TomAiello

I've only ever had this become an issue once, on a jump where the landing area was an alley that was too narrow to admit a 260 or larger. Honestly, if that becomes an issue, I'd recommend just not doing the jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You could try the French technique. Hold your toggles in your hands as you go over, with the brakes not set. The guys who've got this dialed appear to be able to very precisely control the canopy during inflation. I'd recommend practicing this off something a little nicer, first. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Short answer: Because I want to do it that way. Long answer? There are several reasons. Look me up and we can have some beer and talk over them. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There were essentially two reasons why I added unpacked jumps into the optional topics at the end of that course (the second one is the big one): 1) I know of at least one case in which an unpacked jump performed by a jumper after a hangup transformed a potentially life threatening "wait for rescue" into a good story. 2) I've seen well over 50% of my FJC students (various FJC's, not just the Deathcampers) perform their first unpacked jumps within days of the course ending, either without any supervision, or worse, with "instruction" from someone who gave them badly faulty advice. I've had students told "you shouldn't flake or arrange the canopy," "you shouldn't use a tailgate," and, my personal favorite "launch down at the canopy and try to touch it." I'd rather that I help my students to understand the variables involved in unpacked jumps, so that they don't embark into them a few days later unguided (or misguided). For better or worse, here in Twin Falls, if you stay at the bridge for a few days after a FJC, you will probably see 2 or 3 unpacked jumps for every packed jump you watch (unless it's a big weekend, when the lots of folks come in from out of town and pack). We have several locals who like to run laps on the bridge with unpacked rigs, cranking out unpacked jumps as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a couple of them also encourage new jumpers to try those jumps, and often fail to provide (in my opinion) adequate instruction or accurate safety information. In short, I know they're going to do them in a day or two anyway, so I'd like to cover them in class, before they learn a bunch of bad habits. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Read through the List for Terry Forrestall. Now imagine if he knew how to do a simple unpacked jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Somewhere near Atlanta. It's because of the ISP, I think. Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, near Chattanooga. USHGA lists a school in Arkansas. You might try calling them and seeing what kind of flight options are around you. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Where do you live? Because your IP shows up as an easy drive from one of the nation's biggest paragliding centers. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've got a friend who runs a paragliding school there. That's one option. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The Snake River BASE Academy will host Spring Death Camp 2007 from May 19-25, 2006, in Twin Falls, Idaho. Death Camp is offered twice each year, at Memorial Day (the 3rd week of May) and Labor Day (the first week of September). Death Camp is free, and admission is highly competitive. Typically, we receive approximately 30 applications for 5 places. Admission is offered based on evaluation of student applications, reference checks, student preparation and class composition. Death Camp is the most comprehensive introduction to BASE available today. The course will focus on basic BASE skills, with an additional emphasis on the history and ethics of BASE, and the teamwork necessary to many BASE jumps. In addition to standard First Jump training, the course will cover appropriate brake settings, advanced packing techniques, object avoidance techniques, object evaluation, and landing skills. Time and jumper aptitude permitting, we will also cover unpacked jumps, particularly as used for emergency situations, and multi-way jumps. The Death Camp curriculum assumes that students begin with no previous BASE jumps. However, applications will be accepted from anyone having fewer than 20 BASE jumps. To Apply for Death Camp, please provide the following information, or submit the answers to these questions via email to tom@snakeriverbase.com or submit the answers to these questions via mail to us at Post Office Box 2493, Twin Falls, Idaho, 83303, USA. Please do not send private messages via the forums. All answers are optional, but providing more information will improve your chances of admission. (1) Name: (2) Age: (3) Place of Residence: (4) Number of Skydives: (5) Primary Skydiving Disciplines: (6) Home Dropzone: (7) Number of Skydives:(a) Number of CRW jumps: (b) Number of Accuracy jumps: (c) Number of Demo jumps:(8) Any rigging certifications: (9) Other relevant experience (paragliding, climbing, rescue, etc): (10) Name and telephone number of any BASE jumpers who know you: (11) Name and telephone number of a BASE jumper who has agreed to mentor you: (12) Name and telephone number of any instructors from other related disciplines who know you: (13) Name and telephone number of your home dropzone S&TA, Chief Instructor, or both: (14) Mailing Address: (15) Telephone Number (mobile preferred): (16) Emergency Contact Name: (17) Emergency Contact Telephone (mobile preferred): (18) Emergency Contact Address: (19) Emergency Contact's relation to you: (20) Are you married? (21) Do you have childred? (22) Have you discussed BASE jumping with your family? (23) Explain why you want to BASE jump: (24) Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to parachuting: Admissions decisions will be made with many criteria, but be aware that a recommendation from a BASE mentor whose judgment I trust will be weighed heavily in favor of applicants able to provide it. More information, including a course syllabus, can be obtained by emailing tom@snakeriverbase.com. Course application and syllabus can also be found at SnakeRiverBASE.com. Admissions decisions will be made beginning February 1, 2007, and continue until all spots are filled. Applications completed before February 1st will receive priority consideration. As before, students will be asked to make a $100 charity donation as part of their participation in the course. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

