you had a great trip. everyone raved about it (except, well, maybe a certain rig...). and I must say, I have not had a bad experience with another BASE jumper. they've always been fantastic, shared, and made me feel I could count on them, even if we met at the exit point. (I wish I could say that about folks I've known much longer...) other jumpers, videos, this site, etc. are wonderful ways to learn about the sport. solo jumps teach you about yourself... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

When working for NASA, we called it Failure Mode Effects Analysis/Critical Items List (FMEA/CIL). i.e. if something broke, what would happen? which one of these is pretty ugly? unfortunately, the hardest part of the equation tends to be human factors. people simply don't act consistently or entirely predictable. stress and fear change things dramatically. the human factors part is what makes BASE training so challenging. personally, my favorite BASE jumps have been solo, no gc. fear and anticipation BEFORE the jump, complete relaxation and trust DURING the jump. it is far from an intellectual exercise and more spiritual. true, it is easy to criticize and find fault in the previous statement. yes, solo, no gc adds a tremendous amount of risk and is ill-advised. unfortunately, the distraction of others, the presence of cameras, etc. has so far prevented me from achieving the same spiritual results... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

I understood it the same way. he also mentioned doing the work up front. for him, that meant a ton of jumps practicing for all kinds of ugly situations. he actually tested himself on the worse situations he could create (off the safety of that bridge). he established his comfort zone this way. sadly, I can't say I've established MY comfort zone as diligently. others define their comfort zone referencing their quiet, internal voice. they know to give it veto power. while this too is quite good, I'm not sure Jaap ever wrote about it... as for risks, yes many can be determined by the physical reality of an object. a confused, cluttered mind will only increase this risk level. a calm, confident attitude limits adding to the risk. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

still haven't sorted out HOW your plan accomplishes this... sounds like you want people to travel to WV, pay for food, lodging, and liquid refreshment. then meander and mingle on the bridge... so where is the economic disruption? emotional, rather then rational, decision making at exit points creates many BASE injuries. the best BASE jumpers know to avoid this. before starting BASE, you may wish to grab a pilot training book and read what the FAA says about "Aeronautical Decision Making." DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

Jason, you may not be able to charge admission, but can you ask for donations? ask people to show their support and help keep the tradition alive! talking points were mentioned in an earlier thread, mainly focused on NPS access. it might be helpful to develop points on this and other topics as well. if the local tv stations plan on the same extended broadcast as in 2004, they may welcome more material... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

I'm actually more interested in what's up with importing rangers from elsewhere. where really? some park within driving distance? or will it be used for the NPS to, uh, "educate" staff from CA? if so, will the WV staff become more hardcore, or the CA staff more understanding? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

o.k. RL, it looks like Chris has identified himself... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

also sounds like bureacrats protecting their budgets. the current administration is not known for flooding the NPS with money. I can easily see some higher up stating "either start recoverying costs, or make cuts elsewhere." the big question is why they need 5 rangers. has someone been issued a special use permit? that $2500 bill works out to about $5 per slot. the nasty bit is the potential travel costs. and again, Thank You Jason. keep up the good work. events like yours help break the stereotype of BASE jumpers being uncontrollable, irresponsible, and reckless. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

in a recent discussion with a skydiver with over 15,000 jumps, he says his neck and spine are now curved thanks to so many openings with his side mount camera. while I doubt ANYBODY will accumulate that many BASE jumps, the openings are much more energetic. years ago, I talked with a dedicated cameraman who claimed the US air force had conducted studies. he advised against bracing your chin against your chest. it tends to act as a fulcrum, increasing the risk to your neck. he suggested putting your head back, and filming your opening. just don't try and "lock" your neck muscles. the dynamics of opening thus position your body beneath your head, back to where it belongs. (of course, BASE body positions differ from standard belly flight...) I did at least 100 video jumps, with a big, heavy, top mounted Hi8 camera. used a crisp opening Sabre too boot. more than once, I was quite thankful for his advice. I have no intention of jumping a camera for BASE. it's just another detail, an added complication. such "mediation" distracts from the actual jump. just my personal opinion. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse