JaapSuter

What part of Canada?

Thanks for posting the information Clint, I appreciate it. One last question; this jumper is not yet convinced that risers might have been a better option here? Do you know if the hundred skydives he did had a strong base focus, e.g. practicing rear riser turns, low approaches, etc.? Is skydive-MOAB still considering to launch a base-focused skydiving course?

People should realize that FJC requirements are just that: FJC requirements. Having enough skydives to do an FJC is not enough skydives to become a well-rounded base jumper. But I'm doing the pot-kettle thing here, so I'll shut up now...

How many jumps in the past six months? How many jumps total? Is there an indication why he didn't go for risers? Was it a conscious decision, inexperience, a poor decision made during panic? Are you referring to base jumpers starting with very little to no skydives, or are you referring to base jumpers that stop skydiving once they are base jumping? I'm glad to hear the jumper is doing okay. Do you have any thoughts on how the public perceives legal jumping at Moab these days? There was another incident quite recently, and it only takes a small amount of incidents to jeopardize the fragile nature of base' legal status in Moab.

Do you have more information? Was it a large seven-cell canopy at least? Do you know if this person was using this canopy on other jumps as well? Any idea what kind of protection? Knee guards, top body armour, helmet with camera? Thanks, Jaap

Thanks for sharing this. At what point on the canopy was the line-over? Was the corner just bend down, or was it a full-on bow-tie with the line close to the center of the canopy? What kind of tools (number of clamps, bungees, tie off lines near center) did you use on this packjob? What kind of tailgate closure? Black or normal rubberband, larkhead or not, how many wraps? Did you try clearing the line-over by pumping the steering lines, or did you throw them away immediately? How violent was the 270? Do you think this was about as fast as you could have cleared it? Edit to add question; did you try to maintain a heading at all? Do you think it would have been possible to counter steer the turn with a riser and avoid the imaginery object behind you? Sorry for all the questions. Probably the biggest cause of your line-over was just random chaos, but I'm curious about the little details anyway. Thanks again!

Thread in Incidents Forum

Thread in the BASE forum.

This story is reprintable. It's one of the short stories of his new book and he is touring the country reading it in bookstores. Apparently in some places people have actually fainted during the reading. I'm not sure if that's a marketing ploy or not, but when I got to the part about the corn, peanuts and vitamin pill, I felt a few muscles in my body contract. I had to look up and away from the book several times while reading it. It's quite a disturbing story indeed, but what makes it so good is how it takes so few words to get to that point. That takes talent, a lot of hard work and a very sick and twisted mind. My favourites are still Survivor, Fight Club and Invisible Monsters, in that order. Thought Choke was pretty good too, but I didn't fancy Diary and Refugees and Fugitives so much. I'm still working on Haunted, and so far it's great.

A brilliant short story by Chuck Palahniuck, not for the faint of heart: Guts (PDF) Enjoy...

Hey Nick, do you have any thoughts on Jeff Hawkin's work?

Rectal surgery isn't that expensive anymore these days. Eric; definitely drop Abbie a note. He's great to jump with and very conservative. He's also not afraid to go against the grain if something else works better or safer. He managed to convert me into a top-down closer!

I disagree. I think western civilization has become bored enough to overcome its fear of heights. Just look at the success of bungee jumping and more recently the number of people deathcamped of the Potato into the water. This works because they realize a PCA jump reduces the chance of a total significantly. Not getting a parachute out is what scares people. We tell them that's not their biggest problem and hell will break lose. Don't get me wrong. I don't give a rat's ass about the person who's going to kill himself without any training whatsoever. I strongly believe in Darwinism. However, I do care about objects that other people have worked hard for, as well as the image of our sport. The public won't make the distinction between an experienced jumper dying and a beginner killing himself. Both have equally disastrous concequences for the general perception towards our sport. Edited to add: While I may not shed any tears over anybody who kills himself without training for it, that doesn't mean I won't try to help him if he asks for my advice.

Hey Eric, Correct me if I'm wrong, but you haven't done an FJC with anybody, have you? Have you considered taking one? One often overlooked advantage of doing an FJC is that it will give you contacts in the sport. This increases the network of people you know, as well as provide references for other people. When I came back from my FJCs, I tried getting in touch with people too. When I did, I could tell them to ask Tom or Jimmy if they wanted to know what kind of jumper I was. Of course, for me this worked the complete opposite way because Tom and Jimmy are way too honest about me. This scared away all other active jumpers in my neighbourhood, leaving me all alone in crane paradise. But that's just me. Do an FJC, get to know your teacher as well as the fellow students you take the course with. Within no time, you'll meet the people they know, and the people they know, and the people they know, ad infinitum.

