base689

At least, he claims to be the first. We do not have evidence if Felix was really the first off Petronas or not. In the end, it is NOT a technically difficult jump, it is only difficult to get to the roof without a permit!!! About Channel crossing. Let me do few calculation. If he gets out at 6 miles - 10 km of altitude and has to cover horizontally 21 miles - 34 km, and supposing he is going to open the parachute very close to ground, it means that in his 10 km down he must cover 34 km horizontally, which means that his wingsuit/rigid wing/whatever MUST have an efficiency of 3.4, each meter you fall down, you travel 3.4 m horizontally. Full stop. I dunno if this is an efficiency achievable, even by using a 6 ft - 2 m rigid wing. Sound quite impressive anyway. If Felix's staff claims they are about to make it, probably this means that they have manufactured a rigid wing with an efficiency that at least approaches 3.4, perhaps something less than that, hoping that the forward speed of launch off the aircraft and the favourable winds up there help to bridge the gap to get an overall efficiency of 3.4. But at this stage, it is not anymore a personal skydiving achievement, it is much more an achievement of skydiving technology: provided that it exists a rigid wing capable of an efficiency of 3.4, any good and experienced skydiver, after having done few tens of jumps off an aircraft to best fly the rigid wing, plus having the money to hire an aircraft capable of dropping you off from 10 km of altitude, plus the money neccessary to buy/hire the required oxygen equipment, is capable to do the achievement. A quick note to the "thin air effect" mentioned by someone in ealrier post: thin air up in the sky does NOT affect in any way efficiency of wings: if efficiency is 3.4, it is 3.4 everywhere in the sky, both at 10 km of altitude and at 1 km of altitude. Thin air does affect air speed indeed, meaning that at 10 km of altitude you travel (both horizontally and vertically) much faster than you would at 1 km of altitude. Not being jealous of Felix, but once there exists such a 3.4 efficiency rigid wing, anybody (=any expert skydiver with 1000-2000-3000 skydives) can repeat the jump, under the right meteo conditions. Just my 0.02 €. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

It's a fantastic set up, Hooknswoop!!!!! Not to put your idea/work down, but the only downside of your sling is that, being made from dacron/spectra parachute line, yes, it is very robust but it is NOT abrasion resistant. And, being so small and NOT abrasion resistant, I see that thing not working very well in a set up where the handrail/whatever is sharp/sharp edge/small metallic protrusion popping out of surface/whatever. In the long/medium term, the dacron/spectra sling is going to have a smaller section due to abrasion suffered with contact with metallic surfaces. My small contribution: why don't you manufacture EXACTLY the same set up but using a, let's say, 4 mm dyneema climbing rope? It's got a 750 kg - 1653 lb Break Load, and, more important than that, its sheath is MADE FOR resisting to abrasion (being made for the alpine environment to be dragged around all over the rocks). I already manufactured "your thing" using such a 4 mm dyneema rope, presently creating the 3 loops with knots (not jumped, ...yet...). Yes, indeed, it is a much smarter idea to have the 3 loops sewn by a rigger using inserts and whatever, so having a much thinner appearance. I shall try to have it done more properly by a rigger. I shall let you know. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Ah ah ah ah, Tom!!!! I am with you on EVERY point you made!!!!!! Ending my post saying that a 100 ft - 30 m object is jolly aggressive!!!! Worth the risk ONLY if the DZO is a nasty bloke!!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Hey 689, I went back to the proverbial drawing board and this is what I came up with. It's super clean but would require a rigger to construct it. I like it, let me know what you think... It is a very good design indeed. I really like it. Provided there is ENOUGH slack for the "fixed" part of sling (to bridle) with respect to break cord loop, that in this case is going to break at 80 lb - 36 kg. The other remark I would like to point out is that, once on the object/handrail/fixed point on structure/whatever, you must do a good thinking about the "free" end of spectra sling that, after break cord failure, is going to pass around "fixed point". This "free end" is going to pass around "fixed point" and clear itself with a whip stroke, so you must be absolutely sure that with such a whip stroke it DOES NOT touch any other part of structure, possibly hanging up/entangling anywhere (but this possibility exists with ANY design involving taking with you break cord/static line). One very last remark: why use (exclusively) spectra sling? What about using 5.5 mm - 1800 kg dyneema climbing rope? Or similar rope? The loops, in this case, can be made with suitable knots, even if a rigger with proper sewings could do a cleaner job. Still being very careful about knots/thickenings (because of sewing) on the "static line" NOT hanging/entangling anywhere because of the whip stoke. My compliments indeed, Dexter, I think your design, with possibly small modifications/personalizations, could be the set up to go!!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> What a bunch of pussies we are Yeah, I thought we are something about that.... ...nobody is perfect... Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Christ and I'm thinking about getting into BASE? I'm just not smart enough me thinks... Dude, do not think that all the things we know are only a "product" of ours. It took us a lot of studying through the Internet, studying from climbers, from friends that can give you an answer, from friends that have done it before, and once someone has figured it right and tried it on field, it becomes "the law" and we move on from there... ...still in time to revise the consolidated practice if in case!!! Otherwise, we do not invent any more and we do that particular trick all the time as before!!! What works well MUST NOT be changed!!!! And we pass it to our friends!!! See the case of alpinism/climbing: all the techniques/tricks/equipment you need to know/use for 99% of climbs are already known and very well consolidated from pratice: we simply need to ask to the right people to pass you on the right information. No need to invent anything unless you want to do something really new/strange. Internet has been the "great normalizer": once a practice/trick/habit/whatever is well proven that works, it can passed to ALL THE WORLD (=our worldwide community)!!!!!

