JaapSuter

I agree. This BASE WIKI thing is new, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it. I'm thinking next time I will write my post here. Then, when the thread has died down, I can collect all the information from everybody and throw it over to the WIKI (if it's useful). Unemployed, broke, and in Canada. I'm waiting for my new work-visa so I can make money again, and then travel again.

Awesome, I have bitches making shit clicky for me now. Man, I'm so hammered. I shouldn't be posting any messages.

That would imply I actually continue skydiving a whole lot. Unfortunately, when given a choice between hanging out on the DZ for an entire day and doing only 3 or 4 jumps, or going climbing, hiking, surfing, skiing or kayaking all day, the choice is easy. Having too many fun things to do is one of the better problems to have in life....

Yeah, for sure. I was recently flying my Sabre 170 after having done about 20 jumps on my 260 BASE canopy. After it scared the crap out of me, I quickly realized how much fun it can be. I'll never have the balls or lack of brains to get into swooping though...

I've added some of my thoughts on BASE WIKI. I disagree with Hookitt that skydiving a large canopy is boring. It might not be as hot and sexy as swooping, but I get a huge kick out of improving my accuracy skills. Accuracy is a lot more fun on a large canopy that you can really sink like a mofo.

Prepare beyond skydiving, then be ready, and then take a first jump course. Also highly recommended is to get BASE 66 and other books. There is lots more websites listed here. More personal experiences can be found in the stories section of BASE WIKI.

Getting Into BASE

The incredible BASE community to the rescue once more. Thanks guys, I'm taken care of (and I don't mean that in the Abbie way).

Yeah, he's bad-ass and is an incredible host to visiting jumpers. Don't actually try jumping with him though, he goes where the winds go. Oh, and his packjobs are way too clean. Edited to add: I don't care that Tim is now openly admitting his love for Chad. Just make sure there is video when Britt and Katie start doing the same.

Damn, that's a crappy thread title if there ever was one. Anyway, I just had my last day on the job and I received this book as a present. I guess crashing into the company hotel room on a business trip, while carrying a canopy and wearing a fullface helmet, may have had something to do with it. Try shaking of a reputation after that. Telling them that BASE is boring and that real dare-devils are more into sharkfucking didn't help. Being Extreme: Thrills and Dangers in the World of High-Risk Sports By Bill Gutman, Shawn Frederick. ISBN: 0806523530 Has anybody read this book? I perused it very quickly and got a positive impression so far. The book quotes Mick Knutson, Dennis McGlynn and Miles Daisher. It seems to contain a lengthy explanation of BASE in national parks, making mention of the Flatbed incident, as well as Frank and Jan. The book discusses many other extreme sports and the psychology that comes with it, which is interesting by itself. Seems like I found myself a good read while flying to Bridge Day.

I'm in for $53.42, but he'll have to buy me a beer. Given that I owe him two beers, that works out well. Btw, speaking of money... Martin; did you ever grab my cash? If not, I'll bring the 85 US to BD. Cya!

Thanks Jason, really appreciate it! If you need any help with anything on Wednesday or Thursday, let me know! It'll be my pleasure.

You bring up an excellent point! I asked all the people that have ever groundcrewed for me to have a look at the BASE fatality list. This summer, climbers have taken me to several remote bigwalls to check their jumpability. Each time I made sure they were aware of the risks of BASE. It may not be likely, but the last thing you want is permanently traumatize somebody, or have a situation where everybody panics. In fact, some of my closest friends would love to groundcrew. Yet, I'm not letting them because they can't convince me they can confidently handle a bad situation.

Call me a snob, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable jumping with those people. What can a comment like that imply about the rest of their approach to BASE? Oh well...

That's right

Why do you think they don't want to give a number? When I'm about to share a potential life threatening experience with somebody, I don't have a problem with giving a useful contact information. This might mean the difference between the police getting in touch with my parents and telling them my "parachute didn't open", or a BASE jumper talking to my parents giving the complete story, sharing it with realism and understanding and potentially even a few anecdotes about the amazing adventures and life we've had, right up until my very last jump. I don't think one can underestimate the difference a messenger can make in such a situation.

