JaapSuter

Bring helium balloons.

Congratulations! Very exciting.

Bump. I am interested as well. Please PM.

And just to give it one last nudge towards the bonfire: Ordinary masturbation is so Ben and Jerry's!

and Very true, especially on low stuff where it doesn't give you much extra distance anyway. However, one feet more or less could be the difference between hitting the object or not. Considering that a hard stable push outward is possible (I've seen Crwper, 736 and others do it), I might as well practice it. That said, stability is more important for sure, so never compromise stability for distance. You clearly haven't seen how utterly poor my exit was... Thanks everybody!

The terminal jump I was so excited about all week didn't happen. The hike up was inaccessible because of dangerous bears that had been sighted in the area. Aside from the fact that an encounter with a pissed-off grizzly bear doesn't appeal to me, the locals also have a good relationship with the park-rangers that we didn't want to disturb. Interestingly, this dangerous bear may have saved my life. Instead of doing the terminal jump, we went to a slider-down cliff. There, I managed to completely fuck up my exit, go head down freefly style, feel my canopy extract and touch my legs and then whip me upright in the harness so hard I was seeing stars. Because I went hand-held, I could pitch as soon as I realized I fucked up my exit. That, combined with what was left in my lucky-bucket is probably what saved me from a disastrous opening and a potential object strike. Of my previous 48 jumps, 44 were stable exits from bridges and cranes. On those, I have used a style of exiting that is basically just a simple hop. It is very easy, stable and head high. However, it creates minimal distance from the object. On cranes and bridges, this often doesn't matter much. On the four previous jumps from solid objects, I tried doing exits that pushed away harder from the object. All those were head high and stable, but I suppose I got lucky on those. This fifth time it didn't go as well. I can only imagine what would have happened if that jump had been from the terminal wall. Stowed, with a 32 inch pilotchute, completely unstable, trying hard not to kill myself. Only because of the bears, did I end up going handheld from a much lower object. I learned that I am not yet ready for a terminal jump. I'll be going back to the pool to practice exits that launch away from the object. This upcoming weekend I am driving down to the Perrine to practice hard exits as well. Hopefully that'll give me the confidence to try a terminal jump at some point in the future. Lessons learned: Know the difference between simply hopping of, launching hard from the object, and the entire spectrum in between. If all your previous jumps were stable exits, it doesn't mean your next one is going to be. Learn jumping hand-held and use it when appropriate. Going hand-held instead of stowed on this jump allowed me to pitch as soon as I realized I was going head-low. When visiting Crwper and 736, you will end up hiking more than you will jump. They'll come up with lame excuses like bears, private property, the winds being too strong, misjudging the distance from the talus to the ridge and even creeks you have to wade through bare-foot (causing odd girly noises), but in the end you'll make some incredible hikes that more than offset the limited amount of jumping you do. The Canadian Rockies are magnificent! On another very embarrassing note; I got my tree-E. I misjudged the amount of penetration my canopy has and ended up hugging a tree about five feet above the ground. Thanks to my monkey skills and body-armour, the only damage was two small holes in my canopy and a bruised ego. Attached is a picture of the jump I went head-low on. It doesn't look too bad, although you can see I'm way too horizontal, being that close to the object still. I hope that 736 can post a still from the video around the time the canopy is lifted from the packtray and scrapes along my leg. That way we can all have a laugh at my terrible exit that fortunately turned out to be a great lesson and nothing more. A stable exit at the bridge might not work as well when transfered to another object. When you learn to jump the bridge, jump it as if it is a solid object. Cheers, Jaap Suter p.s. Big thanks to the Calgary locals for an amazing weekend.

