SabreDave

HEya Antti! Congrats man!! Good to meet you and hang out in NOrway. Will get those video shots to you soon bro. Cheers SabreDave

No, I really don't think it means the registry is doing anything. It is a waste of money, resources and has done nothing but make criminals out of law-abiding citizens. I doubt they have hit 50% compliance yet but I'm sure our government will say they have. Just like there was no ad scandal etc. Total waste........................... SabreDave

Dude I am in Amsterdam!!!! Hotel Nova near Royal Palace and Dam square. Yo....let's hit ém dave SabreDave

Masking tape tears far too easily. I'd really recommend against using it. Electrical tape is a much better choice, if you are going the tape route. The other thing is that electrical tape doesn't change strength when wet. As I understand it......masking tape can increase in strength when it becomes wet!? SabreDave

And what works even better is military spec break-chord!! It's ultra-cheap and can easily be ordered by anyone. $65 US will get you 500 yards! Split it up between some buddies. http://www.paragear.com/templates/parachutes.asp?group=33&level=2&parent=193[url] Paragear...under "Thread"(rigging) bottom of the page. Why use anything else? SabreDave

Michael has been witness to some of my impressive wait times Never due to the the law though....just scared stupid! SabreDave

Mac I think Jaap is talking about whether or not you leave the slider down on low jumps or remove it. SabreDave

Well, I guess not too long after that(1995) and maybe even before that time!??!!??! I saw my first BASE jump up close and personal!! It had been burning in me already for quite some time when a friend called and said that some jumpers from the States were to be passing through that he knew and wondered whether I wanted to check it out!! DUH!! Of course I was jacked to see this first hand so I showed up at the spot I was told to go to at 4am-ish. The jumpers were already on the tower when I arrived at the "invisible van" parked n the side of the road. The object is right in here in the city and stands about 800 feet high. I could see their (2) silhouettes against the sky through the binoculars and remember a feeling of such excitement just being there! As the dawn broke one of the jumpers walked out 8-10 feet balancing on a piece of steel just a few inches wide. He walked out to the point where the guy wires attach and stood there. Then his arms went out and up...that 45 degree angle and he held them there for several seconds and then......he jumped and it looked so slow, calm and wonderful. Then the reality as the opening sound hit the ground......KA-BAMMM!!! I was shocked! I had no idea how noisy a slider down jump would be in the crisp, cool morning air. That jump sticks with me very much and always has! That jumper was Kevin McGuire!!

Like I said, in my limited experience this is what I have observed. The several times I got on the risers right after opening and simulated an object avoidance there was no question that I lost more altitude than the same excercise with toggles. With my brakes set quite close to the stall point I believe it is the act of basically stalling out one side. Now, I was not gentle and I did haul down pretty good on the risers as I wanted to know how my canopy would behave with large, quick inputs and just how fast it could be turned etc. Kind of feeling out the outer edges of it I guess. I know that being smooth is important and mentally I try to rehearse that but this was me doing what I thought I would probably do in a fast happening offheading situation. SabreDave

J If you have a cell phone that works internationally bring it!! You need a phone in the valley to call Air Glacier before every jump. They don't want to deal with FRS radios so someone in the group needs a phone. AS for gettiing there, no clue as we drove from Norway last year to the Valley. Great place! Dave SabreDave

Hey Tom I am talking mainly about "C". Having never had to do this actually facing an object ....yet, this is what I have noticed. I know I eat more altitude with risers and my thoughts are, it should consume slightly less horizontal distance also?! So yah, it was time in seconds to get the canopy turned around I was talking about. This has been my experience so far..... SabreDave

I was discussing this with some friends a short while ago. Now, I also only have a handful of jumps but what I have found in running some experiments with my canopy immediately after opening is this. My canopy is a whole bunch faster to initiate a turn using risers. Now, I think this may have something to do with the size of my canopy!?!? Anyone? I fly a 305 and love everything about it but I have noticed that when I start a turn with toggles it is slow to initiate (yes, toggles are setup well) but really starts to pick up and get into the turn after about 2 seconds+. That is a long time when flying towards an object me thinks! For me, unless it is ultra-low I will just about always go for the risers as I can turn it around way faster. Now I have experienced the serious loss of altitude cause by heavy inputs on the risers but like Jaap said......I'll take the ground over the object followed by the ground. The other thing that I wonder is what the chances are of missing a toggle in a panic situation compared to risers?! I think it would be less likely to miss a handful of riser...anyone!!?!? Jaap mentioned Slim's video and I have watched it several times. It looks to me and of course no disrespect is intended here but it looks like he misses the left toggle on the first go or grabs brake-line!? Not that it made any difference in this case but I just wonder how much harder it is to get that toggle as opposed to riser..... There.....a little long winded but whatevs SabreDave

Johnny- Yeah thanks, I knew about the Stavly but trying not to spend that much money if I can help it as it would be for about 6 hours or so. BodyPilot-.....I was actually starting to think about just staying up and that is looking better and better now that I check out different flights! YEah, I'm just gonna party and sleep on a bench or something!? Jay- I arrive in Stavanger on the 19th of June in the evening. Will be flying in from Amsterdam via Copenhagen. A night or two in the Dam is a prerequisite. Anyone know if Douggs and Coombesy are around there (Lysebotn) this year? 10 DAYS........................................... SabreDave