Bps: > …It seems to me that this system would require a greater force to actually break the 80lb break cord… > …As to how much force this is, I don't know… Simply, twice as much force than the “traditional” set up of break cord. Rfarris: > I guess my uneducated reasoning saw the thicker rope taking most of the load, and eventually transferring it to the smaller cord. No. it is NOT a matter of how thick is any rope/cord. It is a matter of how many “branches” there are to bear the load. Quite simple. 1 branch (=1 single line of rope/cord/whatever): full load; 1 loop (=2 branches): ½ load; 2 loops: ¼ load on each branch and so on. Then, in case of 1 loop, each branch takes ½ load: the system breaks where the one of the 2 branches is weaker (=the one that has got lower break load) than the other. Dexter: > My logic is that since spectra slings don't stretch at all, the load will be transferred to the breakcord. Yes, the spectra sling streches very little (no system/no rope has got infinite rigidity), but that is NOT the point. The point is, as I said before, that the full load (=the force transmitted by the bridle) is divided by as many times as the number of branches of the system. > It seems to me that since both ends of the static line sling are attached to the same loadpoint, that both sides must share equal amounts of the force. Yes, this is true. > Since the breakcord will part at 80 pounds, as soon as the system is loaded to that point, the breakcord will give. It's a weak link designed into the system. Not at all. Yes, the loop of break cord will part at 80 lb - 36 kg, but to get to 80 lb - 36 kg on the loop of break cord, you must pull the bridle with a 160 lb - 72 kg force. Can you see the scenario? You have a pulling force on the bridle of 160 lb - 72 kg (you are about to break the system): this force is transmitted entirely on the rapid link. Then, the force of 160 lb - 72 kg is divided by two simply because there are two branches after the rapid link towards the fixed point onto the structure: two branches forming the sling loop. Each branch of the sling takes (=must take, forces can neither disappear nor increase, they can only be distributed/shared among various parts of a static system) half of the load: so each of the branches of sling takes 80 lb - 36 kg. Now, there is one branch of the sling that contains the loop of break cord: yes, it is going to part, but at this stage you are exerting, through your body, harness, lines, canopy, bridle a force of 160 lb - 72 kg, that is exactly the double of the force at which the system is supposed to be loaded and break. Be careful: in a static system where there are forces that are exerted along a pillar/rope/line/whatever, any time along such a system is inserted a “loop”, each branch of the loop takes half the load (the total force transmitted can neither vanish nor increase). Remember that with a suitable system of pulleys/ropes/turns of the rope along/around the pulleys, if you anchor such a system on a high point that takes all the load (=weight), exerting with your hands/arms a small force you can easily pull up a very heavy load: a grand piano, a safe, a car, whatever. The more load/weight you want to lift, the more pulleys and the more passes of rope through/around the pulleys need to be done. Now, to take the good in your system, Dexter, you should simply use the break cord in the following way: you do one loop with a knot around the rapid link, then, off this loop/knot must come out only one single line of break cord (=the break cord pure and simple), then this single line of break cord “travels” all alone towards the loop in the sling: here you fix it with another loop/knot. This system is going to break when a force of 80 lb - 36 kg is exerted by the bridle onto the system. Just after I wrote the above, I am wondering why you are use the rapid link, a component that is unnecessary (and that could fail…), at this stage. Has the sling got two (small) loops? You fix one end of sling with a larks head knot onto the bridle loop, then you fix the other end again onto the bridle loop using the break cord with a SINGLE LINE OF BREAK CORD (loop/knot, single line of break cord, loop/knot). Furthermore, the rapid link creates a sharp bend for the break cord: this way it could break at a load lower than the load it is supposed to break. We use static lines onto the structure to avoid sharp bends/sharp point of metallic structure to make the break cord properly, and then you introduce a very sharp bend through the rapid link (even if smooth surface, but still is very sharp bend (=small curvature radius))?!?!?!? Just my 0.02€. