Skydivers Leap Off World's Tallest Building

[jumpergirl 0]

I thought this was interesting.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Daredevils jumped from the world's tallest building on Saturday when Malaysia opened a parachuting contest at its landmark Petronas Twin Towers, despite two crashes that dogged last year's event.



A record 70 people from 16 countries are in Kuala Lumpur for a chance to BASE jump -- parachute from a fixed object instead of an airplane -- an activity driven underground in most countries for legal reasons.


Onlookers craned their necks to watch jumpers plummet from near the top of the 88-storey, 1,483-foot (452-meter) Tower 2, free fall for four to six seconds, then steer toward a 25-foot (7.6-meter) target on a patch of grass next to a lake.


"This is the tallest building and the most challenging object in the world," said Jim Surber, who hails from Kansas City and says he is a veteran of "dozens" of jumps.


"Every jump is totally new, it's always scary. We are all nervous about a jump," he said after a practice session. "But once you've done it, you will feel better.


"I have jumped off cliffs and bridges in the U.S. but this is the best man-made object and we have among the group some of the best BASE jumpers in the world," he said.


BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth. Last year, a Dutch diver broke his leg when he hit the Petronas building and crashed onto the roof of a shopping mall after his parachute twisted on opening.


Another jumper hit the wall of the towers but he spun off and landed safely.


Last year's winner, Johnny Winklekotter, a 33-year-old skydiver from Salt Lake City with 6,000 jumps under his belt, is back this year to defend his title.


One of the highlights of the week-long event is an exhibition jump involving 10 divers at midnight on December 31 to usher in the New Year.


The jumpers, from Europe, North America, Australia and Japan, have to sign forms indemnifying Petronas in case of accidents.


In most countries a waiver cannot protect owners from legal action so divers leap at night and flee when they land.


"BASE can be a dangerous sport and if not approached in the correct manner can result in serious injury or death," warns www.basejumper.org. "Margins of error are small."

[Iflyme 0]

I'll have to check with my buddy who lives in Singapore and see if he was there to jump or to watch! What a great event to see from neighbouring buildings or below!

[narcimund 0]

It'll be fun to hear from TomAiello and d-dog who are both there jumping.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[RichM 0]

Quote

Another jumper hit the wall of the towers but he spun off and landed safely.

That was a good friend of mine. He was jumping camera and the video is awesome and very scary. He dropped quite a few floors with his semi collapsed canopy rubbing against the building, then managed to kick off and the canopy twisted away and reinflated. He was bruised and cut but physically ok.

Rich M

[mac266 0]

"skydivers leap off"

Why Skydivers???

Would the publicity be better suited keeping these two sports seperate? Especially in regards to how some associations of skydiving will throw people out for bringing the sport into disrepute and although seen as seperate if your called a skydiver doing this and get hurt / arrested etc etc (bad PR for the association etc) then technically you are bringing the sport into disrepute.............


just my 2 groats worth.......

M

[PhreeZone 20]

If you wrote Base jumpers leap off of building as a head line how many of the public would know what the f a BASE jumper was? Skydiver is used since at least the lowest demoninator in the public has an idea of what a skydiver is with out having to read the article to figure it out. Besides... i think most the people there jump or used to jump from planes, so that makes them skydivers

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[narcimund 0]

Quote

i think mst the people there jump or used to jump from planes, so that makes them skydivers

I think most of the people there used to widdle in their little cribs, so that makes them all bedwetters.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[PhreeZone 20]

>I think most of the people there used to widdle in their little cribs, so that makes them all bedwetters.

That would probally be a factual statement so that could have been used also as the headline. I'm not quite sure why it was'nt.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[narcimund 0]

Yeah! The silly press misses all sorts of factual opportunities, damn them.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[mac266 0]

i only posted that as if you are found "skydiving" off something and it perhaps published in the news paper as "man caught skydiving" off building - it could be seen as bringing the sport (sport parachuting) into disrepute and thus the individual may than be banned from their national association!!

just an observation on how the media and the constant connection between two seperate sports are a possible problem!

Be Safe........

M

[mac266 0]

and guess what I have just found

http://www.blincmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=1758&forum=board&viewmode=threaded

this has been discussed before!!!!!!

