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When I started BASE jumping the BASE prophets always said that if your in the sport long enough you'll eventually have an object strike and as much as I didn't want to believe this I knew deep down that it was true, one day I would be faced with hitting an object. Well, on Good Friday '04 that prophecy finally came true for me. It was a perfect day for jumping light winds warm temps and plenty of sunshine. Our group headed out to our local favorite 271ft "A" for an evening of jumping. The 4 of us reached the top about 7pm and proceeded to flick off. 3 freefalls and a PCA later everyone was 'big eyed and grinning'. 2 of us decided to make a second jump so we grabbed our gear and headed back up to do a 'roll-over'. Jumper one goes and has a 45 off heading to the left, now it's my turn for my 5th roll-over. I lower my canopy down and prepare to launch. There is a slight crosswind (2-3mph) from left to right, should be no problem. I check everything one last time and push off. As I'm rotating over my canopy I watch it turn slightly and I become almost mesmerized and transfixed. I watched it for too long and when the canopy sprung to life I was looking at it and not out in front of me. In the split second it took to look down from the canopy and get my bearings the parachute came alive and became very angry. It whipped open right back at the tower and I torked my body in the harness to try to keep it from going further left and grabbed for the steering lines, I looked at the tower and I knew it was going to be close and I actually thought to myself 'whew I'm going to make it' the all of a sudden my forward momentum ceases and I start to go backwards. I think 'oh shit, I clipped it'. The next thing I know I'm being slammed into the steel. On the second hit I'm able to grab something and hold on. I'm now at about 160ft with a sore ass and a canopy draped on the side of a tower I quickly call down to the ground and let them know I'm OK and proceed to get to a more secure location, and not hang from the rig anymore. I get out of my harness and climb up to release the canopy, by this time one friend is already half way up the tower and he grabs part of the canopy and begins to real it in. This whole process takes about 5 minutes and then we're climbing back down to the ground. What a strange feeling that is... jumping from a tower but never actually landing your parachute! I came out of this relatively unscathed; a few cuts and bruises. I'm a bit pissed at myself for watching the canopy for so long but you live and you learn I guess.... Next time I'll try the TARD instead
So the BASE prophets are right again. I thought at one point in my career I might prove them wrong but alas in the end it is I that is wrong. It took me 487 jumps to fulfill their prophecy, when will you be faced with the inevitable???

Stay safe,
Jason M.
BASE 570
Naked BASE #15

JASON,
Man, glad you came out of that ok. I don't like the idea of doing a rollover off those short ones (that one in the pic looks strangely familier!). But, let me recommend you do some (a lot) of tards off the P. Bridge before you try it off other stuff. I say that because I really do believe the probablility for off heading is more on the tard, at least when learning. Of courese, your mileage may vary, but I had one of the neatese, quickest, cleanest 180 openings on a tard at the bridge. Personal taste is always sour though I guess.
Hey, answer my email I sent you, unless you didn't get it.
Again, glad you came out ok. I recently had a 200 left opening on a similar tower, but 320feet high.
Good news: I missed the building, the tower, and the fence.
Bad news: I hit the tree.
Gooder news, I am ok but the canopy had to go to the repair hospital.
Be careful man, cause you is one of my fabvorite people [at least during the holidays :)] .
Gee, don't you people have any taller towers around there? I wouldn't jump those low ones :)

later,
t

Having hit a cliff and a building in my 200+ BASE jumps makes me incredibly lucky, or unlucky, depending on which way you look at it. That being said, I think that striking an A sounds like the worst of the 4 object strikes that one can have. I walked away both times, and hitting an A just sounds more like a nightmare to me. I guess only one man can tell us for sure. Congrats on living dude.

Hank...........

Hmmm.. and it happened on my B-day also. See what happens when you don't send me a gift Glad to hear you are ok. The irony is I also managed to bang myself up also on my b-day. Pitch black landing on the RRtracks of certain tall S far from home. Tore a hole through two layers and have a black and blue ass . Did we get hexed or something? Tell your girfriend to take my ass photo off her screensaver, it 's bringing me bad luck

lets go hang out on the tall ones soon.
later
mike

Yo man!
Glad to hear you are ok, your experience speaks volumes of your committment.
Funny how I also had a mal on a McConkey off a freestander, you remember the vid I'm sure, luckily I missed the tower but hit the ground real hard
Anyways, as 515 said we were up there again and I did manage to get off that damn A again without any mishaps. And I also had a FUCKIN hoot dropping through the bat hole off the slider up S.
Let's get together soon, like 515 said, let's go do some high altitude jumps
C-ya
Blair

I was just joking about the TARD thing. I won't be trying that!
Glad to see you came out OK on your jump even if your canopy did not. My canopy has a few fabric stretches on the left stabilizer and 2 small cuts on the stabilizer near the slider stops. Overall it wasn't too bad.

570

Man I swear it seems like everybody in the Carolinas is busting their ASS lately... no pun intended!
Happy B-Day bro sorry I missed it, glad to hear you guys went out and banged out a few.
Don't worry about your ass picture on my girlfriends screensaver, you might want to be a little more concerned about where I sent it to recently... You'll find out soon!
Peace
Jason
BASE 570

Um, why did you decide this would be no problem?

 
Woah! De Ja Vu....

Glad it turned out okay.

In my limited experience doing and watching these type of jumps, it seems that a minor wind, one that won't even move a hanging canopy, won't be a huge factor in the openings as long as you have a good launch and keep tension on the lines. This might be totally wrong but we don't have enough data to have a definite answer one way or the other since these type of jumps are so new.

What are your thoughts on wind and rollovers, Tom? I think the less the better, zero is ideal but they are doable with a slight wind. Slight meaning, not enough to move the hanging canopy.

We're all guinea pigs.... by choice of course!!

570

I hit an "A" last year on a no wind night with a lazy launch. I would have cleared it if I would have had a good launch from the exit point. Three feet can make a difference.
It was a $412.00 dollar jump.