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> If the force was applied directly toward and away from the PC and the larks head, you would be pulling on two pieces of break cord. You are absolutely right on, chap!!! The "80 lb - 36 kg" rated break cord is rated so by BASE gear manufacturers because you are meant to use it closed in a loop (and then closing the two ends with a surgeon knot). Such a "system" breaks at 80 lb - 36 kg. Now, it is quite obvious that when with the bridle you are pulling and you are approaching the 80 lb - 36 kg, actually you are exerting a force of 40 lb - 18 kg per each of the two "branches" of the break cord forming the loop: whichever of the two "branches" is slightly weaker than the other, it will break there. The break cord we use is a 80 lb - 36 kg break cord granted we use it in a loop fashion (each of the two "branches" takes half on the load), but the break cord in itself is a 40 lb - 18 kg break cord. If you consider the following set up: fasten a loop with a knot around the structure, then coming off this knot there is the break cord pure and simple (= a single line of break cord) for few (or many, it's the same!) inches/cm's, then fasten the other end with a loop and a knot around bridle loop: such a system is going to break at 40 lb - 18 kg, be sure about that!!!!!!!! There must be a reason why, as static line, I use cheap (boating) 1/6" - 4 mm rope and I do a triple loop around the objetc structure: 1 loop = half load onto the rope itself, 3 loops = 1/6 of load along any of the 6 branches of rope. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> So the cord will most likely break at the point where it is looped through the peice of suspension line in this example, right? Not exactly. The break cord tends to break very close to the knot (=the weakest part of the whole "system", granted that you avoid sharp bends around sharp corners), that's why we do the surgeons knot onto the break cord: such a knot minimizes the "sharp bends" on the cord, letting the system to have a break load very very close to the break load of the "perfect" (=without knots) cord. > Therefore leaving the remaing cord that is larksheaded to the structure? Normally, you end up with leaving ALWAYS some piece of static line (=non-breaking rope) attached to the structure. Sometimes, the (broken) break cord remains into the loop of bridle, sometimes the (broken) break cord remains into the loop of the static line, that is fixed onto the structure of the object. > Would it be just the same to have the single loop attached at the structure and the larkshead on the supsension line so as not to leave trash behind? It is NOT such a huge pollution to leave behind few pieces of ropes behind. Listen to what Tom said: it is NOT wise to tie the break cord directly onto the (metallic) structure. It is much better ALWAYS to tie the static line onto the structure, so having such a static line to "absorb" any unevennes of surface/structure, allowing the break cord to break exactly in the same way/situation/load on ALL your jumps. Furthermore, using the system break cord+static line you have a double advantage: 1) you use a very small amount of break cord per jump (I use 10" - 25 cm of break cord on each of my SL jumps) 2) as static line, granted that you are going to lose it, you can use a cheap line/rope, provided that you do a double/triple/quadruple loop onto the structure; personally, I use a 1/6" - 4 mm rope (used in boating) and I do a triple loop onto the structure. Plus, it is a very nice and "fast" set up: I prepare at home the break cord loop passing through the loop in the bridle (actually, I use a special bridle made up of a dyneema 5.5 mm - 1800 kg climbing rope, but this is another story), I pass through this break cord loop about 1 m of the above 1/6" - 4 mm rope, I leave it there and I pack all this nice stuff into the PC and I put this set up into the BOC as if it were "going stowed". Then I climb onto the object, I approach the exit, I don the rig. At this stage, I pull all the stuff out of the BOC, and I usually do a triple loop with the 1/6" - 4 mm rope onto the structure, passing also (

I am not the greatest expert of SL jumps and of low freefall jumps, but few SL jumps I did and few low free fall (65m, ending with 7.5 s of open canopy flight) jumps I did. What I can suggest is that if you decide to go for the toggles, you must go immediately for the toggles, release them but in this case, being not too far from ground (where an abrupt release up of the toggles would sink you into the ground), from the toggles position at your waist/chest (just released toggles), you must go up with your hands with a slow and continuous motion. You should complete the motion from waist/chest position to full flight in at least 2÷3 s. If you guess that you can manage these 2÷3 s of "canopy starting to fly properly, then go for the toggles. Otherwise, go for your risers and flare them at the appropriate time, just remembering that flaring on risers is VERY VERY effective: few cm down cause a big change in flight of canopy. But I am not a big expert in this matter. I hope that some fellow of ours way more experienced than me in low stuff pops in into this thread and give us a good advice. I remember that the Canadian wonder of low jumps said once on the BB that SLing from 40 m he was able to fly with open canopy for about 20 m in horizontal, so it is a good number of s of open canopy flight. Enjoy and stay safe!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Yes, indeed, what does exist out there that is NOT a regular BASE rig?!?!?!? I ALWAYS jump a REGULAR BASE rig!!!! I am only aware of BASE rigs!!!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

