Something's happening...

[skyglider 0]

I jumped on the soap box again…another night where BASE fills my head.

What I truly believe it that BASE is on the brink of something really big – a powerful phase within it’s evolution. I think in not so long from now, the public will begin to accept seeing people jumping off cliffs and high places everywhere and landing softly on the ground and will actually enjoy watching it spite of our innate human fear – they’ll end up wanting more – demand will go up – people in the sport will get noticed – money is going to pour in – more recognition and respect – more money to make better equipment – more permits to jump more places – etc.

In my opinion, advertisers have yet to really catch onto the enormous power that BASE jumping has with evoking so many different powerful feelings /good feelings/ within their audience with both live footage and still shots – what they need to get people connected with their product in a way that sticks with them. Advertisers are trying to wake up their audiences – imagine what the total experience of the first time BASE viewer would be watching footage that begins on a mountain top with a shot of a person legs/feet running/ and running and running and then leaping off something/ and then silence and then all the rush that comes after that/and then landing softly on grass near the water’s edge/the canopy slowing falls to the ground, the sun is setting/a face shot capturing the jumpers expression moments after he lands, a close up of that captivating smile/sparkling eyes/and of course an SUV waiting with cool chicks around in bathing suits drinking water out of a bottle with someone on their cell phone taking a picture. (Norway would make a beautiful shot – They would have to photo shop the truck on the landing area I think – plenty of water and beautiful women)

Before I did my first tandem I never knew what was happening in the sky or off high things around the world. I first experienced the amazing unfolding of something as incredible as BASE and skydiving four years ago when I had the opportunity to see my first thirty minute compilation of sky footage titled “Lodi Daze” by – here it is/a title in my opinion not up for debate – “World Famous” Aussie Pete. My life was never the same from that moment forward. Just the other day thanks to this forum, I saw Aussie Pete on 60 minutes – I love 60 minutes! The segment got their biggest rating I hear… – it looks like he’s still living his life with passion for the sport. Good on him. He will always be my idol. Being in freefall myself makes me feel a totally different way than the feelings I get when I see footage or photographs of BASE or skydiving – both incredible, but distinctively different. You see something magical in the eyes and smiles of the athletes who’s hearts beat for BASE and it feels good to see. I am just an ordinary person who pays attention to what feels good, but you know what? I got money to spend ,and I want to see more footage!

Everyone seems to love extreme everything these days. People want to feel something different – to be moved. People are getting bored and inventing all kinds of extreme activities and seeking out more stimulating adventures – either to try themselves or to watch someone else do. People that are already in the “spot light” of BASE as dim as it might be to some, are in a good place – they are the ones who have managed to benefit from the evolution of the sport and in fact seem to always be ahead of the change. They are the ones who are going to help get the funds to get the exposure and acceptance of BASE for it’s first proper introduction into the marketplace. There is this guy who’s an amazing skier and has so much enthusiasm for the sport of BASE, and I believe his creativity and talent will help start/keep the ball rolling. Everyone knows that just one person can make a difference. In my opinion he is an invaluable spokesperson. He’s a good guy with a good heart and he’s in love with BASE. He’s already has the public’s eye with his skies, and now he’s adding the element of BASE into extreme skiing. It’s so beautiful to watch. Absolutely stunning on film. The public will already be comfortable with the first bit and then…BASE happens..!! – then they’re going to want to see more. It’s also the guys who are putting out tight videos showcasing all of the top athletes who are “going off” and doing things never thought of before. Those videos are getting out to the public as I sit here and type away. The word is out – it might just be a whisper right now. They’ve see it all…they think…until BASE finds them. The “new” generation will want more, my generation will want more. The buzz has began. As far as the ones that are already ahead of the game with being experienced in BASE – I believe if the right people with enough money (businesses, entrepreneurs) hook up with the people that are adapting to the changes within the sport and are making themselves seen and heard – this sport will be forever different and a lot of people will be able to make a good living doing it. Some will protest the change and other people will give it all they’ve got. I believe that there is a lot more young and open minded people out there that have grown up in the world of extreme t.v./movies/video games that are ready for BASE than there are closed minded people that wouldn’t be supportive of the sport. We can change the laws. Big companies can change the laws even easier. I think it is just about to happen.

BASE is no longer a secret. It’s a good thing to share with the world. The public is ready to see it in it’s right light. Change is on the horizon. Be respectful and be nice to those who love BASE and let people express themselves as they have the right to. Every BASE jumper has something in common – to keep BASEing and landing safely.

Being yourself and doing what you love and getting to do more of it is a great thing. Being adaptable as well as being smart is really where it is all at. Always be safe and always stay inspired.

Safe landings to all…

[wilmshurst 0]

Corporate sponsorship of sports tends to require a large pool of participants. It would appear that corporates require people interested in the activity because they are participants, not just outsiders going "that looks cool!" BASE obviously does not qualify here (yet).

