base570

It looks to be an exciting year for weather at Bridge Day. Seems like it's going to be cold, rainy and windy Get the video cameras ready!!! 570

Just wondering what everyone thought of the new Continuum II flik. I really liked the interviews with Hank, the Pick and Jimmy. It added a nice personal touch. It also had some nice jumps from all over the world with a fitting soundtrack. It had some funny stuff and many crash and burn jumps, however, I thought it lacked some things. Some of the jump sequences ran too long and you couldn't really tell one jump from the other after a while. Also some of the carnage footage is not new and has been passed around and seen by many. The beginning is a bit slow but the action picks up near the end. Overall it was good and worth watching again. You could tell everyone involved put a lot of hard work into every detail of this film. Jason 570 PS-I really liked the opening packing sequence. Nice job!

congrats!!! You guys looked extremely happy on Saturday night

[reply Anyone out there using sail sliders? Thomas I personally don't use sail sliders... they are too unpredictable in distance chewed up on opening. I have maybe 200-300 terminal jumps (10-22 seconds) and have found that mesh sliders, large and small, offer the most consistant openings in terms of altitude loss and heading performance. Jason 570

I Agree. When I spoke with TM this past weekend he wasn't too happy about the day jumps that were going on at that freestander that he has been jumping without any hassles for YEARS. I'll introduce all of you to him at BD. He is a very likable guy with tons of knowledge and information plus over 1000 BASE jumps so he just might have some good points that have not been discussed. See you at BD, Jason 570

From what I saw and the reports that were passed around at Royal Gorge, he was jumping a 'clapped out' TRIATHALON 135. Not a very smart choice for any BASE jump IMHO, especially from a pioneer who claims to know everything about BASE. It looked as if it took 400+ feet to open, then when it did open it never flew correctly. Looked as if it was in brakes the whole way then it stalled and spun dropping him into the talus. Since the winds were starting to pick up and the canopy was not fully functional and he was over a steep embankment, I think he might have also got some funky winds coming up the talus to help to contribute to the stall. An approach over the water, I think, might have helped and been safer. I'm in the same boat as most jumpers who have met Robin, I don't particularily like him or his attitude but I hate to see people get injured. So heal up Robin... the sport wouldn't be the same without all your love and compassion

Nice one Avery! Jason 570

Well Justin I would have expected a little more from you but I guess all that time in California changed you somehow. So you were there to supervise in case something happened?? Hell my grandma could have done the same supervising job you did. Why not take the wires out of play??? Why jump a guyed antenna on your first jump in the first place?? THINK MAN!! The main issue here is safety, I dont care the site got burned I'm just glad everyone is uninjured and alive. It would be a much worse headline if it had the word 'death' or 'died' in it. Please think a little before you attempt this again. 570 ps-I agree that it sure would have been some funny shit to see.

I am a very experienced NC jumper and I would like to be a part of the town meeting that is being planned. Unfortunatly I'll be out of town this weekend (royal gorge) and won't be able to make it. I believe that something needs to be done about this(plus many more things) and I think that ALL the jumpers in NC and SC have a say in it, not just the ones in that part of the state or DZ, because obviously they cannot make safe decisions on their own and it is directly affecting many jumpers in the 2 states they are near. I agree with you Kevin that the # of jumpable sites in NC is dwindling and safety issues are clearly evident, so either everyone sees that right now and we put a stop to this bullshit or we just let all the sites get burned and we let people get hurt and die. The choice is ours.... which will it be?? Frickin' Knuckleheads Jason BASE 570 Edited to add:

It looked to me like an arrest the whole time. Felix didn't look too concerned about getting away after he jumped, he spent too much time looking for the cameras and media. I mean did they really think that he wouldn't be seen by the huge ship right underneath him? I wish I had unlimited funds so I could jump anything I wanted anytime I wanted.

Hell, I thought you we're talking about that redneck bar near Bunn out near the DZ. I was wondering why Joe,s band would be playing there. phew, I'm glad we cleared that up!!!! 570

If all the proper conditions are met, you could survive a 15 story BASE jump. Many factors would have to be anylized though. So did you do your job and rescue the crapping coworker or did you leave him to burn? 570

Sorry man, I didn't mean to cause you any problems. I was just looking for some altitude BASE 570

All bow down to Arch Bishop McFurry... I will be Pope one day. As soon as I get my nuts in order Alter egos - Lieutenant Crazypaws and Furry Bignuts Peace base570

Been looking forward to this one for a long time!!! Jason 570

Glad to see you back, Marion. I missed you

Looks like team USA is in first place in all FS catagories so far!! Sweet

Good luck Talbert. Kick some ass over there!!

he's paralysed from the chest down, I believe. Quite an inspiration

Pussy!! One of my dream jumps would be into the eye of a hurricane How fast can you climb since no planes will be taking off???