In my opinion, there is no excuse for not discussing this. I would call 911 for ambulance and police, and then ride it out. That's the nature of the game we play. However, if (and only if) it was agreed in advance that an everybody-splits pact is in effect, I might consider splitting. Some people are forced to jump this way, because the results of getting legal trouble would be disastrous. That's understandable and if all parties involved agree to play the game this way, I don't necessarily see a problem with it. I have never done one of those jumps, and if the day comes that I do, I wouldn't be surprised if I said; screw the pact, and stick with my friend. Another important thing to note is that it is surprisingly hard for laymen to decide whether or not somebody is dead. What if your friend was only unconscious and able to recover if only you had gotten an ambulance there in time? You'd be surprised at how messed up the human body can be and still recover. There are stories in BASE history about jumpers leaving another half-dead jumper behind. Sometimes they are later rescued by other people. (Let's not bring up specific examples, lest the thread degenerate). Why would you jump with this person? It takes two seconds to share each others BASE in-case-of-emergency phone-numbers.

Also see BASE WIKI on helmets.

And while we're at it, does anybody know what a taxi ride from Charleston from Fayetteville costs? I've heard about 50 bucks, is that right? Anybody driving up from Charleston late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and interesting in splitting gas? Jaap

Like I said there is not much content on BASE WIKI yet. To get a taste of what is possible, I filled out a few pages. Check out: Getting Into BASE Skydive preparation for BASE Protective Gear Utilities If you feel like changing these pages or adding new content, let me know. Tssssk, back five minutes and already I'm replying to my own posts...

Almost two months ago I wrote a dramatic post to mention I was leaving this forum. A wise man once told me this place is like a bar. It's where drunken BASE jumpers get together to talk shit and share stories. Sorry for the drama of two months ago. Let's blame it on the alcohol, and treat that post as if it never happened. People predicted I would be on a slippery slide back to posting whoredom in no time. You can take the Jaap out of the BASE forum, but you can't take the forum out of Jaap. So I'm back, with more silly things to share than ever before. I apologize in advance guys... That said, those two months I was gone did give me the time to work on some other things. Like a new website I am now opening up for everybody else. BASE WIKI - http://www.basewiki.com The BASE WIKI aims to be an encyclopedia of BASE knowledge contributed by many people. It tries to answer recurring BASE questions. It is not intended to replace the dropzone.com or Blinc forums. Most wikis (like Wikipedia) can be edited by everybody. Due to the nature of our sport, BASE WIKI requires more quality control than a fully public wiki could provide. Therefore, the information here can only be edited by a large group of editors. BASE WIKI strives to have as many editors as possible, not necessarily contributing, but at the least keeping a watchful eye over the quality of the information that is offered. Contributions are obviously appreciated even more. If you like to become an editor, contact me. The only requirement is that you can contribute something useful or positive. You will get a password and be able to edit any page. Most pages have a text box at the bottom where anybody (including non-editors and anonymous people) can leave a comment. If an editor finds a comment useful, it will be reworked back into the page itself. Over time, with sufficient input through comments, from editors and peer review, the information on this wiki will hopefully converge towards what is commonly accepted wisdom in the BASE community. We're not there yet. We only have some initial content, and there's lots more to be added. This will take time, but hopefully BASE WIKI will provide the framework in which such an encyclopedia can grow. This is not my website. This your website! So have a look over at BASE WIKI. If you have any suggestions, comments or ideas, let me know! Thanks, Jaap Suter

Not at all. I just went with the best option that my local mountainbiking store had available. They had four models from different brands. I've jumped with two of them. One I lost in mid-air on a skydive (don't ask). Then I switched to the SixSixOne Full Bravo model. I really like it (as far as weight, peripheral vision and fit go). I can't comment on its protection relative to other mountainbike helmets. There are probably better ones out there. I'm sure mine offers way better protection than most skydiving and non full face helmets though. Tomorrow!

Thanks for sharing Jamie! It goes to show that the tailgate has not necessarily rendered the LRM useless, even though it didn't help you in this case. Good to hear you're okay-ish.

Care to share this story on the BASE forums? I'm sure we can all learn something from it.

I'm not sure what kind of definition of spoonfeeding we're using here, but I like to think that BASE has no room for it. Spoonfeeding a person into safety is only going to postpone accidents. Inevitably it'll happen. Then again, it also happens to those that didn't need spoonfeeding. The only thing we learn is that we never learn... BASE jumps or skydives? The latter is not uncommon at all. I knew a guy with over 100 skydives who couldn't attach a canopy to a container without having twists in his risers...