MMK

Appologies in advance for my ignorance. I note from a number of your responses that you are a fan of the D-Bag, which I have not seen in action, but I think I know what you are referring to. I thought that in BASE, D-Bag means "Direct Bag" (a direct bag is held by someone standing at the exit--it never leaves the object). [Quote from Tom in a different thread]. So, if I am alone or the last one off, how do you suggest I overcome the issue of, well, being without anyone to hold the D-Bag? Unfortunately I have not met anyone around my place who is happy to free-fall after they have D-Bagged me (which sounds very wrong). I like the various (recent) discussions on SL and have read all the personal views and opinions by individuals - they made me review my procedures and I am content with what I do with SL jumps. What do I do, who cares - I think it is about what makes you feel comfy. The two rubber band, no bridle & PC with the break cord at the canopy all makes sense to me, however, the added complexity and the fact I don't have a PC does go against the grain what I belive works for me - which does not mean it is wrong, just personally, it is not for me. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. - Indian leaders and a former astronaut stepped gingerly beyond the Grand Canyon's rim Tuesday, staring through the glass floor and into the 4,000-foot chasm below during the opening ceremony for a new observation deck. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070320/ap_on_re_us/grand_canyon_skywalk;_ylt=Aq0Bv6bCNngae2q48JtPiBqs0NUE Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

I will be landing in Zurich 31 May AM and departing on 13 June AM. I will be hiring a car and have a mid-trip commitment further north. I will contact the local jumpers closer to the time, but thought I just trow this out there in case others are planning to be in the general area over this period and want to get together for a jump/beer or three. If anybody has any advice/horror stories, please share since this will be my first trip to what by all accounts, is an awesome place for our activity. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

ah, you were bored anyway and had nothing else to do and we consider you our favourite adopted local when you visit Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

pm send Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Howdy, will be out there - if anyone is out there over that period and fancies doing a few jumps together please PM me and we can see if we can work something out Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Thanks to all that responded to my Qs - Jack it is since I only live about 45mins from the only place in the world where it is distilled. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Not a 100% related, but valid (in my opinion none the less). Did an outdoor First Aid Course the other day and the instructor asked what the best First Aid kit was. I rambled on about all the niceties of what to have and he just looked at me and said: "Its whatever you got". No point flying XYZ and wishing you had QWERTY - tough luck! Mick Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

I am not convinced by this argument. Beginners under guidance take a lot more time in preperation and planning for what might be considered a 'simple' jump. They will walk out to the Potatoe bridge, try to see things they have been told about to look out for and eventually decide to go to the car park and put their gear on and re-check the conditions and go for it. The danger group is the one that has progressed from beginner to intermediate and now feel in the 'saf(er) zone - done it a couple of times, know whats going on and go for it - of course there is always the surprise that on jump 51 things are completely different. Then you get to the experienced group that walks out and does the stuff with plenty of experience in the bag - I mean I was at the Potatoe bridge once and I thought 'No Way' and all the Aussies and NZ gang jumped anyway despite landing everytime going backwards in the rock garden - but they had the skill to do it everytime without a scratch. I truly think the issue is with people who transit from beginner to intermediate (whatever that is) - you suddenly 'think' you know what you are doing and you push beyond their personal limits. I think that is different from advanced jumpers who push the limit of what can be done. Of course, I forgot to mention that beginners are driven by numbers and objects, whilst the experienced folks are happy to sit a jump out if it does not feel 100% for them - so I agree with that. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Howdy, Currently trying to get my admin together for a Swiss Valley trip next June. Couple of admin Qs. Donation Box. Is this a per day thing or a once off? What is the going rate - having spend time in Europe and the USA, I have found some considerable differences in 'recommended indication of gratitude'. What's the story with Canadian whiskey? If they like hard liqour, I doubt you can beat Strohrum (Austrian I think) and if you want fine whiskey, well, you can't beat a single malt whiskey from Scotland. I gather Jack is popular in Germany and the UK, so what is the deal? In case any Aussies read this, I appreciate you 'National' rum. Cheers and bottoms up (or sandy bottoms for you Navy Guys) Mick Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Ah, I got clearly confused with the GPS and emergency signal and assumed that the GPS was required to pin your location rather than use triangulation based on th signal put out by the emergency signal. So, the GPS is a back-up that enhances the standard emergency service id GPS reception is available. Unless, I am missing the obvious, it sound like a 'nice-to-have' if you jump off the beaten path? Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Thanks for that - did see that info. It is my understanding that you need at least three satellites for an accurate fix (and of course have to be conscious to activate the system). I think you only need one satellite for a satelite phone, but you require continuous 'view' to remain in contact. If you use the PLB, is a single satelite adequate if you provide your location prior to departure, which I think ACR offers (date/duration/route/number in party, etc)? Initial thought is that a PLB is a bit like an AAD - do you want to die with a grant in your bank, or in our case, possibly suffer in a canyon for a day and a half before someone walks by. I think it is a 'one-off' buy and as long as you are in real trouble, rescue is free - world-wide. Anybody know any different? Mick Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Anybody using them? What are peoples' views? Any recomendations? Sounds like a 'nice to have' in remote areas and/or where there is no cell phone coverage. Probably of little use if you are by yourself lying in a canyon next to a cliff, but your buddy should be able to move to the open, otherwise you just have to crawl! Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