So I am heading back to Lysebotn in 10 days but doing things a litle differently this year. It looks like i will have to spend a night in Stavanger to be able to catch the 10 am ferry. So, where is the cheapest place to stay in Stavanger and is there anything nightlife wise that is worth checking out?? Any info appreciated.... SabreDave

I would not classify this as a BASE jump as it is not of a fixed object. I would classify this as a low altitude Skydive with a BASE Rig... I would agree with the statement that a baloon jump is not a BASE jump! After some discussions quite awhile back as I started jumping I came to the conclusion that just like in BASE jumping, KEEP IT SIMPLE. I use this when deciding what an object is. It is either one of the four or it is other. For me, my one dam jump...is logged as Other. For my one 1,000 foot paraglider drop....I would call it a low altitude skydive with a BASE rig as said above. It seems straight forward to me that if it isn't attached to the ground (no, tethers don't count on balloons) it cannot be a BASE/FIXED OBJECT jump. Very good training and super fun but not a BASE jump Put that in your pipe and smoke it! SabreDave

YOU....with the parachute!! Slowly step away from the bong! "We will now resume our regular broadcast...... already in progress, thankyou." PS- Spelling= "Scaredy-cat" SabreDave

Just watched it. I was surprised to find out that Jaap and I are two of only 20 people in the world to ski-BASE!! I guess I must know almost half of them...... Does this mean we rock?? Or are we just trying to make ourselves feel better?!?! Now, on the serious side (not that I have one) I thought it came across ok..., good for tv turds like that. I thought Pete came across well and Livia was very well spoken also. The tv guys put their usual little shit spin and tried to drama-queen it up a fair bit but that's what they all do!! They try to make go-cart racing seem dangerous and hardcore..... SabreDave

Well Jaapy Nice work you freak and I would like to add my extra congratulations to Jaap for doing a jump with the coolest fucker this side of Mars early this morning Neeeeed......more......sleeeeeeeep.................... I am still buzzin dude!! That was fun!! Peace out "G" SabreDave

PM sent SabreDave

How long you there J?? I will arrive on the 19th or 20th and be there for 12 days. Was there last August..........can't even explain how much fun had! SabreDave

Hey, eh!! Well Uncle-C you might pass, just drop the capital "E" off of the Eh. Then it's more subtle.....eh. SEE:) Delays on the wall in the middle picture are in the 8 to 10 second range but with a suit (which is why your asking I think!??!) or even tracking pants could/should push you out past those cliff bands and away you go! It is roughly 3,600 vertical to the valley floor and the talus is roughly 45-50 degrees and you have roughly 1,200 of overhang to get flying. This area is only accessible after June 21 as it is a protected mountain goat breeding area. The + side is that jumping after that date is legal! Edit: If you go to skydivingmovies.com and search for Jason Cooper, then download Rockies.mov. It is a good vid clip of this site plus a funny crash on my part! L8R, eh SabreDave

Yup!! I sure do.............. sabredave@yahoo.com Feel free to drop me a line or two with your questions. SabreDave

And you (Bill) have not figured out that most people don't care about your little vendetta nor do they care to keep hearing you go on and on and on and on about it!! This was a solid thread with real concerns and good answers. It wasn't about you Bill! SabreDave