Be safe..... be bored with bad weather trawling the BLINC archives!!

[Iflyme 0]

Quote

i think most the people there jump or used to jump from planes, so that makes them skydivers

Yeah ... I'd say (and of course, I'm no expert!!!) that BASE is a form of skydiving ... My analogy: Hockey is a form of skating ... not every skater plays hockey, but you can't play hockey without skating!

[mac266 0]

Quote

BASE is a form of skydiving

No it is not.......... FF/RW/CRW/Accuracy/style/swooping/skysurf etc are forms of skydiving....... BASE is nothing like skydiving except you hang under a canopy........same as paragliding is not a form of skydiving......... completly different sports!


Be safe...........

[Rookeskydiver 0]

i also believe that BASE is a form of skydiving.

Your diving towards the sky right? so then it is a form of skydiving

PCSS # 1 Rookeskydiver
"Its a Wonka Bar"....."Go ahead Charlie open it, lets see that golden ticket"

[narcimund 0]

Yeah, I find it really plausible to consider base a specialized form of skydiving, even though the base jumpers all complain bitterly if you say so.

Let's see, how is it similar? Launch, freefall, tracking, birdman suits, relative work, opening shock, canopy control, landing accuracy, flare and touchdown, pilot chutes, bridles, ram air canopies, A/B/C/D/steering lines, risers, sliders, three-ring release, flaking, s-folding, blah blah blah...

Yes, there are differences, but to my way of looking at it, the similarities are sufficient to form a close family association.

Why do some base jumpers get so worked up over distancing themselves from skydivers? Largely elitism, I think. I could also imagine freeflyers or CRW dawgs or S&A jumpers wanting to claim their sport demands a whole different name and I'd think that was somewhat silly as well.

Either way, it doesn't much matter if we say base is a type of skydiving or skydiving is a type of base. It's all good either way. We're all having fun doing similar things and often crossing over between our sub-specialities.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[f1freak 0]

Cant we all just get along?????

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[mac266 0]

Quote

Why do some base jumpers get so worked up over distancing themselves from skydivers? Largely elitism, I think.

no as i said before some associations look badly upon BASE - so if you are associated with skydiving there is a possibility of being banned from skydiving because you BASE - bringing the sport into disrepute - bad PR!

not because of elitism - if anything skydivers are worse at thinking they are "special"!!!!!


Be safe......... be not wanting to argue about whos better!!!!

[hookitt 1]

Quote

Cant we all just get along?????

NO!! We Can't!

When I put on my BASE jumping uniform, Ya'll can Bite my A**

When I put on my Skydiving Hat.. THEENNNN we can talk.

(All in fun..I'm Just kidding)
-----------

Hows this for an article. We could probably turn it into a Cypres debate.

Skydiving Skier Plunged off a cliff wearing a Snowboard and a single parachute system

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[IronMike 0]

There is a picture on page A 14 of the LA Times of Matthew Strickland hanging from his main which is wrapped on the roof of a building and he is hanging over the edge about 20ft. There are 5 soldiers trying to pull him up.

[outofit 0]

oh my god jumpergirl u named a site, be careful!

It is better to be dead and cool than alive and uncool!

[hookitt 1]

Quote

There is a picture on page A 14 of the LA Times of Matthew Strickland hanging from his main which is wrapped on the roof of a building and he is hanging over the edge about 20ft. There are 5 soldiers trying to pull him up.

PLEASE PLEASE put a link in there ifyou can find one. He's a local!!!.. I"m looking at the website right now and I'm having a tough time finding it.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[IronMike 0]

Its not on the net....I looked too....There is just a pic in the actual paper. I left it at work, Ill go look for an LA times and scan it.

[hookitt 1]

Quote

Its not on the net....I looked too....There is just a pic in the actual paper. I left it at work, Ill go look for an LA times and scan it.

Thanks

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[Jessica 0]

Here it is! I ran this pic in my paper, too.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[hookitt 1]

Quote

Here it is! I ran this pic in my paper, too.

Thanks... He looks ok. Before I go giving him shit, did it say he was uninjured?

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto