Basejumper.com - archive

Dude you do know that if you BASE jump, you will
Bang into something at least once or twice to say....
the....LEAST. No matter what your experience level.
*********************************************

I made a post in a thread the other day and
I was wondering if , ........
You heard that a jumper smacked into a object.
Do you think Less of him or his Skills ???

Would it be a different opinion of that person...?

* If he was Low time jumper, First year out ?
.......................
* Very experienced, with a good track record ?

And let's say the newbie learned the way you
are to start BASE. Had skydives & went through
proper FJC or has a solid teacher.
And let's say the experienced jumper was Solid
with hundreds of jumps. (not base # object strikes)

What is the DIFFERENCE ???
> In your mind is the jumpers credibility damaged ?
> Is there something attached to the jumper after the
object strick that sticks with, You ?
> Would you think less of him as a jumper or teacher ?
> Do you think, that You Will Never Hit anything ?

I am asking this because lately I don't think it Matters.
The Fact is. I am very certain of this statement.
"If you BASE you will eventually Hammer into something."
Weather it happens the First month you jump or 10
years down the road.

Usually the first thing out of my mouth (in a joking manner)
when I hear of a person I now smacking into something is...

"(name of person), I heard that dumb--F##k smacked into ___ . "

Or something like that.

Everyone makes mistakes. It's those that don't learn from them whose credibility I doubt.

I always hear people saying things like "you have to have huge balls to BASE jump!" You don't. The people who jump with their big balls are completely and totally un-impressive to me, and if we're lucky, they won't tarnish the sport when they go in.

I have the most respect for people who jump with their brains--knowing what's at stake and enough about this sport and the many factors that go into a making a safe jump to walk away when it's not right.

There are times though when the sport calls for the use of both brains and balls at the same time--that's when BASE gets REALLY fun!!

be careful out there!!

see Dick jump.
see Dick hit the wall.
See Dick die.
don't be a Dick.

mh

 
I'm having a little trouble trying to articulate in words what
the neurons in my brain are firing off but (hear goes)
It has something to do with the combination of Naive and superficial
attitude that some people have in BASE.
I catch myself doing it sometimes. when somebody F##ks up and
Pounds-In, or Object Strikes or whatever. I am not talking about jumpers
that Crater-In or leave a Wall-Smudge and Die.

In the post I made to McDuck......
Dude you do know that if you BASE jump, you will
Bang into something at least once or twice to say....
the....LEAST. No matter what your experience level.
*********************************************

He is just Green and without a clue of Taking a object strike.
I don't think he should know but he just Chapped my Ass with
that post about *Credibility as a Jumper* + *Object Strike*

I don't think many people understand unless you seen one or
Smacked into something yourself.
I have had the privilege of Seeing Quit a Few people Smack objects
and I have Smacked one myself.
I've seen low time jumpers and extremely experienced both F##k-Up.

It is the way jumpers Disconnect or don't make the Connection that
Every BASE jumper will eventually have a bad day or two in the time
span of his jumping career.
It could lead to death but the majority don't. Most of the time you just
get banged up or broken up.

motherhuckeer you say :.....
"Everyone makes mistakes. It's those that don't learn from them whose credibility I doubt".

That is one thing, Nothing teaches better than experience. But.....

***********************************************************
Having a Object Shrike has nothing what so ever to do with being a solid
jumper. Also should have no negative effects on his credibility as one.
*Only if he is a, Beginner. (becouse he is still learning)
*If he is a Experienced Jumper (only if he has a good track record) no long
history of bouncing off shit.
Because All BASE jumpers will eventually have a bad day.


Edited :
Because of Misspelling and Rambling due to adrenaline
burn from just getting back from a couple of BASE jumps.

Hey bro, I know what you're saying.

I've had more than my fair share of close calls. By some miracle each time I walked away. I've flown into trees, clipped guy wires, stalled into the ground... I walk away each time thinking "Fuck... how did I pull THAT one out of my ass?"

Answer is... I don't know. For whatever reason, getting broken up wasn't in the cards for me those times. Still, I know I know I'd be a fool to think I'm bulletproof.

We play with odds. Sometimes they fall in our favor, sometimes they don't. I've been lucky thus far... someday that won't be the case. But I know that going into it... maybe that's the difference.

I'm drunk & babbling and I think it's time to hit it. Nite all! :-)

Hi,

I just had a near cliff strike on my 14th BASE jump last weekend. As soon I was open I knew I was off to the right, and I immediately grabbed left rear riser, and turned away. Only my feet brushed the tree on the ledge. I was so close that I saw the bolted anchors for the climbing route that goes right past that ledge.