I am not quite sure I understand what happened and my French isn't quite good enough. Was this an offheading with line-twist followed by impact with the wall, or was it impact with the ground? Does we know what kind of delay the jumper took? BSBD

I hadn't seen that, but I love it! Awesome... Mmm, so true. Not just in this case, but in general I ought to be reminded of that more often. Thanks. And that's not meant sarcastically. So here's a solution for ya; I'll chip in 25 bucks to the one with the best picture of the other end of the hose that Skinflicka is sucking on in his avatar. I'll then send another 25 bucks to the same cause that Skin is sending his 10% to.

If you're comfortable jumping modern gear, I'm pretty sure there will be pleny of jumpers waiting in line to have the honour of you doing a jump in their gear. I, for one, would be at the front of that line. So in the rather unlikely event that you can't find gear, drop me a note.

Did the fact that ten percent of the proceeds are donated towards a children's cancer research group get lost to everybody in the translation? Yes, I would much rather see them give all hundred percent. Yes, the main reason for this stunt is probably publicity for Red Bull or whomever. Yes, Felix may have said some things that may have bothered you. But what the hell, he has also done some pretty cool stuff, regardless of whether or not he was the first guy to do it, and regardless of whether or not he bragged that he was the first to do it. This guy just puts up a tandem jump on an auction-site of which ten percent goes to help a bunch of kids who feel a lot shittier having cancer than you will ever feel hearing Felix talking. Give the guy a break, let him do his thing, and ignore the rest. I may be a post-whore, but I definitely have better things to do than talk shit about a guy who uses his passion to generate publicity and help some kids along the way.

It's really quite interesting you bring this up. I have also noticed an increase in the amount of hijacking and chit-chat and was just discussing this with Crwper and Base736 today. Admittedly I'm guilty of it. It's mostly because I have now finally met some of the people on these boards in real life. After that, it becomes so easy to step in trying to be funny with some sort of snappy comment or remark. Too often, it's only funny to the people that know the context. For the rest, it's just noise. So I'd like to retract my no-vote as well, and give a dual board at least a chance. If we find it doesn't work out, or we don't like it, we can evaluate that after a couple of months and easily merge the two again.

He hasn't jumped in a while. We keep trying to get him out to make a jump (mostly because he knows what he's doing and this city could use an experienced mentor), but so far I haven't seen him jump anything. Try sending "chachi" a PM or email. He has his phone-number.

Don't worry. I've spend my fair share of time in the woods and mountains. The post was really intended to ask about what kind of things base throws in the mix, mostly because of the limited amount of gear one can carry through flight. Yeah, I definitely agree. That said, that shouldn't be a reason not to consider bringing a sattelite phone. I mean, if they exist, you might as well, right? Also, the power of the mind is quite a large component in survival. It helps that I'm completely nuts, so I don't stand a chance from the get go. Ha!

While I am sure that the Para Pack is a great rig and works as intended, I prefer having a single dedicated tool for the job at hand. One can safely stow away fairly large backpacks without introducing extra risks. Admittedly, the parapack can be jumped when loaded as well, which can't be done with a regular backpack (without introducing risks). Still, it's not something that really interests me.

Unrelated, but ever since I started using a forwarding service, I'd say I get less than one spam-email per two weeks. It's quite good.

Tom mentioned this in another topic, and I've been meaning to ask about this for a while anyway. Does anybody have any tips on how to obtain serious painkillers for those people that aren't married to a doctor? Lame excuses for your doctor on how to get them, or perhapt just be honest? What about the strongest over-the-counter painkillers? Or is it possible to order something online? Resources are welcome. Meanwhile, I'll go talk to my doctor and do some googling. Cheers, Jaap

Okay, let's not get too responsible here, where is your sense of adventure? I like the satellite phone idea, that would significantly reduce the amount of time to bring in a helicopter. I'll have look around and see if they can be rented. They are rather pricey.