I have just found a picture of myself while donning my Dainese safety jacket. Enjoy it! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

There are: BASE # (logged by U.S.B.A.) Night BASE # (logged by U.S.B.A.) Naked BASE # (logged by Vertigo) I dunno if USBA logs also completion of 4 objects done jumping with a board sticked to feet... BASE #689 NIGHT BASE #124 NAKED BASE #14 Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Thanks so much Swoopyswoop for your explanation. To be honest, I know something about high voltage because I have been working in a testing laboratory where we were used to test submarine power cable (after production) up to 900 kV d.c. (jolly high voltage!!!). But actualy we never did "calculations" about how far people/other equipment should have been to be safe, we simply put the terminals in the best location possible (=the point farest possible from any other structure within the factory), plus we were used to "shield" sharp metallic points within the factory with aluminum sheet (to increase curvature radius of metallic "things"). When we were manouvering the control console of d.c. generator, we were staying at about 15 m from generator itself behind metallic net shields. But I never been in touch with/never spoke to people who really WENT on live wires. So thanks so much for your tips and inputs. According to your description, for a normal chap (=person NOT working ON live high voltage wires) it is jolly impossible to put his hands on special fiberglass ladders, plus "hot suits" and so on. Forget about approaching the live wire!!! Would you mind to send me your e-mail address (mine is: base_689@yahoo.com)? For the moment, we are stick to jumping power towers jumping FROM the structure, not yet thinking about jumping from the live wire, but who knows if in future we can get in touch with a possibility like that: so we are going to ask you a consultancy!!!! Thanks again!!! See you soon!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Well, well, well, it comes handy my knowledge about high voltages. Yes, if someway somehow you are ON a single high voltage live wire, and you touch only it and far away from anything else (=other live wires, ground wire), you are safe. Just only think about birds that rest on live wires without being burned: in fact, the only touch ONE phase, only one wire, they are charged at the voltage of live wire and nothing (=discharge) happens. And, ONCE on the live wire, someway somehow you proceed along it, when you are in the middle of the span, you can safely jump. The point (and the problem...) here is: HOW TO GET ONTO THE LIVE WIRE WITHOUT BEING BURNED ?!?!?!?!? In my humble opinion, it is simply impossible to go from structure of tower onto live wire WITHOUT being burned (unless you jump on live wire from several meters above and catch it and you don't break an arm/leg in the process and you don't fall down... ...too many "007 James Bond" things, not applicable in real life ). Honestly, there are electrical workers that once in a while "do something" on live wires (WITHOUT the power authority takes the high voltage down), but: 1) they are paid for each of these operations a jolly good amount of money; 2) they are "dropped" onto live wire being put down gently from a helicopter in a special safety harness (but they are "safe" because in such a case they come into contact with only ONE phase, THE high voltage phase of that particular live wire) Just my 0.02 € Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

The average I don't know. Speaking for myself, I am 43 now. The average I don't know. Speaking for myself, I did my first BASE jump at 40. Anyway, my jumping mates are from 13 to 19 years younger than me. And my mentor/instructor/best friend is 16 years younger than me BTW, even if I am NOT the best athlete in the world, there are BASE jumpers with half my age that cannot stay after me while we hike up mountains Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Tom, I am with you on any point you made!!! It is never enough the recommendation to people to refrain from naming sites!!! Hope you are well indeed and to see you soon!!! Yesterday night we (myself, #724 and #726) jumped our A "you-know-where", very, very dark indeed, used a powerful handheld flash light (left alone on the ground...) to light up the landing area of our personal drop zone!!! Very nice exit in complete darkness, very nice flight, very nice landing!!! BASE is a state of mind!!! Next time you are around, we MUST jump together!!! Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Yes, I wear protection on 100% (or nearly, see after) of my jumps!!!! I wear: 1) Dainese full upper jacket (mesh cloth with hard pads on shoulder, forearm, elbow) 2) Dainese large integrated knee/shin hard pads 3) full face FD helmet (with lens removed for more freedom and also for more breathability (you know, climbing up antennas make me pant...)): I think FD full face helmet has an incredibly good visibility, it does NOT interfere at all with your visual 4) (Mid-ankle) Salomon trekking boots I wear the above any time I can, that is, nearly 100% of my jumps. It means, I wear the above when I jump B, A, S, E, O. Any object. I jumped without helmet and without Dainese jacket (but with elbow pads instead...) when I jumped my 1st B, but that is another story... Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Lineover ->hookknife... ...or... using WLO riser/toggle system by Vertigo, by which you can clear the offending line WITHOUT cutting anything physically but simply releasing (with one-hand-operation) the line from the toggle. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

No, I love Sorcerer. As I wrote above, I think Sorcerer is a state of the art BASE rig, a really outstanding piece of equipment. I would jump a Sorcerer (if I had the chance) any time from any altitude I regularly jump (I own and jump a one-pin single-parachute BASE rig). But for my type of jumping (70% of low objects), I personally consider the complexity of Sorcerer is not worth the benefits (=nearly zero for low objects) it can give me. Consider also that now I regularly jump A, low A's (in the 100m-328ft range). Now, try to imagine what it means to climb into the narrow (protected) ladder of A's with such a large and heavy burden that gives me NO additional improvement about safety in my jump... I say again, I love Sorcerer, but I do not see any point in having ONLY additional complexity and "cumbersome-movements" and nothing more to my BASE equipment... Still, it is a fact and not an opinion that 5% of BASE jumpers owns and jumps a Sorcerer and 95% of BASE jumpers owns and jumps a single-parachute rig. That must mean something. Perhaps BASE jumpers elige to jump a Sorcerer only when the plus's are more than the minus's (basically, I think they are 99% terminal wall jumpers or so...). For low object BASE jumpers, a Sorcerer only adds weight, volume and complexity to the jump. Just my 0.02€. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

I state in advance (I never jumped a Sorcerer but I have Sorcerer packing video and I have seen Sorcerer's and know a friend who jumps Sorcerer (but this chap only jumps terminal walls...)) that I think that Sorcerer is a state of the art BASE rig, incredibly well thought and incredibly well designed and manufactured. But Sorcerer is a very complicated piece of BASE equipment indeed. By very complicated I mean: it is not easy to assemble properly, it is not easy to pack a canopy into it (consider that into a Sorcerer you have 5 layers of canopy while on a single-parachute rig you have only 3 layers, so the parachute into a Sorcerer is way more "squeezed" than into a single-parachute rig)) and finally it is not easy at all made your mind up to its proper use: if you DO have a reserve, you MUST be mentally prepared to "do-what-in-case-of-what-malfunction": not easy indeed. Said the above, I try to explain why 95% of worldwide BASE jumpers use single-parachute systems for BASE jumping. And, by the way, as "BASE jump", do you mean "low" BASE jump of "high" BASE jump? Let us consider for the moment "low" BASE jump (for "low" being BASE jumps off objects in the 300ft-91m ÷ 500ft-152m range). Well, in such jumps, considering jumping a Sorcerer, it is very unlikely that in case of a total malfunction: 1) you realize you are having a total and 2) you deploy the reserve and 3) you deploy the reserve in a manner you can walk away with it. Let us consider now "high" BASE jump (for "high" being BASE jumps off objects in the +1150ft-350m (or so) range). In such jumps, considering jumping a Sorcerer, consider that you can: 1) deploy your (main) parachute quite high above ground in order that in case of malfunction: 1.1: total: you can deploy directly your reserve; 1.2: partial: you can cutaway and deploy the reserve (that deploys quite fast(=in short altitude)) and ride safely to landing: in this case, jumping a Sorcerer is a very good idea; 2) deploy your (main) parachute so close to ground to re-enter into the category of "low" BASE jumps, and so, see above (=uselessness of having a reserve on your back...). Now, what