Basejumper.com - archive

The coffin and serious injury are good ways to finish your base career. Has anyone else set themselves goals-objectives, and once completed thought they would retire gracefully? I did and thought I wouldn't do a 100, 2 years later I thought the bug would be cured and I hit 200. Hmm a few more different objects and 300 could be approaching. When do you stop (even if you keep enjoying what you do)?

Why would you stop?

Personally, the only *why* I can imagine is kids. When and/if I meet the right women, I want to be a daddy. That *might* be when I stop.
-Josh


ps: I saw the typo, but I like it.

Did you ever thourght of why you want to stop?

I did have some serrius issues as i started as i at that point had 2 kids(still have).That were used to me skydiving alot.

Could i do this to them?
Why did i want to start BASE even as i had kids?
What if i die or get injuryed?

I know that not many wants to BASE as they has kids,but i do... Its a part of me and i can see in my kids that they love me becours i am the one that i am.Ofcourse they cant know the risk that i take,but they see how happy i am as i live my life and dreams.

I cant tell if i jump again or if i BASE the rest of my life.I have desided that i cant say it untill i fell that i shouldnt jump,that day this adventure will stop for me,but untill then ill keep enjoy life as my kids,family,true freinds and i get the pleassure of me´living my life and dreams.

BASE is personal,but i dont think you can tell a date to when it should stop..You just need to deside if you want to carry on or not..

to note,i got an injury that kept me off work 8,5month and working part time the next ½ year,I started jumping again soon as i could..And guess ill keep doing it aslong as i enjoy it(well not the injryes)

psst i have a couple of objects you should try out

its funny I was going to post something similar to this............

I have heard of people giving up for the following reasons:

1) Gained a BASE number
2) Achieved certain goals
3) Injury
4) Children
5) Work Commitments
6) Just calling it a day before getting hurt.


Since my injury people have questioned whether I am going to jump again (especially work and family) and when I tell them that I plan to jump again they cant really understand it. I heard one jumper (who is close to this board) say once "if this injury makes me give up this sport then I did not really understand what I was getting into in the first place" - that to me says it all. I have never had goals except one, to BASE jump - I achieved that goal from my first jump, 2 years on I cant see any reason for me to give up - but I know this may change one day.......until then I will keep on going! (well when i recover that is!! hehe)

I would be interested in why people have given up, as I know about half and half of people that one half I cant see give up and the other half that maybe one day they will move on...................

Interesting post Neil..........

I too had kids before I took a more serious look at base.

I started skydiving when my oldest son was 5 months old, and have been jumping ever since. (He's 7 1/2 now). I also have a younger son, who is almost 6.

To my boys, skydiving is just something normal. As far as base, they really don;t have any concept of danger, so they don't understand it all.

I know the risks of base and accpet them. My wife had a hard time with it at first, but she's coming around. She's never actually seen me jump, and I was surprised when she told me she would go to BD with me this year.

I think something that most people don't understand, is that base is a very personal thing. While I'm not a overly religious person, it's like a spiritual thing.

At this point in my life, I can't imagine stopping. But alas, one day my time will come, and I'll have to make that decision myself...

Ganja "adrenaline junkie" Rodriguez

I reckon when my time comes I'll have no decision in the matter.

I have always (and still am) scared of heights, and every time I am climbing an "A", or standing on the edge of and "E", theres this little voice inside of me telling me to do nothing but turn back. I don't listen real good . My first "E" was the single scariest thing I have ever experienced, and I won't lie, while I was standing up there, I was looking for any excuse to turn back. Hoping the wind would be bad, even comtemplating just walking down for no reason. Something clicked when I was looking at that exit point, something in me said, "Go now". It was almost like another person was in my head, telling me I needed to do this. While I was standing there, I thought, "after this one, I will never jump off another cliff again." Then I trotted off that thing. I got down and had never felt better in my life, someone could have punched me in the throat, and I would have given them a big hug, and thanked them for it. It was absolute magic to me, like for that bit of time, everything made sense. Since that jump, I realized while it scared me the most, the feeling of launching off that rock, that all too solid feeling, disconnecting into such freedom, was like something from my dreams. Thats what keeps me going back for more. The real question is, will you regret jumping in the end? Or will you regret NOT jumping?

That's is what is keeping me from starting. I want to jump so very badly, but I know if I do one I'll do 1000, I'm engaged, we have the wedding date and we want a family...so I'm sticking with my "safe" hobbies of Skydiving and my motorcycle.

what would you have felt if you got injured?

That I don't know. I have had a couple of jumps where I ALMOST got injured, but I can't really compare those with an injury. Not even close. I predict that eventually after an injury (at least i hope) I would begin to jump again. I can't say one way or another until that day comes.

I've made several "this is my last jump" jumps. Even climbed back down several times for no other reason than "this is stupid, I can't believe I'm doing this". But I can't hang it up. It's me.
I don't have a butt load of jumps, still shy of 100, most being A's, and a few B's, 2 S's, still waiting on the E.

Whenever I get that "it's time to quit" vibe, I go find something new to jump. That normally holds me over for a while.

Rod

never

Hi...

Just sharing my mind....

Normally I would say "When it needs to dry" but lately my thoughts and focus is inevitably drawn towards an another direction. "Fatherhood".

During "our" pregnancy I've continued to jump. Confident I'll become a miserable man if I quit. That is also the motive as many jumpin' friends/boardwriters state to the question why they continue even though they have children.

I don't know how I'll change and reevaluate things when my "firstborn" looks at me for the first time. I don't know if I then conclude that the sport of BASE will have to do without little me.

A friend of my died for almost 2 years BASE jumpin'. Leaving wife and two children. Considering their suffering, my rational conclusion is that probably nothing can justify the risks we take. Yet, my mind find rationalizations which justify the said risks. Today I find the risks acceptable.

Why is is such a fuzz 'bout risks in society today then? Mainly (I think) it's a cultural thingy. Our risk just isn't culturally/socially acceptable in difference to others.

So, trying conclude my incoherent monologue. Basically It comes down to how egoistic you are. Or in other words what sums up most; your pleasure or your nears possible suffering.

Play safe

// Percy