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[piisfish 140]

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..an SUV waiting with cool chicks around in bathing suits drinking water out of a bottle with someone on their cell phone taking a picture. (Norway would make a beautiful shot – They would have to photo shop the truck on the landing area I think – plenty of water and beautiful women) …

and plenty cell phones too (Norway, not so far from Finland, home of NOKIA)

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[desert1 0]

NOKIA is from Finland.

---------------------------------
canyon bar

[rainman 0]

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(Norway, home of NOKIA)

I think that would be Finland actually, or does this reply make me humor impaired?

Ramon

Edit: dang, how fast does a guy have to type around here to get the first answer in? And don't even get me started on the last answer

Rainman

[TomAiello 26]

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It’s a good thing to share with the world.

Can you explain why you think this?

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[crwper 7]

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Everyone seems to love extreme everything these days.

Not everyone loves extreme stuff. There is still a substantial part of the population which is just waiting for things to go wrong so they can be validated in their non-participation. In response to the recent fatality of a jumper at a famous Paris landmark, the response here was quite positive. The response at a forum with a much broader base of readers was not as positive:

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1489332

There are 6.5 billion people out there, and most of them aren't as philosophical as you are about BASE jumping. Maybe some of them are musing that the world is on the brink of embracing lawn bowling.

Michael

[avenfoto 0]

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falls to the ground, the sun is setting/a face shot capturing the jumpers expression moments after he lands, a close up of that captivating smile/sparkling eyes/and of course an SUV waiting with cool chicks around in bathing suits drinking water out of a bottle with someone on their cell phone taking a picture. …

im pretty sure i dont agree with this... one of the greatest appeals to me in base is the fact that it ISNT mainstream..( yet... atleast not to the same degree as skydiving or the skateboarding boom..) im so sick and fkin tired of seeing and hearing how "extreme" this is or that is yeah dude spike your hair its cool to be punk rok now... look at me im so extreme... put me on tv... masybe i can get chicks now... corprate america says "x"product is cool, and extreme, and made for young cool exterem people just like me so buy buy buy... no thanx nokia or nike or coca cola keep that shit elsewhere.
if this is why anyone is into base, have fun "being cool" because the corporation says you are.. but i think there are way more people in the sport for deeper reasons than that..maybe it helps you cope with the stresses of your daily life, maybe that exit point is your little trap door into your own "perfect" realm of existence .. those precious few seconds where nothing else matteres.. not your ecodestroy suv or your new nokia cell phone not your job, your debt, your bitchy girl/boyfriend, your amazing girl/boyfriend (unless the happen to be in freefall right next to you..) not the cameras on the ground and definiatley not corprate america... all that exisits in these particular moments of your rapidly ending life is your conciousness and that lttle parachute tied to that bigger parachute... and where the fuck am i gonna land?

keep it real. pura vida ladies and gentlemen

[JaapSuter 0]

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Maybe some of them are musing that the world is on the brink of embracing lawn bowling.

With those new exploding bowling balls, that might get pretty extreme though.

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It’s a good thing to share with the world.

Just out of curiousity, have you done any base jumps? Obviously you don't have to share this if you don't want to.

After I had made some jumps beyond the Potato bridge I changed some of my opinions and thoughts on base, including the ones on how to deal with the public.

[sabre210 0]

Oh man

that sounds so cool......do you think once the marketing men with the vision and the money really catch on, we'll be as revered as like....skateboarders. Do you think MTV will have like basejumpers showing us their cribs and like:

"doooood, this is my own personal 300ft Pepsi crane in the yard where i train for 6 hours a day, and there's like my crew just chillin and trying out nu shit. Yo bro's"

How about "Extreme Baseover" - where we take an average jaw jutting redneck and transform them over a few weeks into a cool extreme basejumper.

Maybe "America's next top BASE model" where average flat and stable Joes get put through the works and are dismissed by a panel of judges until only one EXtreme dude remains.

Then of course i'll tune in to watch "Queer eye for the BASE guy" where Marty from Asylum gets told that black is sooooooo last year and what he needs is a new hip and cool image. They trundle him out with that spikey hair look like all the young studs wear, with his baggy jeans barely hanging onto his hips.

Other suggestions could be "Pimp my Bridle" and "Hop and Pop Idol".

This vision of the future (and i agree we're so close, i can taste it) is truly inspiring.

Thanks for sharing.

ian

ps. I saw the 60minutes documentary too. It made me feel soooooo proud to be a BASEjumper when Miles explained how jumping was "like being born". I've struggled to articulate that view for so long now.

[FreeflyGoat 0]

I truly hope this never happens to BASE jumping or skydiving. The mainstream are cattle and they will go right over the edge blindly while reading their bible and drinking a mountain dew (or bud light), Fuck the masses.

_________________________
goat
derka jerka bukkake jihad

[TomAiello 26]

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In my opinion, advertisers have yet to really catch onto...

I hope BASE is never reduced to just another way to sell energy drinks.