type of BASE jumps do you do regularly? Only terminal walls? Then possibly the Sorcerer is the BASE rig for you (provided that you are very WELL trained indeed: to assemble it; to use it; to pack it and to know very well indeed ALL its possible uses and do's and dont's) Do you jump regularly at the same percentage both low objects and terminal walls? Maybe more low objects than terminal walls? With a Sorcerer you CAN jump also low objects (in my country, a brass ones jumper jumped a 246 ft - 75 m building with a Sorcerer (but that was the only systems he owned at the time...), but I don't see why jumping a double parachute system in those cases (and could be the 90% of your jumps) in which having a reserve is completely useless (no time/altitude to deploy the reserve) and only add complexity to the system. Consider also, in real cases and in real BASE world scenarios, that, even if the Sorcerer's reserve opens in very short altitude/time, in case of partial malfunctionings (=line twists, for example) it not so "easy" to cutaway and deploy the reserve, if you consider that you are quite close to the wall, you are spinning under your main, you quickly cutaway deploying automatically the reserve (it is so the the dual parachute system works and this is why it opens in such a short altitude/time): guess what? Your reserve opens in a line twist fashion (it is obvious: your main is spinning, the "attached-to-the-risers" reserve free bag leaves the container still spinning... you got the point?) and so you are left with the original problem (=being VERY close to a wall with a spinning parachute). On the other hand, a single-parachute BASE rig, yes, has ONLY ONE parachute, but it is WAY simpler, it is WAY simpler to assemble it, to operate it, to be mentally trained to use it (= no need to cutaway, do not even think about it!!!), to pack the canopy. The parachute is WAY cleaner packed into a single-parachute BASE rig (only 3 layer of cloth compared to the 5 layers of a Sorcerer). Furthermore, single-parachute BASE rigs have a very good reputation for working properly (even if this year there has been one case of a total with a single-parachute BASE rig, quite unexplainable, but unlucky events can happen even if you use all your possible care...) and so very few BASE jumpers feel the need of having a reserve on their backs. I am not an expert neither an authority but I hope to have explained why only 5% (or so...) of worldwide BASE jumpers uses a Sorcerer BASE rig. In fact, I belong to the 95% (or so...) of BASE jumpers who use a single-parachute BASE rig. In BASE, simplicity is the key word. If it's simple, it's hard to confuse or misroute or misdo. Just my 0.02€. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> At what time in your skydiving career did you start base? 128 skydives, of which latest 30 made using a Fox 245 Multi BASE packed (learned through BR video) into my Javelin > What training if any did you get I read and studied ANYTHING was possible to find on Internet (BASE Board included), got in touch with an extremely experienced Italian BASE jumper (BASE #657), +350 BASE jumps at the time, grond crew for him so many times, he taught me everything is possible to teach. I was at the end of the above 30 skydives with Fox, I was about to be ready for my first BASE jump because I knew nearly everything is possible to know by a BASE student, but, I must admit it, I was very scared about the site we WOULD have used for my (supposed) 1st BASE (our very scaring terminal wall...), so I took a FBJ Course with Vertigo (without saying anything to BASE #657), I was sent off an S in Southern Idaho, sent a postcard to BASE #657 with the picture of that S, came back home, waited to get a phone call by #657 saying that he got my postcard from US, and finally I told him I did my first (four) BASE jump(s) in the States. Then I hooked with him for BASE jumping with him, and I still jump with #657. We are very, very good friends. Along the way, they joined the team very, very few other guys. In the end, I did my first BASE jump about 1 year 6 months after I met personally #657 and started studying from Internet and being taught by #657. By the way, before my first BASE jump, among many other things, I did hundreds of simulated BASE exits launching off a 1 m high cliff into sea water (with a wet suit, jolly cold water in April at my place...), 4 bungee jumps off a 60 m crane and 3 skydives off a balloon. > and what equipment did you use? For my first (three) BASE jump(s) I used Vertigo's Wizard+Dagger 222, but I was already a happy owner of a Prism+Fox 245 Multi (later upgraded to Vtec). Never considered for BASE jump anything different from a proper BASE rig. After that, I completed BASE at 13th jump, completed NIGHT BASE at 31st jump and completed NAKED BASE at 60th jump Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com