TomAiello

You might try searching the BASE forum. There was at least one poster (BlindBrick) posting there and asking about using his MT-XX for BASE, and 2 posters (Gil and bps) responding who had significant (hundreds) numbers of jumps on those canopies. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

2001, actually. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There are actually quite a few places in the Southwest US where you can jump cliffs like that legally. It's just that everyone knows about Moab. Partly that may be because of the videos, but the history there is much older than that, and includes the presence of a BASE gear manufacturer, and, even before that, a series of organized BASE competitions. Basically, the Moab secret is out, and there's no going back. There are plenty of other secrets that aren't out yet, though. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

ArtistCalledIan, You're out of line. I've banned you from this forum for 14 days. I've sent you a PM with further explanation. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

In all honesty, if I look at the obstacle, and I don't know I can clear it, I won't jump, regardless of what any amount of math tells me. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ban lengths vary depending on the forum and the offense. "Standard" ban is 14 days. That's for most run of the mill personal attacks, etc. Really bad stuff (threats of physical violence, for example) typically net a longer ban (usually a month or so). Mitigating circumstances can reduce the "sentence." Bonfire bans are often shorter (7 days) because the forum moves so much faster, and also because getting wild at the Bonfire isn't as disruptive as doing it in a topical forum. Generally, the bans don't start to get longer unless you are obviously unrepentant, or you've been banned 3 or more times for the same kinds of things. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't think there is a precise definition. Previous versions have included many non-injury incidents, as well as those with less happy outcomes. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I have. Video is here. I think my case was extremely rare, but had I not had the knife, I'm certain I would not have walked away from the landing. Maybe hopped away, but I've certainly have ended up with at least a broken ankle. I recommend searching for Hooknswoop's posts about his attempts to test hook knife use with a line over on a skydiving canopy. As I recall, despite his level of experience (extensive) and the fact that he had intentionally packed the line over and knew which line to cut, the violence of the spin made using the knife a practical impossibility. None of that bears on your question about students, but at least it's a little more food for thought. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I read all the turf wars in the BASE forum. I read all the "brand X is the best suit" stuff in wingsuits. I read a whole lot of Speaker's Corner, and I even get into the Bonfire occasionally. Understand, then, the impressive context in which I say that; This thread is the most senseless waste of bandwidth I have witnessed in quite some time. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Fixed the clicky links. Asylum's packing video is here. It doesn't say if you can get it on DVD. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Apex Packing Video Clicky--available as DVD or VHS. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

It would be very easy to out-track Snake Dike. If you launched from the top of that rock (on the other side, obviously), and had a good wingsuit flight, you'd impact somewhere on the opposite wall of the valley. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I know of several VHS packing tapes. I'm not sure that any is available on DVD. You might have to get VHS and burn it onto DVD yourself. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The next one. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

There are many, many legal cliffs in Arizona. The one you are thinking of (I'd guess) is well known to pretty much everyone. I'd bet that if you ask around at the DZ, you'll find someone to take you there within 5 minutes. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've updated my copy of the article, using the contact info on your web site. The next time it gets reposted on DZ.com, it'll show the changes, but I'm not in control of when it gets updated here. As I said above, if anyone wants to read the current copy, drop me a line with an email address that can take 150k attachment and I'll send you the latest. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I suppose. It really does happen all the time, though. So you pretty much need to be armed against it by knowing what to look for. Even if it's not going to kill you, it may kill the guy who asks you for a gear check at the exit point (I've caught this problem 3 times at exit points--I've also had it caught on my own rig by a friend who was gear checking me). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

That's pretty much standard on all rigs where the manufacturers intended routing is out the top. Some manufacturers also put both patches of velcro directly on the bridle (so you have to fold them over against each other, which creates the needed slack). The problem is that people swap bridles around quite a bit. I've even seen several "dummies" who didn't know what that little patch of velcro was intended for. On rigs where the intended routing is out the middle (like the Gargoyle), this is obviously a non-issue. The problem is when people get a bridle from a rig that doesn't need the velcro (like a Gargoyle) and put it on a rig that does need it (like a DP). -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Basically, to create a total malfunciton, don't leave any slack above the pin. The PC tries to pull the bridle out of the (still closed) container, but can't, because the pin is still in place. The pin doesn't take any pressure, because the bridle is taking it first. I'll try to snap some photos tomorrow. edit for clarity ~TA -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

??? Can you explain the "especially doing freefly" part? Wouldn't freeflying make the terminal velocity of a jumper higher, hence making them stay subterminal for longer, not shorter, than a flat jumper? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Very mature. You realize that all the time you spend typing in that new, fake, login goes away with just a few mouse clicks? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Bringing in parts of this discussion that got lost in the thread split (can't you guys ever keep on track?): 980 wrote: I wouldn't have felt the need to post what I did. Besides, all the good advice is out there and easy enough to find, if you cannot find that on your own, but you need other people to REpost it for you, I sure hope they don't give you live bombs on your plane.... I do not see the need for a complete (sic) and detailed instructional guide to basejumping on the internet. lots of basejumping knowledge HAS NO BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET, EVER. this is the knowledge that should be passed from mentor and instructor the very specific gear questions in this thread are some of that knowledge does that make sense, or am I being an asshole? Tom Aiello wrote: I think that's a cultural question. Has BASE come to the point where everything ought to be shared as openly as possible, to help prevent accidents? Or can holding back some knowledge from public discussion (which is our traditional culture) still do more good than harm? Good questions, but a bit beyond the scope of this thread, I think. JaapSuter wrote: As the administrator of a particular knowledge sharing website, I find these questions interesting too. How about you start a new thread? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I've split this off the "Gear Sizing" thread. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Name 5 people who've really done that. A very large amount of the "pre-requisite" skills aren't really pre-requisites. They're just called that because we have all come to realize that the amount of prior training you have when you make your 20th BASE jump is very likely to be the same amount of prior training you have when you make your 200th BASE jump. I don't think it's realistic to expect people to go back to the DZ and practice some more. Young BASE jumpers are enthusiastic, eager, and rarin' to go. You've handed them the loaded gun, and damned it they ain't gonna go out and do some shootin'. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The thing you'd get from the PRO rating isn't necessarily knowledge--it's experience and practice. Having to do stadium jumps would make you learn (by experience) to focus despite distractions, and to fly a canopy into small, often turbulent landing areas. I think that those experiences _are_ going to be beneficial when you are trying to avoid object strike, or trying to avoid hitting power lines on final, or whatever. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the "it ain't rocket science" crowd go on to say "a bag of dogfood could do it" or "anyone who can step off a chair and pull a handkerchief out of their pocket can BASE jump." The disconnect is in respecting the dangers of the sport, I think. The folks who have really evaluated the dangers realize that they are very real, and that some of them simply cannot be avoided. That means that they generally react negatively to someone saying "it's not dangerous." And, almost without exception, the people I've seen saying "it's easy" are also the one's saying "it's safe." Those are two different statements, but we tend (as a group) to react to them the same because we've seen them thrown out in tandem so many times, by the same people or person. Unfortunately, even the best training can't "fix" irrationality or lack of common sense. Some traits just aren't trainable. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com