See here. The ads are automatically disabled for premier members. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

One of my friends did that here. There were cops out at the visitor center, and he talked them into coming out to the middle and PCAing him. I think I've got the video somewhere. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ernest Hemingway once stole a urinal from a bar, took it home, and converted it into a watering trough for his cats. He might have been a bit nutty, but I don't think Hemingway was an idiot. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Dude, go search the forums. Here's a nice post by a Dubai local who had been busted jumping there. A couple years later, an out of towner (who hadn't bothered trying to contact the locals) was seen by security (surveillance cameras). The local jumper was rousted out of his house and held by the police there for some time with no charges, for "questioning" because they were convinced it was him. I'd say that the authorities there most definitely care. If you're going to jump there, I'd urge you to: (a) be very careful, and; (b) contact all the locals so that they can have very good, and verifiable, alibis during the time period that you make the jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Tom, Jason, You are actually having a fairly useful discussion. Let's avoid side tracking it into random, useless personal attacks. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Yes, you should mark them in flight. You can hold both toggles in one hand and bring them down directly in front of you (it's usually helpful to find the stall point with both hands first). This is best done on a skydive, when you have lots of time and few obstructions, although I have (foolishly) done it off a span once or twice (and lost a cellphone on a water landing in the process). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

All, I removed a couple of off-color pedophilia jokes from this thread. Please remember that Dropzone.com has a zero tolerance policy for pedophilia jokes. If you wish to discuss the factual context of real events, and varying definitions of pedophilia are part of the discussion, have at it. But please refrain from extending the discussion into a the realm of (non-)humor. This is especially important when we are talking about real people who really read and participate in these forums, and will read your comments. I will remove all pedophilia jokes without notice, and ban whoever posts them without warnings. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Let's keep the discussion in the original thread. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Terminal air skills are not the only thing you learn while skydiving that you do not learn from paragliding. For example, how many times have you experienced a parachute opening while paragliding? Understanding (and more, feeling on an instinctual level) your opening is a survival skill in BASE, and one that is "practiced" by the much slower openings in skydiving. Paragliding doesn't give any applicable experience. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Zero. Totally different jurisdictions, governing statutes and precedents. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I concur with Dave's analysis. You are leaving your feet on the basket when your upper body leaves. This creates rotation. When your head and torso are in motion, your feet are still stationary. Once your feet leave the basket, they have a different momentum than your upper body. In order to exit without rotation in the system, you need to leave with your entire body at the same time. Think about "hopping" off the basket, with the same momentum in every part of your body. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

A complete BASE specific first aid kit can be found here. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Without seeing video it's hard to say. I'm going to assume you're doing a forward rotation (front flip), and that you're probably exiting head low and continuing to rotate, probably because you're leaving with some rotation already in the system. All of that is an assumption, though, and without actually seeing the exit, it's really tough to say. Keep your head up, and keep looking at the horizon. Lead with your chest (not your head), and don't look down at the ground. You want to launch with your chest first at a 45-70 degree head high angle. Don't dive (like you were going into a swimming pool), just jump. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You're out of line. Regardless of what you think of someone, threats or suggestions of physical violence are not tolerated on these forums. I've banned you from this forum for 28 days. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I did not. I don't think that video ought to be distributed via internet, because I think it's the kind of thing that ought to reside in the hands of experienced BASE jumpers, and be shown (not given) to new jumpers who are (in the judgement of the experienced jumper who has the video) in need of a "slow down and don't be this guy" lesson. There is definitely a lot of good educational material there, but in it's current form you pretty much need an experienced jumper who understands the mechanics of the accidents to narrate for you, or much of the lesson is lost. Carnage videos have a long history in BASE, and I think that part of our culture is watching them (yes, sometimes even as entertainment). But I don't think that distributing them to non-BASE jumpers is desirable, and I think that internet distribution is too public, allowing many people access to a video that probably shouldn't be viewed so widely. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Let's keep the discussion in the original thread. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com