JaapSuter 0 #1 January 17, 2006 Hey everybody, I've recently been exchanging some emails with a guy living not very far away from me. I won't go into too much details on the contents of the discussions, but two things in particular deserve attention. He originally told me he had done two FJCs, one with Morpheus and one with Basic Research. When I enquired with both manufacturers, neither of them had ever heard of this guy. When I asked him about this he admitted to lying about it. In response to my discovery, he said: "...as you know base jumping is an easy sport..." and "...i've heard of lots of people that never got it [an FJC] and maybe their dead right now but it doesn't mean they died as a result of not taking a 2 jump course at perrine..." His emails contained several other comments that ultimately led to the conclusion that this guy is either pulling an elaborate prank or that he is on what is probably going to be a successful suicide BASE mission. He says he managed to pick up some used gear somehow, we're not sure how or from whom. He assures me he has used this gear 29 times so far, although he got "big wounds" on his last attempt to freefall a 132 foot bridge by "throwing out a 46 inch PC." All in all I'm no longer sure what to think. I just hope he isn't going to kill himself on one of my local objects. Even more so; I hope that my assumptions are wrong and that he will turn out to be one of the most skillfull and naturally talented BASE jumpers ever. The real reason I am posting this message is to serve as a reminder; do your background checks! I recently found myself doing a background check on somebody from Oregon. Initially I felt bad since I'm just a beginner myself. But the other jumper took it remarkably well, was very understanding and could easily prove to me with some references that he was a heads up jumper who I am more than happy to welcome as a guest on any of my local objects. Quite the opposite from the guy above, who demonstrated quite effectively that we should always take five or ten minutes to ask for references and backgrounds. Nobody ever died from being asked how many skydives they have, where and if they took an FJC, who their mentor was, and how many jumps and objects they have. If anything, it'll give them a chance to share a great story. If they're giving you shit about doing a background check, they usually have a reason for it; be suspicious. Thanks for reading, Jaap Suter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDaemon 0 #2 January 17, 2006 Quote I recently found myself doing a background check on somebody from Oregon I'd definitely do a background check on anyone from Oregon. Them boys is crazy ;-) In all seriousness, if you don't have first hand experience with a person, to give a sense of their abilities and history, background checks provide the best and most accurate data you can acquire to make a judgement call on whether or not you'd like to jump with said individual. (which is different than whether or not that individual is a capable and/or reputable jumper).find / -name jumpers -print; cat jumpers $USER > manifest; cd /dev/airplane; more altitude; make jump; cd /pub; more beer; Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outrager 6 #3 January 17, 2006 Yo ! Do not forget a drug check! Them jumpers are know junkies that cannot be trusted bsbd! Yuri. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diveout 0 #4 January 17, 2006 I'm the guy from Oregon. Here are my thoughts: I have nothing but respect for Jaap for doing a thorough job of checking me out when I asked him for some information. I did not consider it to be insulting, disrespectful or anything close to it. If anything it made me feel BETTER about the situation, Japp himself and our communication in the future. Checks like this HAVE to be done...period. As a relative newcomer I welcome it for myself. What right does anyone have to be offended or upset, if someone wants you to prove that you SHOULD have the basic skills needed to survive our sport? None. Just like you shouldn't go lying about your credentials in the first place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #5 January 17, 2006 QuoteI'm the guy from Oregon. Cool ... Jaap's concern I think is more about another individual closer regionally to us. There are a few local objects around here that are pretty sweat (and I have Jaap to thank for showing me them) and it would be a shame for a person with questionable experience attempting them, fucking up and burn the object. But then again anyone of us is capable of burning an object by messing up. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaapSuter 0 #6 January 17, 2006 QuoteJaap's concern I think is more about another individual closer regionally to us. I think Diveout got that. Him and I are actually going to tear apart Vancouver and Calgary this summer. Woohoo! QuoteThere are a few local objects around here that are pretty sweet... And you haven't even jumped that new 310 footer yet. That's a really sweet one. You can see all the way to downtown brother! I'm back in town on Friday, let's huck 'r then! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #7 January 17, 2006 HMMM, a very good and interesting concept. Some might even go so far as to call it [gasp]ETHICS[/gasp]"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skysurfcam 0 #8 January 17, 2006 Sadly, its not that hard to buy BASE gear C. Brother Wayward's rule of the day... "Never ever ever go skydiving without going parachuting immediately afterwards." 100% PURE ADRENALENS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TVPB 0 #9 January 17, 2006 Further to the deceitful lyers. They will not get better. They will lie more. They make promises that they break. They are prone to accidents. The more you molly coddle them into the sport the higher the chance of incidents/accidents/etc. Don't touch them with a ten foot pole. If they choose to jump without you (especially after threatening you or blaming you for not training them), don't worry. It is their decision and on their conscience. Sure, they might get hurt without training, but you have to live with your decisions and your sence of values and ethics. If you have told them that they need to fulfil a number of prerequisites and they should complete more skydives, etc, you have done your job. If they go without you, that is their decision. Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicknitro71 0 #10 January 17, 2006 Jaap, even though I agree with you 100% let me give you an analogy. About a decade or so back, buying a Stiletto was an adventure. You had to mail in PD your license, jump number, and a verification from the DZO or S&TA. 500 jumps were considered the bare minimum. Nowadays I would not be surprised some DZ doesn't use Stilettos as student canopies and anyone can buy a X-braced loaded 2+ with no question asked. As BASE is gaining more popularity, for better or worse, gear will become more readily available. Also even if everybody was as ethical as you we still have some problems... Let say I'm Joe BASE Smoke, a spoiled bored kid. I got 150 skydives, 0 BASE, and a very bad attitude to accompany my bad breath and pimpled face. I want to buy BASE gear from Jaap. Jaap does a little BKG check and tells me to fuck off. So I called in a manufacture going "Hey, can I enter in one of your FJCs? I'll buy a brand new system too, five PCs, boots, and every single gadget you guys sell and I'll throw in an extra 1000 just for the fuck of it!" So I go and make 10 jumps off the Potato. Next thing I'm in Moab going stowed, shooting videos, throwing gainers, unpacked jumps, and just having plain fun. While there I meet Jaap. "Hey dude, are you that crazy Dutch Canadian who did not want to sell me gear?" "Fuck you man! I can teach you how to BASE now, look at my videos, am I the coolest or what?" Do you see my point? No matter what, "they" will have their way. I got back from Italy where I had the pleasure to witness some old school mentor-mentoree training. It's the only way there, as far as I know. You want to BASE, first let me know you for ONE YEAR. You come with me, watch me, learn all the technical stuff, pack, buy me lunch, let me hang out with your girlfriend, well you get the point! Then after one year I'll see if I teach you... The system is solid and produces world-class BASE jumpers, hands down. In the end ,no matter what, nobody can prevent morons from entering the sport...Memento Audere Semper 903 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