http://www.photolife.com[/url] You won't regret giving this a read! SabreDave

I had the pleasure of sharing an exit point with Chris just a little while ago. To make a long story slightly shorter, myself, 736 and Crwper got in touch with Chris through various channels, past meetings and other people etc. Must have been around November or so when myself, 736, Wildcard and Muller went out to a local "A" that is quite nice. Now, I was on the ground because I am too fat to fit through the tight squeeze required. Well, as 736 is worming his way through, Chris, in pure Muller style found a new way to get around, one that I can fit through. He had never been on the object before but finds a more accessible way to get on! Blazed his own path and away he went. By the time he hit the 600+mark 736 was still a couple hundred feet down. I was laughing my ass off on the ground listening to Chris describe how he is near the top and can't see the other two climbing below him. Some continued ribbing and sarcasm over the radios etc……so...Chris just hung out up top, enjoying the view of the city and waited. Once they were all together, I think it was Chris who went first, slider up, nice fat delay and a sweet landing of course. He was jacked and enjoyed that jump enough that he went and visited it several more times over the next few months. Then, near the end of Feb. I got up one morning for a daylong adventure with Mr. Muller. It was Feb 25 to be exact and I’m not a real morning person but I was up by 7am and on my way to the Muller Wind Sports flying area and home near Cochrane Alberta. Jaap, who posted earlier was already on his way from Vancouver to meet us for this epic adventure and Wildcard was probably eating breakfast at his leisure since it was near his home that we would be jumping that day. Got to Chris’s and after a quick chat with his mom we threw all our crap into his truck and were off. We talked and laughed for the next 2+ hours driving to Golden from Cochrane. Good tunes, good conversation and always a smile on his face. We talked about BASE; we talked about paragliding, hang-gliding, women, life, backcountry ski touring using kites and so much more. I had not known Chris that long but he was so easy to like and so easy to respect. As 736 said, “he practically glowed with positive energy” and that was the Chris that I got to know. We pulled into Golden and got in touch with the other 2 jumpers (Jaap&Wildcard) of our load of 4. We all met up and threw our shit in the chopper Wildcard had arranged for us (cheap) and away we went. Got a cool flight in a nice 407 and landed upon a ridge top several miles out of town. SO there we were, almost 4,000 vertical feet above the valley!! There were sunny, blue skies, a spattering of clouds and no wind even at the top of the ridge. It was a beautiful day, the kind of day that commands you to live and have some fun with friends and a jump of course! So away we went down the mountain as we had roughly a 1,400 vertical foot ski descent just to get t the exit point. Three of us were on skis and Jaap on his snowboard as we worked our way down the mountain on less than ideal snow! It was an icy crust that you would break though as you tried to turn. During this run I had the worst wipeout on skis I have had in 15 years or more. Hit some hard blue ice while making turns down an avalanche chute that leads to the exit. I am now flying down this chute out of control and gaining speed as I go. I have to admit I was more than a little worried as I sailed down getting closer to the trees and no, I couldn’t have actually gone over the edge, just could have hit trees going fast. I had lost both skis at this point but still had my poles and was trying to dig in with them but to no avail. So now on my stomach, going feet first I play my desperation card and kick down as hard as I can with my ski boots. The desired effect was achieved as I cart wheeled through the air wondering how the landing would feel!?! And then the inevitable thump as I came crashing back down and luckily punched through the ice and stopped dead…half dead anyway;) Chris gets down to me and once finding out I am ok says.”Geez dude, why didn’t you tell me you were going to do that?! I could have videoed it!” And everybody had a good laugh over his comments!J After putting myself back together we continued down to the exit point. This is when I realize I am bleeding from some bad ice-rash and 2nd degree friction burns on my forearms. With my wounds deemed worthy of footage, Muller took sick pleasure in taping my bloody arms before we went to look at the exit from both sides. Chris had already done this jump on his snowboard just days earlier so he was on his skis for this one. I was scared about this jump and not feeling too good after my wipeout either. Chris is a good guy to have around for that. Again with a big smile on his face, boundless confidence and lots of positive energy just flowing out of him. He volunteered to be the last one off and shoot video of all of us from the side. Wildcard went first with a front flip and a long delay. Jaap was up next for his first “E” and totally stuck it! I was up next and was still feeling a little rattled but off I went for a solid 0.45 second delay and a girlish scream (much to Chris's delight!) as I went over the edge. Muller was last off with a solid delay and then an impressive canopy ride. As I said in another thread, watching him fly that canopy was amazing!! He was doing some strange stall spins that I had not ever seen done on a big-assed BASE canopy. Then he performed a nice long carving swoop in on his skis and a great landing. We were all jacked and had great jumps. Talk and laughter about the jump while we drove back into town filled the Suburban. So when we were back at the vehicles, Chris gave me some of that spray on "second skin" stuff and then videoed me as I screamed in agony spraying it on my wounds. He did like to laugh! Chris, Jaap and I went to the local pub for some food before heading home. I had a burger and a beer, Jaap and Chris had something healthy and no beer. ON the way back to Cochrane Chris and I again had a couple of hours to chat about a lot of different things. I enjoyed that time very much and was looking forward to having some more jumping adventures together. Chris was a busy guy with all his travels, competitions, teaching and friends to fill all hours but I knew we would be sharing some exit points together this summer! He was excited about the local terminal and near terminal walls we have. He was excited to jump that “A” again and again and we were all excited to learn what he had to teach us about paragliding, about flying our BASE canopies about attitude and many other things. He was larger than life and really lived the dream! He flew and flew and it’s hard to imagine that flying could take him yet not if you know what I mean?! He flew hard, he flew fast and that’s why he was one of the world’s best. The Chris I knew was a man of his word. I called him while he was in Norway and upon returning to Alberta he was not home long before heading out to go to Florida where this tragedy occured. He called me back as I was driving home from Vancouver after having done an early morning jump with Jaap and left a message saying he had more or less just got home and was heading out but he would call me from the airport. Well, I am very happy that when he called back I was in cell range. He was at the airport on his way to Florida, he sounded upbeat, happy and sounded like his trip to Norway was really nice in so many ways. We chatted a bit and then it was time for him to go. We always take those last words for granted don’t we!???? The last thing I remember Chris saying was….”I’ll call ya when I get back and we’ll go huck something……………………….” I am grateful that I got that last conversation with him!!! To me those are great words to remember someone by…….. For those who knew Chris so much better than I did all I can say is……I wish I had that opportunity! You are very lucky indeed as was everyone who crossed paths with him. Chris Muller= Friend, son, fiancée, teacher, competitor, world class athlete and world class human being!! I will miss you Chris, blue skies forever dude!! Thanks….. Sincerely: Dave Lundquist ---------------------- Attached are 2 frame grabs from that day SabreDave