The Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists is Here!

[TomAiello 26]

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It'll be because of jumpers like Keith Jones who spent days in the hell of the Yosemite dungeon rather than give up his fellow jumpers.

i'd like to hear this story sometime.

Read Number 28.

Keith is a great guy. First jump the last day that the NPS allowed jumping, from the captain. Still sticking in there with us youngsters. Still having fun. He told me a really funny story about applying for a concealed carry permit one time--the punch line was "and then all the reviewer asked me was "what is 'air delivery'?"

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[klapaucius 0]

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so...
what rules/conditions seem reasonable to this forum?

any concern that it would be a high visibility activity in one of the country's most congested parks?

any concern that virtually ANYBODY could mimic a highly trained BASE jumper?

I've traveled to Norway. the SBK runs a remote sight that requires a boat to take you away from the landing area.

there is no such limitations in the valley.

I've read a lot of people concerned about the unmentored growth of the sport. wouldn't legal jumping of El C add tremendously to it?

let's consider what we are asking for...

There seem to be differences in American and European (particularly Norwegian and Swiss) attitudes to public and private property. I had a chance to live in all three countries and think that I could see many.

We are much more protective of our property (no tresspassing!) and it may translate into the attitudes of regulators of public lands. A park is "ranger's land", same way as a farm is "farmer's land".

Norway and Switzerland are quite unique in their societal attitudes, I think.

Norway has a law (Nordmen, please clarify if I mis-state the truth) that allows access to private property, without permission, as long as it is done in a non-intrusive way. You can even camp on someone's land, 500 meters away from the dwelling. Whole outdoor culture is build around that. This attitude translates to the use of public lands. It helps that Norway is quite an empty land, too.

Situation in Switzerland is similar. (Again, the Swiss, please correct me) Outdoor is in the national blood; A hiker or skier can go across someone's pasturage or field, as long as one does not scare the cows, smother high grass etc..). A paraglider can take off from someone's field, land on someone's field (leave a bottle of red behind...).

These attitudes make the whole society better "self-regulating" and at the end people are more free to pursue their activities. Also, more people in these countries engage in "extreme" outdoor activities, so there is more acceptance for one that is even more "extreme".

It'll be always tougher to gain acceptance/tolerance here.

[wwarped 0]

beware of the word "backcountry." it implies being out in the wilderness. the captain & half D are the signature features of that park. most "backcountry" activity is invisible to the general public.

our "backcountry" activity would be readily seen by the hordes of visitors to the valley.

how many people would be exposed to BASE and think it relatively easy?

how many would see our activity as detracting from the natural beauty?

the main point of all this is to consider what the impact legality would have on both the site and the sport. I've read great discussions on rigging details. I was hoping to see as much thought on this topic...

DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

[NickDG 23]

>>beware of the word "backcountry." <<

I agree, Brother, but for another reason. I'm not ashamed to call myself a BASE jumper. I didn't like it when the Cliff Jumpers of America tried to pull that card trick. It's like spitting on who we are, or worse, thinking a simple name change will fool anyone.

I think two things have to happen before any "legal" form of jumping in the Park will work in the long term. First we'd have to jump there like we always have, by not making a spectacle of ourselves. We have to avoid park visitors and climbers and basically do it like we've been doing many other sites for over twenty years. We already know how to do that.

The second thing and this is the most important. The Rangers have to get off the group punishment idea. I mean if someone jumps midday and whoops it up in the meadow causing a big stink and spectacle, that's between the Rangers and that person and it shouldn't reflect or affect the rest of us. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot by agreeing to rules that remind me of Marine Boot Camp type thinking where one guy fucks up and the whole platoon pays for it.

We tend to promise more than we can deliver and hello, there will always be people who will break the rules. I think the best we can hope for is a time when Rangers just look the other way as long as we are cool about it. I don’t see why that would be so hard on our part as I know BASE jumpers are some of the coolest people in the world . . . I even see a time when Park lore says, we exist and maybe we don't, like some kind of urban legend. You'll have the same chance of seeing a BASE jumper as you do a spotted boobie . . .

So I say let the Rangers, and an occasional tarring on our part, take care of the assholes and leave us to doing what we know how to do. I inferred the word "rules" a few time in the above. What I mean is our rules, the traditional BASE rules, they are the only ones most of us will agree on. The only way we are going to be allowed any light in the Park is by staying in the dark . . . anything else is just too much of a spectacle in a place many of us respect even if we weren't BASE jumpers . . .

NickD BASE 194

[Treejumps 0]

*** "First we'd have to jump there like we always have, by not making a spectacle of ourselves"

That works great, but what about the pepole who jump SOLEY to make a specatcle of themselves? I can see it now, with certain jumpers handing out balloons to the kids first, DOOOOD, like I'm going to jump off of this cliff. Its RAD. Got all of your cameras rolling? You can even have my autograph. Want to try it with my extra rigs. DOOOD! WOOOOO!

Oh well, it was a good idea.

Seriously, that is the problem with legal jumps there. Then they'll want to drive their car off while on fire and jump out. Etc, etc, etc.....