I'll try to continue this discussion, because I think it's interesting. Feel free to split the thread. From your article on getting into base: Do you still hold this opinion? Would you be in favour of an online database of technical base information? What if the information in this manual is enough for any person to buy a rig on Ebay and do a jump? What is stopping them from skipping the FJC, skipping the locals, and hurting themselves on a local object? The general public still believes that a total malfunction is the biggest risk in base. As soon as people realize the real risk is object strike, they'll think it's something they can control to a degree. Then the cat will be out of the bag. Many people trust their own skill more than properly used and maintained gear. Case in point; backcountry skiing. Surely I'm a good enough skieer to avoid that avalanche... I'm all for disseminating knowledge as widespread as possible, but I also think that lowering the barrier into base will hurt the sport in the long run.

I already sharted my pants when I felt the tiny little shock touching the live Gravity Towers in your neighbourhood. Fortunately I got rewarded with a jump. I can not imagine how tough a radiation treatment must be. Wishing you the best Nick!

What's that? The effects of shark-cuddle sessions to improve spaghetti digestion? For those that didn't know, NickNitro71 is a neuroscientist, so he occasionally knows what he's talking about. Don't let him fool you into believing he's Italian though.

Certainly not me, and I apologize if my comments made it seem that way. However, I also think that simply stating the following would have sufficed: "Using standard 80 pound breakcord is what most experienced base jumpers recommend. Find another jumper to demonstrate the technique to you. It's not hard once you know how to do it, but a simple rigging error can easily lead to a total or a hangup." I mean, if we extend your line of reasoning, what is stopping us from posting complete rigging, packing and jumping manuals? Admittedly the information is already out there, scattered over manufacturer's manuals and forums, but it's quite different from a Base For Dummies book. It's a grey area. The information on this forum is great. But there should be an entry-level barrier that can only be obtained through real life experience from FJCs or more traditional mentoring. In my very fragile opinion, somebody that is going to take up base jumping ought to have heard the term static-line. Just as somebody who shows up for a hand-held jump at the Perrine ought to know that routing your bridle over your shoulder (tuck or velcro) is a good idea. If that sounds unrelated, PM me. I can't believe that myself, of all people, is writing this. Arg... Loved your post Chad!

It's also a great encouragement for the mentally challenged to buy a rig on Ebay and huck themselves from the wrong bridge. Based on a true story.

Are you continuing project pBase? Better let me know when, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Ah wait, that's part of the F.H.A.T., right? Awesome! I'm so going to be there!

It's not just on the BASE board! It's in real life too! I have it from a trustworthy source that Abbie walked down from a jump yesterday because the winds were too high! What's wrong Abbie? Are you getting wise? What is the world coming too...

Most people use 80 and loop it to make for 160. More info in this post.

Thanks dude! A great addition to the other thread about static-line jumping. I have mixed feelings about posting base 'tutorials' online, but this seems useful. For anybody that's going to attempt their first static-line jump, remember there is no substitute for seeing a mentor or otherwise experienced jumper demonstrating the technique first hand.

I'll highjack this thread to ask about something related. I recently saw a video of a person jumping from the corner of a building. He had laid his pilotchute on the edge of the building behind him. He jumped, trailed the pilotchute for a bit and then opened fairly high. What would be the reasons for doing this? I don't think it would open quicker than a traditional hand-held jump, would it? The potential risk is that there is never a snatch force, instead the drag slowly increases over time, increasing the chances of towing. The other danger seems that the pilotchute could hang up somewhere if the edge of the building has snatch points. All in all, I couldn't see why this type of jump would ever be preferable over a go-and-throw. Any ideas? Thanks, Jaap Suter

Don't climb down until somebody verbally asks you to. I have accumulated three hours of wait time on four different jumps, waiting completely frozen because I thought I had been spotted. After a while, they dissapear. If it's dark, and you don't move, they can't see you. They'll think it's a false alarm, or that they're too late. Patience is your friend, and I can think of few better places to use it than on a jumpable object in the middle of the night. I'm sure most jumpers here have stories of more impressive wait times.