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...Aussie Pete...He will always be my idol...

Mine too. I spend a lot of my time and energy trying to help people who are learning BASE to do so safely, and well. One of the big reasons I do this is because Pete did the same for me.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[avenfoto 0]

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"Pimp my Bridle"

..lol

[JaapSuter 0]

However much advertising and MTV may suck, let's not diminish the incredible things that some sponsored riders accomplish in the other "extreme" sports.

He may even have his own video-game, that doesn't mean that Tony Hawk isn't a great skateboarder.

If advertising means that people can put more time and energy into the things they love, so be it. I don't think it has hurt skateboarding, snowboarding, or any other sport for that matter.

Base is different in many ways. Parts of it are still illegal. Doing competitions is nearly impossible. The fatality rate is a lot higher. And let's face it, to most whuffos all basejumps look the same. You jump, you chill, you pull.

[sabre210 0]

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However much advertising and MTV may suck........[]......If advertising means that people can put more time and energy into the things they love, so be it. I don't think it has hurt skateboarding, snowboarding, or any other sport for that matter.

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I'm confused where you stand on this matter. Are you saying it sucks or are you saying it's a positive thing for the sport?

If McDonalds decided to throw money at sponsoring one or several individuals in BASE, providing them with Ronald suits and happy meals canopies, thereby enabling them to do the thing they love more, then that's a good thing right? Where's the harm there?

ian

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[JaapSuter 0]

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I'm confused where you stand on this matter. Are you saying it sucks or are you saying it's a positive thing for the sport?

I'm just as confused. This is a complicated topic and something that our community is going to have to deal with increasingly.

I don't think there's a clear cut answer. I admit that there's a certain romantic notion to the fact that base is fairly underground. At the same time, if a person would get sponsored and as a result thereof advance the state of the sport, ultimately the sport would benefit.

Sponsorship can come in many ways. Some are good for the sport, some are good for an individual, some are good for the company, and some are good for nobody and end up hurting us all.

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However much advertising and MTV may suck........[]......If advertising means that people can put more time and energy into the things they love, so be it. I don't think it has hurt skateboarding, snowboarding, or any other sport for that matter.

My comment applied to most other sports. I'm less sure about base for the reasons mentioned in the previous post.

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If McDonalds decided to throw money at sponsoring one or several individuals in BASE, providing them with Ronald suits and happy meals canopies, thereby enabling them to do the thing they love more, then that's a good thing right? Where's the harm there?

From a strictly analytical point of view I would say there is zero harm. Even if McDonalds were to film some jumps and use them in commercials. Of course it would look ridiculuous and I doubt any base jumper would ever consider it.

Edit for spelling.

[JaapSuter 0]

And look, I'm sponsored by Amazon!

[Treejumps 0]

Ian, what an awesome post. You are my new hero. Skinflicka, you are now a pretender to the sarcastic throne.

Well done!
And yes, base jumpers everywhere are embarrased by the DOOOOOD, its like being born. WOOOOOOOO! The media loves an idiot.

[avenfoto 0]

well as much as everyone loves to rip mr.d lets not forget he and crew are pulling off some pretty sick-ass shit... sicker than most.. maybe the equivilent of the whuffo writing off basers as "suicidal maniacs" even tho deep down he wishes he was the maniac in question...

[TomAiello 26]

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"Queer eye for the BASE guy"

Next week's episode: Jeb Corliss.

"Black jeans and tennis shoes? What is this the 80's?"

"Are you going BASE jumping, or to a funeral?!"

The future is coming...

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[littlestranger 0]

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From a strictly analytical point of view I would say there is zero harm. Even if McDonalds were to film some jumps and use them in commericals. Of course it would look ridiculuous and I doubt any base jumper would ever consider it.

Hey, I'd do it...instead of supersize, they could upsize me, haha. ok that was bad, hahahaha

[sabre210 0]

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If McDonalds decided to throw money at sponsoring one or several individuals in BASE, providing them with Ronald suits and happy meals canopies, thereby enabling them to do the thing they love more, then that's a good thing right? Where's the harm there?

From a strictly analytical point of view I would say there is zero harm. Even if McDonalds were to film some jumps and use them in commericals. Of course it would look ridiculuous and I doubt any base jumper would ever consider it.

[TomAiello 26]

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...lets not forget he and crew are pulling off some pretty sick-ass shit... sicker than most...

Two questions:

1) Is BASE really a quest to pull off the most "sick-ass shit"?

2) What is your basis for comparison, that has led you to conclude that any particular group of jumpers is "sicker" than any other? How many different groups have you jumped with and/or observed before making this conclusion?

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[crwper 7]

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Of course it would look ridiculuous and I doubt any base jumper would ever consider it.

Just so we're clear, if McDonalds wants to pay the bills, I'm not too proud to wear a clown outfit and jump a Happy Meal canopy.

Michael

[sabre210 0]

respeck mike