I will be visiting - anybody around let me know and we can work something out. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Define 'Drunk' I am not a medical porsen, but I was under the impression that although alcohol is a depressent, in the early stages of alcohol consumption awareness and reaction goes up. I also seem to be under the impression that police officers look for 'extra' careful drivers after closing time to identify potential DIUs, i.e. people who drive below the speed limit and reduce speed before any junctions. So, one could argue that being slightly drunk makes you react better in an emergency situation and that packing whilst very drunk makes you more 'careful' about packing Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Which one is in you 'memory bank' and you are going to talk to your buddies about or the ones you cherish - the one the canopy opened as planned or the one 'holly sh*t - I can't believe I walked away from that one'. Fully agree that canopy opening is fundamental, but sometimes, memories are forged by those jumps that did not go quiete right (or of course challanging jumps that went just as planned - a bit of an oxymoron I agree, but, IMHY, sometimes true - its the memories that counts, well, and of course to be around to think/talk about them). Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

I think so - got myself two paperback copies last year and they were both new. Sorry, cant exactly remember where I ordered them in the UK, but it was slightly less than the price quoted on Amazon last time I checked Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

cheaper here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_b/203-1161179-5375154?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=simon+jakeman&Go.x=11&Go.y=14 Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

'Reading Between The Lines', it looks like you have been taking some of the 'BLINC Battle' you have been involved in to heart! Is this a cheap shot at Nick's call to revive the 'BASE Board'? I run with the other comments on this - we got choices and we can pick and choose. Nobody makes us read a particular forum and I think it 'odd' that it is suggested to leave a particular forum 'on mass' without an overwhelming argument as to why? Please elaborate why I need to leave this evil place. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Might be of interest when you make your choice http://www.basewiki.com/wiki/pmwiki.php/Gear/Gear Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Please PM me if you jump, have jumped or have any info on jumping in or near Huntsville, AL. Thanks Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Dear All - HELP, I will be returning to the UK in Aug 07 and am planning to take some time off. I hope to get a mini-van and tour the UK, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Italie, Denmark, Norway, etc. Anybody out there who would be happy to PM me with 'general areas' would be a star. I will of course speak to all the locals prior to my arrival to talk 'detail'. I know it is a year our, but need to safe up and make plans. Thanks for all the help in advance and any country I missed, no harm meant. Mick Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

OK, we are getting into my favourite 'What If' situation. I strongly believe that it is easy to think I would do this or that in the comfort of your home, but unless you are in trouble you dont actually know what you will do rather than think what you might or wish you did. This jumper, decided the conditions were not right for him, he decided that he was to exhausted to carry his gear safely down to the bottom, he decided to not recover his gear after the jump (ahm, cant understand this one at all - especially since it potentially burned the sight). There are plenty of people out there who video and publish, so why are people getting so excited about word of mouth? I personally think that if he enjoys BASE, he will get gear and continue to do what he does. Maybe, rather than dissing him, you could include him and with time, he will become more to your liking. Clearly he needs some guidance, since it sounds like he jumped by himself with plenty of locals around - a few sessions in the gym or around the yard might also help to be able to carry that 'heavy rig' down if required. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

Mac, Firstly I am neither an instructor, nor have I a vested interest in a FBJ company. Your 'gripe' is a little thin on details, so I can only 'assume' that a UK skydiver came over to the States, did a FBJC, returned to the UK and you think he/she is an 'asshole'. Well, I doubt the course turned him/her into said 'asshole' - I would suggest that the original 'product' was probably flawed. I have attended one of these FBJCs and, in my opinion, because of the 'control' involved, the 'asshole' does not come to the surface. Once you have given someone the tools, it is not possible to control individual's actions - unless you are proposing a BASE licensing system so one can weed out the jumpers the committee does not like/agree with. In summary, I think your criticism of individual instructors or FBJC companies might be harsh since it sounds to me that the indiviudual you are referring to had most likely the shortfalls you disagree with before he came over here. If you feel that strongly about it, write to the company and the individual and tell them that, in your opinion, they have been careless - they probably don't even know who you are referring to, so this post might be a little 'weak' on potential impact. Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

I have just returned from a few days at TF and found the people as friendly as ever. People in the hotel schedueled their trips to the bridge on our packing and some tourist guides asked us if we were willing to wait 10 minutes, so that others could come and watch. As always, we got the odd encouragement from people in cars driving past. My personal opinion of the article is that it is making a valid point. If there are 'big', 'organised' events that draw on additional resources, then those people organizing it should foot some of the bill. However, as a side note, if I had to pay a 'usage' fee, I would expect something in return, i.e. would we have 'unlimited' call on police and emergency services? I feel that if this motion should take momentum, we would need to engage the authorities and find a middle ground. Maybe it is acceptable for 'organised' events to charge an access fee, but those who jump in small groups during the week should not have to pay for the privilege. On a side note, I would be happy to pay $10 a day if it included transport from the landing area to the visitors center Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.