Hey guys, this post is not related to the ABP, but a question about planning and executing trips to remote exit-points and landing areas. To illustrate, consider the following scenario... The jump-site involves a 30 mile logging road only drivable using a 4x4. This is followed by a four hour hike up. The landing area is on the other side of the mountain, meaning a hike, bushwhack and scramble of at least six hours back to the car parking spot. Cell coverage is non-existent. You're accompanied by groundcrew that will climb to the exit-point and then walk back down to the car. Helicopter rescue is, once they are contacted, available quickly. However, actually contacting a helicopter rescue would take a while, considering how long it would take to get back to an area with cell-phone coverage. My question is mostly about how the jumper can prepare for the jump, the following six hour hike, and any eventualities that might occur. A base jumper can only carry so much gear on him, so I'm wondering if anybody has any advice or those neat tips and tricks that come with experience. Here are my ideas: 1. Find a slim camel-bag. During the jump, you can put it on in reverse so it hangs on your chest, under a jacket. This way it doesn't interfere with pin-tension as much, and it should provide ample water or energy drink for the hike back. 2. A fanny-pack with miscellaneous things (army-knife, dental-floss, shoe-laces, plasters, painkillers, lighter, two-way radio, spare batteries, a couple of power-bars, compass, map of the area, GPS device, small LED-flashlight, cellphone, whistle, little bit of toilet-paper). That sounds like a lot, but you'd be surprised how much you can cram into a fanny pack if you arrange it correctly. 3. One of those insulation foil blankets tightly folded up put down my pants. 4. I imagine I could tape some stuff around my ankles and put my pants over it (to avoid snag), but I'm not sure what else I would need. I could bring more water that way. Ofcourse, this is on top of the usual; body armour, rope, range-finder, etcetera. Groundcrew will take all that but the body armour back down. Does anybody else have some good advice, additions, or tips and tricks to add to this?` Thanks, Jaap Suter

Can any of the Moab people comment on this, Clint, Jimmy, Marta? What is the extend of the proposal? Is it the entire Moab area, or is it limited to specific areas? Does anybody know if this is at all related to several recent incidents in the Moab area? Is the base community at all in discussion with representatives from the climbing community to perhaps settle this without making laws? I have not ever heard a bad word from climbers about basejumpers, even if we used the same rock. I suspect that the government is just using them as an excuse to make a new law, and that the actual climbing-community couldn't care less. Everybody enjoys a good James Bond movie, but to say that we glory in it? Nonsense... Certainly not any more than the climbers and hikers do, right? Is there anything we can do? Maybe call some people or write some letters? Now would be a good time to become a member of the Alliance of Backcountry Parachutists! They have a membership for as little as 25 bucks, so there is no excuse. I know there have been groups with similar attempts in the past, but right now the ABP is the most active and most widely supported one, so leverage that! Jaap - Never jumped in Moab but still looking forward to the Turkey Boogie - Suter

Found someone, thanks people!

Here's a reminder that the bridge day 2005 ticket sale starts tomorrow... I'm looking for somebody who is willing to pick up a jump-ticket for me. When the sales open tomorrow at 2pm, I'm hoping to stand on top of an object, so I won't be able to buy until much later that night (which means getting a late jump-number, or nothing at all). I'll chip in 10 bucks extra for whoever can buy me a ticket. Send me a PM if you can. Thanks... Jaap

It's fine. In a way it's easier than skydiving rigs because the contents is much simpler. I've passed security with my rig in or out of the stashbag and only once did they even ask what it was. They never asked me to open it. If you're worried, bring your USPA and/or USBA membership card. Also, print the letter available at the bottom of this website which you can show to them in case they start asking too many questions.

Tedd: 1 Abbie: 0

Oooh, those look like nice riser/shoulder covers. I like how they come far towards the center. My Vision has that too. Are the side-walls slanted? It looks like the container is wider towards the top and bottom, is that true?

Roflol... Now I'm really looking forward to seeing those pictures, thanks! Any comments on its features? How much Warlock, how much Vertex, and how much new is it? What is the pin-flap like? How are the bottom corners? Any new bridle routing features? What made you decided to get a DP instead of another container? Aside from the erotic pleasures a deep DP can give you of course...