After turning away and releasing the toggles, I looked at the “OUT” landing area, and made my assessment about whether or not I can make the standard landing area (quite some distance away with very large trees to out fly). I felt how my canopy was flying, and looked at the rate at which I was covering ground and decided I can make it. I made it with 200ft to spare, and actually made a deep break approach to final.

I talked about it with other jumpers including my mentor, and came to the realization that no matter how pretty your pack job and perfect your exit, off heading openings are going to happen, and if you are at it long enough a strike is going to happen. It’s not necessarily the jumpers fault, or a reason to look down upon them. I feel like I responded to what could have been a more serious emergency correctly.

The long and the short of it is, when something goes down, we can sit and watch the video over and over again, and pass all kinds of judgment about how the jumper should have or could have done this, that, and the other thing... but none of us was under that canopy at that moment in time. Only the jumper feels what he/she needs to do, and he/she has to go with it when it happens. Sometimes the outcome is awesome, sometimes it’s a bruised ego, sometimes it’s painful, and other times it earns us a spot on Nick D’s list...

Whatever the case, I think far more can be learned about the individual jumper, when you closely examine his/her decision making process at an exit point. The jumper I respect the most is the one who knows when to say “when”... and is willing to walk away if it does not look or feel right.

My 2 cent’s may be worth just that when it comes to BASE, but the parallels between alpinism and BASE are similar when it comes to making assessments and decisions. I have learned my lesson in the mountains and continue to learn both as an alpinist and as a BASE jumper. Never stop learning!

As my mentor Steve Morrell (BASE 174) taught me,
"BASE is a finite sport." If you do it long enough, you will die or get seriously hurt. That was in 1992. The gear has gotten better and the techniques and schooling have gotten better. But I still believe what Steve taught me, and it keeps my expectations in check regarding the reality of the sport of BASE.

Well I wasn't paying attention I guess and didn't see this thread come up. I guess I was just looking at the "other" thread that got body checked to the curb.

As some have heard from the "other" thread I smacked something. More like Offheading/Cliffstrike/800 ft fall/swinging from a tree at 500 feet on La Mousse. Neadless to say Air Glacier is outstanding.

Smacking that thing and living through it definately got my attention. After a month in the hospital, broken leg, three ribs, and a very compressed spine I have played this jump over and over in my head. talked with a few people that were around about it and found that I should have taken it lower for a slider up. Something I knew already. I have around 50 jumps but was very conservative. Well as conservative as The Falls get.

After comming out of my Morphine induced coma I was happily surprised with, well my wife first, and call after call after call from all my friends. Some were from the war while others were from everyone of my BASE buddies from my home. I expected to hear things in jest like:"you dumbass" or "you got what you deserved", but I heard them wanting me to get better so I could be around to BASE again. Even though I was a dumbass and got what I deserved. I am sure I took a piss on my karma at some point.

I wouldn't think lower of a person that struck something and I got the same from them. Actually a little after my strike my friend was left swinging from a 60ft NC Pine due to a canopy snivel. I definately wouldn't think lower of him, nor would I avoid jumping with him.

Some of us hit shit early on, on a no aerial jump, while others hit stuff later doing rollovers and the like. Whatever your experience that factor is out there. Whatever the reason is and unless this person doesn't learn from it, I probably would still BASE with the person. Unless they were a jackass and I couldn't stand them.

I hope this is understandable. PM me if it isn't or just post something like "go F&%k yourself you idiot". Later.....MATT

Hope you get well soon!

And for the others out there, remember, the object is much more of the enemy than the ground is!

I'm not sure if that's a nugget, but it's definitely wisdom.

Giving a choice between hitting the ground and hitting the object, followed by the ground, I'll take just the ground every time.

A wise man (who was wearing only black) once told me:

"There are two kinds of BASE jumpers--those who have had serious accidents, and those who will have serious accidents."

No matter who you are, I've seen better jumpers than you have accidents resulting in both serious injury and death. Denigrating people for their accidents really only proves that you've not been around this sport long enough to understand that they can, and will, happen to everyone.

"but the parallels between alpinism and BASE are similar when it comes to making assessments and decisions."

There is no better analogy, period. Even the most trained avalanche condition reader WILL get bit in the ass occasionally as the odds are not always "stackable" completely in one's corner. I've seen it happen to the best of them.