base935

I checked it out thinking it was a demo of SDSD's tandem video intro. Its 17 minutes, you can just throw this on skydivingmovies. I have plenty of vids that I've made, and don't post them into several forums... Gravity Research Institute

Can't jump the Perrine because of a toddler? Isn't Miles a TF local, and doesn't he have two toddlers? Gravity Research Institute

The problem isn't a good or bad representation of BASE in the media. If we, as BASE jumpers want to change it, get over the "look at me" factor that we all have, and stop posting your cranes, buildings, and towers on youtube, so that fascinated whoffos and skydivers get these wrong impressions with. Go downtown and help old ladies across the street with your rig on. Take the extra time to talk politely for 3 minutes and answer all the dumb questions that people from all over the country, when they visit the Perrine, have. They'll go back home and tell stories, show pics and videos back in whatever city they live. We have, or had, Stunt junkies, which portrayed professional BASE jumpers as highly-trained experts, capable of doing seemingly impossible things because they have the skill to do so. And Eli is a skydiver and BASE jumper, and being the host, could keep it going in a positive light direction. The problem that lots of BASE jumpers are having with Tom's ESPN involvement is several fold. Tom is for all practical purposes a has-been. He might be a nice guy, but he has a long history of making significant mistakes and lapses in judgment, causing himself to almost kill himself three times. He hasn't jumped in, from what I hear, four years, and his background in BASE has been widely dismissed by most as exaggerated. He might have lots of "knowledge", but as we all know, there are plenty of opinions in BASE, and Tom's "knowledge" is based on his opinions, and oftentimes, not widely accepted. Perhaps sometimes completely inaccurate. He is a very intelligent, articulate, and personable guy, who can be presented well. However, and I don't want to speak for others, rolled into Twin Falls after he quit jumping, with the intentions of becoming the "voice of BASE". He has been improving his image, and creating himself as a household name, being the only moderator on dropzone, unfairly banning opposition and applying the rules from this internet forum (lets all remember this is just the internet) differently to those who are friends or not pro-Tom. Not to question his intentions, Tom has been teaching FJCs for no cost, which would make me like him as a newbie, as opposed to spending $1200 or spending months or years chasing a crew around and putting in groundcrew time. Also, by making the free course seem to be as highly sought after as acceptance into the US Air Force Academy, he has created the illusion that Tom is the Alpha male in BASE. There are several ways to improve the public's perception of BASE, if that is your intention. But to attempt to gain free advertising to your FJC by inviting ESPN, which as far as I know, primarily shows BASE jumpers going into buildings, dams, and generally getting seriously injured on RealTV style shows. I was trying to think if I have ever seen anything positive from them about BASE, and I have seen tons of near fatalities sensationalized on the network. If you like Tom or not, and know him well or not- his intentions are unknown to all of us. Yes, he might be doing a great job teaching all these new jumpers, and flooding the market with newbies coming back to your neighborhood, creating pro-Tom internet jumpers to solidify and/or improve his reputation or image within the BASE community. Tom does not have any control of the outcome of the segment, and if it was a written article for ESPN.com, as he claims, they wouldn't have sent out 4 videographers with the producer, writers, etc, for 8 days, and had side floating videos of the students jumps. On top of talking to one of the camera guys stating that it was for a new show premiering in October. Tom might be a nice guy, but as he is "improving the perception" of BASE, he is also satisfying his ego and getting the TV air time that he craves. He can't jump a semi off Greenie, or jump a dirt bike from 150', so we'll just secure the Perrine FJC monopoly using an hour-long network program, encouraging non-jumpers and 100+ skydivers to get into BASE. What ever happened to having it on the dl, and earning and working for it, instead of having it advertised to you? I simply wonder how Tom would have responded to MilesD teaching a ESPN televised FJC. Nobody could argue that Miles is a very personable, highly experienced and talented BASE jumper. And current. And he has more connections with far more powerful forces in television and marketing. He would have easily been able to coordinate, smooze the cameras, and portray BASE in the positive light. But he didn't. Nobody else did. Nobody else needed the attention, in such a huge way, to compensate for something that they once had. Gravity Research Institute

Hey Tom, if you disagree with it so much, why don't you remove the pictures? Tony is right. You're selective implementation of dorkzone rules is getting ridiculous. Yes, its everyone's choice to come here or not, but you are creating an environment that is based on lies, misinformation, and bias. As to the poster, YES- they are in order. Maybe next swoop comp or skydive boogie you're at, I'll be waiting there with a cookie Sunday night if nobody femurs in... Gravity Research Institute

Can we keep this in dz.com fashion and turn this into a "post a pic of your first BASE jump?" I think that would be dropzonealiciously cool... Gravity Research Institute

Well, when my buddy and I were BASEing and taking tandem vids, we used the long, VHS labels from the tandem videos. Since we were in a windy place with high humidity, and all of that irrelivant paranoid stuff, it worked well. Didn't have a lineover there at least. Try it, you'll never, ever have a lineover again. Smirk. Gravity Research Institute

No, you didn't charge them. Instead you got something of much more value. Attention! And Tom, I find it very trusting of ESPN, that they would invest thousands of dollars in several professional videographers, writers, interviewers, etc., for a week, and not have anyone sign a release. Just so you can "approve" of the finished product before release. Of course, everyone trusts you though, right?... Gravity Research Institute