Nice one Yuri!! CONGRATULATIONS!! We'll have to get together soon, now that I'm back in the states. Maybe Michelle will pack for me too this time!! Jason 570

Hi John, I'm not the one who needs my ego stroked John because I'm not the one who is trying to teach everyone who comes to me and says "wow BASE is cool, I'm going to jump are you going to show me or what??" I have turned down dozens of people because I felt that they didn't really want to learn BASE they just wanted an amusement park ride. I have even turned down close friends because they couldn't or wouldn't take the proper steps to learn the skills that are needed in BASE. I try to steer the people that ask about it in the right direction by telling them to take their time getting really comfortable with flying and packing a big 7 cell canopy, to learn tracking skills, to take a class with the manufacturers, to put forth the effort to learn as if their life depended on because IT DOES! Most people that want my help get the same curriculum and I can say that almost all have said "oh, it's to much work" or "it's too time consuming" or it will "cost too much money" In my opinion, these people don't need to be BASE jumping because they have little regard for their own wellbeing and safety and can't bring themselves to do more than a half assed job. Most of these people have forgotten about BASE because it wasn't easily attainable. Sure some still have that desire but at least they have all the facts and have some sort of idea of what it takes to to be as safe as possible in the sport and what it would take for me to help them. I strongly feel that if you would have the same discretion when choosing students that you would not be in the situation your in now with your new student. The new student would see how meticulous you are in choosing, preparing and planning for every jump and they in turn would do the same and they would know that they don't have the knowledge yet to teach anyone. I think you have set the bad example by taking everyone who asks and, as you have seen, your students have and will do the same as their teacher. Also, your statement "Why would someone travel to another place looking for someone with more jumps or experience when they dont even know you [them]?" fails to make sense. So are saying that people wanting to learn shouldn't go to manufactures courses because they don't know them?? This is ridiculous! What I said was that he failed to get other OPINIONS on the safe path to BASE jumping and choosing a mentor. I wouldn't have taught him to jump anyway, I don't need that kind of reassuring, I would have given him some skills to practice and some phone numbers to call to get set up with a course. I guess we are just different in this aspect. You believe that it's a big amusement park ride and I KNOW it is not. Once again good luck in talking with your student, I truly hope that you are able to get the point across and get this issue resolved. 570 ps-Thanks for posting the first picture it pretty well sums up your attitude now, just as it has been all along. pps- A good "vibe" won't do crap for you when the shit hits the fan, but good skills can.

Dear Mr. McDuck, I think I have already told everyone about my screw-up if you would have looked here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1029422;search_string=base%20prophets;#1029422 you would have seen that, but I guess you failed to search around. Just like you failed to do your homework when looking for a mentor. You stated in your other post that "as a brand-spanking new neophyte to BASE, I personally would only seek out the best and most experienced BASE jumpers to get me started, the ones who not only have been doing it for quite a while, but also come highly recommended by their peers." This statement shows just how ill-prepared you are for BASE. I think that you must have just been looking only at your DZ and not anywhere else since there are at least 4 other jumpers in the Carolinas that have at least DOUBLE the experience that your mentor does. Also who were the 'peers' you talked to? People who he took on a jump from his DZ? Don't you think that those opinions might be slightly biased? Open those funny little eyes of yours Mr. McDuck and you would see that there is a whole lot more than just your little DZ out there to get opinions from. I'm not saying John is a bad person because I know he is not. His heart is in the right place, I just think he is a little too eager (just like his newest student) to teach everyone, no matter what their skill level, who has even the slightest interest in BASE. He's a DZO for crying out loud, he has to keep his clientele happy, right?? Otherwise they would bail and jump at another DZ, which means loss of revenue. As far as the pictures in skydiving goes... do you really think that I have control over the person that took the photos? The shots were news to me when the mag came out. Someone else had to show me. Thanks for the little pun at the beginning of your post, you should take that act on the road. It sure was funny! Oh, and if you're going to be an 'asshat' please do your research first and know what your talking about. 570

Matt, So no one has gotten hurt, huh?? Aren't you laid up now from not knowing how to jump slider up? So did John teach you that? How about a busted up ankle from jumping in unfavorable conditions that happened to one of his 'students'. I could give more examples but there is no need to... It's quite funny that you think John 'runs the show' in NC, I guess either he has made you believe that or you didn't put in the time or effort to look around and find other more experienced BASE jumpers in the area. If you did you would have found out that most of the sites that John and his crew are jumping were opened up and continually jumped by.... you guessed it someone else! In fact I know of a few jumpers that would be offended with that statement! Heal fast 570

Yes John I remember the reasons but I guess you do not.... As I remember you had asked 515 if you could tag along on a BASE excursion to scope out new sites that we had planned well in advance of your request. 515 respectfully declined because he thought it was over your head since you had NO jumps and NO idea how to pack even though you had many skydives. So you got pissed and went out to 3 sites that weekend and jumped all 3 (B