Thanks Tom. I look forward to you mass-educating the general public via ESPN. Tom, if you want people to like you, there might be other ways than to mass-produce new jumpers who think you're cool. Maybe try a BASE jump yourself. It doesn't inspire confidence in their teacher when you flick people off, and and then the instructor walks back from the bridge. I'm sure you're intentions are good, and I have to say that I like your FJC the best. However, maybe we need to take a look at who is doing FJCs, and what they are doing it for. If there are several people/groups who are relying on teaching courses for a living, maybe we need to decide if we collectively feel that is good for BASE tomorrow. Thanks for helping to make BASE a household word! Gravity Research Institute

Where is Tom? It's been 42 minutes! Gravity Research Institute

HG, I was thinking along the same lines. I used to think this forum was great. However, the more and more questions I read about which PC to use from 330', do I jump the antenna near my house when the wind is down the wire or between, and the like- I wonder how many people are just getting gear somewhere and just figuring it out on their own, thanks to all the super helpful advice here on dorkzone. (Oh, I hope I don't get banned!) To the guy with bigger balls than me, who is going at it alone, hopefully in the dark, without a FJC or mentor- is your life really worth that little? Good luck! (and I really mean that, this isn't skydiving, and it isn't safe...) Gravity Research Institute

I would recommend practicing on the new BASE video game. Freefall a couple times from 100m, the huck it for real! Don't be a pussy... Gravity Research Institute

Nick, do you have a spine? I'm sure you spent a lot of time maintaining that site, and then take it down because one group, who honestly doesn't give a F brings up a post when one of their friends goes in? Didn't you cower down with that ebonic translator, because one person said they were offended? Add, I don't care either way about the list, it serves a purpose to new and old jumpers alike, but it serves a greater purpose to the media... Gravity Research Institute

I wrote a bunch, and deleted it out of respect for Jimmy Hall. Lets not disrespect Jimmy by bickering about him on dorkzone. Gravity Research Institute

I don't usually bother writing replies to posts like this but its a slow morning: If you want to feel the rush, just once like you said, then Bridge Day would be a great option. I seriously wanted to get into BASE when I had about 200 skydives, but in the year or 18 months that I was reading and learning everything that I could about BASE, watching videos to learn from watching others styles as well as mistakes, I had about 425 skydives. When I got done with my first BASE jump, I remember thinking that I was very grateful that the way things went, I had every jump since 200. I would have done fine with 200, but I learned a lot about general canopy flight, had that "experience" watching videos and talking to people, and overall had scared a lot of scaredness out of myself with a couple routine skydive mals and the things that happen when jumping out of planes 200 versus 425 times. Its a heck of a thing to BASE jump. Its a heck of a thing to get someone to help bring you into the sport. And its a heck of a thing to ask strangers online, with marginal experience, and without gear, to risk and take you to their local objects and possibly take you to the hospital. BASE is a personal journey, maybe while you slow down and round up some patience, you can build up some extra experience, and look within yourself and find out not only why you want to jump, but if you want to take that first hit from the crack pipe. You're life will be different every day afterwards... I'm writing this not only to you but all the other skydiving lurkers who dream of jumping. BASE rocks. I couldn't not do it. But it isn't what you think. Remember when you tried explaining to whoffos after your first skydive, and you told them how it was the greatest rush, compressed into 50 seconds of freefall? Well, take everything that you know, and compress 100x that into 2-3 seconds. It isn't for everyone... Keep jumping, until skydiving loses the edge. Keep reading here and other techinical BASE websites. Learn all you can. Download everything on skydivingmovies, and watch everyones crashes and I love me videos. Analyze the bad ones to see what they did wrong. Analyze the good ones to see what they did right. Save $1500 for your first rig, and pack it 20 times before you want to jump. You'll appreciate every pack job, just like every skydive you did since, when you are standing at the exit point the first time. Talk to people like tfelber when you come out, buy him beer and listen to everything he has to say. He'll tell you some stories that will make you wonder if its worth it to you. It is to him. Watch him and his bros jump if given the chance. Keep sponging it up. And don't be in a hurry. As often is the case, you only hurry to an accident. If you made it this far, congrats. I hope something that I typed made a little sense, and helped alter your BASE experience to make it a little more safe and/or enjoyable. Gravity Research Institute

Maybe TomA is taking his medication, and there isn't a need for multiple online personalities recently... Gravity Research Institute

How about non-skydiver/non-BASE jumper and non-BASE jumpers moderating a BASE forum! Ha! Gravity Research Institute

Anyone experience any issues with small mesh on thier terminal pcs? I've only jumped large hole. I use my 38" for 4-7 sec delays, 7+ gets my 32". Its a 280, figure its a heavy packjob coming out, erring on the side of more pull... Gravity Research Institute

Tom, can you please post the video so that we can all learn from this potentially fatal situation? Thanks! Gravity Research Institute

Thanks Tom, within 4 minutes of Douggs post!!! Gravity Research Institute

I know there were several groups and individuals trying to work with the NPS to get the silliness stopped- where is it now, and how much progress has been made? What is the best way to keep advancing? Letters to the NPS politicians? Letters to Congress? Another protest jump? Or just keep doing what we're doing... Gravity Research Institute

You're banning Nic for that? Is that all it takes any more? Gravity Research Institute

Yea, this thread needed more pics! Gravity Research Institute

You might want to post your BASE technical questions on the other forum... http://www.egwingsuits.com/forum/index.php Gravity Research Institute

Let's see what it would take to get the NPS and the Discovery Channel to allow us to do an episode from El Cap! Gravity Research Institute

Nice jump Gravity Research Institute