Basejumper.com - archive

Not trying to steal your heading Tom, but it is fitting!

I just returned from Bridge Day 2004, just like most, I had a great time. even though I didn't get to jump.

I knew long before bridge day that I wanted to jump. I registered as soon as I could, knowing that Bridge Day would give me a great feel for a BASE jump, educate me some about it, and in all, I thought it was a great opportunity not to be passed up. I thought that I would have many more skydives by this point, but finances don't always go as planned. Jason told me I would be OK though, and I should go ahead.

Some of you read my posts leading up to Bridge Day as I was planning to jump, and had some questions. As soon as I had registered, I contacted my DZO who has jumped before to see if I could somehow track down some gear to use. He said he knew two locals, one who had 5 rigs and would probably let me use one. I dont know how things happened, but after months of trying, he ended up getting me some old skydiving gear to use, the day before I left. He never got the chance to get in contact with one of the locals to let me use BASE gear.

So he put me together a Maverick 200 (or 205) in an old Warp container. I was planning on a water landing, so he probably didnt want his newer gear to get wet. Totally understandable. It had a 24 Round reserve, 44 inch F111 pc, and a 9ft bridle.

I picked the gear up thursday right after he pieced it together, and headed out to BD thinking a great time was ahead of me. My first BASE jump.

I get to bridge day, and i'm amazed at all the great people around. I chat to a few to try to learn what I can. I spend Friday listening to any seminar I can, talk to anyone I can to learn as much as I can. I watch several people pack both BASE and Skydiving rigs, and eventually got one experienced guy to help me pack. He was really patient with me and I thank him for that.

I go to the mandatory meeting on Fri night, and sit through Johnnys video. It goes without saying that it was very cool of him to do that, and if it wasn't for his video, bad stuff could quite possibly have happened.
Throughout the video I become pretty concerned. Sure, it is scary watching people screw up and get hurt. But I'm not freaking out, i'm thinking about it rationally and logically. Here is my thoughts.

I have 52 skydives. The worst mal that has ever happened to me is 2 linetwists, at 3500 feet, in clear skies with a reserve. Now I want to BASE jump from 876 feet with an ancient skydiving rig and a D-bag.

I do not know specifically how dangerous certain situations can be, and if what I was going to do was dangerous. So I thought, there is a plethora of experience, all I have to do is ask. So I go to Johnny and ask him his opinion, asking that he would recomend someone to just spend a minute talking to me. He asked one of his protoge's, who took time out to talk to me, he knows who he is, and I thank him. He inspected my gear and told me that I would be OK, but I could tell from his attitude as he was carefully inspecting the gear that it was definately not the smartest idea.

I had to make a call. I sat down and thought about it. I can "chicken out", (I dont consider it chickening out though) or continue on with packing my rig and take the chance.

I guess this is the call that you have to make on a lot of BASE jumps if you plan on living. Even though Bridge Day is one of the safest places to jump, I wasn't being as safe as I could be, and if that means waiting and calling it off, then so be it. I knew then and there I might as well just chuck my canopy in my container, because it would be stupid to jump. (it might have been reasonable to jump, but I didn't have the knowledge to decide, so i thought it better to not decide on something I don't know about).

Here I am, tremendously dissapointed as I have been for the last 2 days. But it wasn't a wasted opportunity.

(Hang with me)

I learned an incredible amount from a variety of sources. I walked away a smarter, and even wiser, man than I was a few days ago. I learned about packing, jumping tecniques, target fixation with a Wingsuit, etc. you all know how educational it could be for a newbie. Most of all, I walked away learning that BASE jumping is definately something I would do. Now or later, I have to jump.
I realized a long time ago. BASE jumping is very dangerous. If you want to jump, you have to pay. But was I willing to pay? I had no idea. Now I know that I will pay no matter what.

Continuum II was great, and it opened up my eyes a little to what can go wrong, and the chance that you take. I knew that even though those are the chances, I'm in. Death is not something that scares me, i know where I am going after I die, if it happens now, or in 2060, I'm not concerned. If I break a bone or 20, so be it, that is the price, and I believe that the rewards are worth the bones. I have no children, no wife. Now is the time.

So here I am asking for help. I want to jump, i have made the decision. I simply need the guidance. My DZO has not been able to hook me up with the only two locals that I know about. BASE 386 (?) has not responded the my requests to be GC. I have been asking around, doing what I can to get into it. I have nowhere else to turn.

(A little background). I am a poor college student in debt with my dad. I cannot make a crapload of skydives like some people. I realize that I will have to wait until I have the jumps, but let me at least learn while I wait.

I am very dissapointed, yet at peace. Because I know that I will jump, now or later, here or somewhere else. I will do what I can, work where I need to, save what I can. I'm waiting for the opportunity and asking for help. Where do I turn to?

I know that there are more jumpers out there and I simply need to get in contact with them. Please let me know who you are. I will drive FAR to GC for you. I have First Aid experience, and as you can tell I am VERY enthusiastic. Anyone in TN, OH, WV or my home, KY, please let me know how I can get involved.

Thanks for those of you who sat through all this crap!

Do you really think it's a smart idea to start base-jumping at only 50 jumps? 50 jumps is nothing....why the rush?

"Death is not something that scares me"
If you are not scared of death you would have jumped during bridge-day. Not being scared can make your skydiving/base-jumping career very short.

Advice from Tom himself
"First, make at least 200 skydives. You need to make these skydives in order to practice accuracy, tracking and canopy control skills. You also need to establish a general comfort level with parachutes, free fall, and split second decisions. The skydivers who are best prepared for BASE generally jump large, 7 cell, F-111 canopies, have had a number of malfunctions and responded correctly, and are comfortable with multiple skydiving disciplines."

hey dude... i agree, but realize that BD is one of the safer/safest places to make a first base jump. Especially with all the support personnel there. He can land in the water and the boat people can pick him up. Anyway he made the choice not to jump...

It seems like you are on good terms with your DZO, why don't you get a weekend job packing at the DZ? Offer to pack the DZ's student gear, most packers would rather pack for experienced jumpers anyway. Packing big F111 canopies will give you good experience and confidence for BASE. Use the money you earn to do the right skydives (ie getting canopy time on big F111 canopies practicing CR's drills etc).

If you can't afford to skydive right now, what makes you think you can afford to BASE jump? Also, naming someone on the internet (if only by BASE nr) for not replying to your requests to GC is poor form. Looks like he made the right judgement call. You do yourself (a low-timer in skydiving) no favours posting stuff like that on the internet.

Good luck with the packing job at the DZ!

Will

Everyone has a plan until everything goes wrong.

It's nice to exit stable, have a nice clean on-heading deployment, fly an approach through easy air conditions, and land in the water so the safety boat can pick you up.

But...

What happens when you exit head low, go totally out of body position, swim a little, kick the dbag as it comes past your feet, and wind up with three line twists, flying toward the trees?

It's what you do in the next ten seconds that really matters. (on many BASE objects you have more like two seconds)

50 skydives. Is it enough to give you a reasonable confidence that you have the skillset and the presence of mind to react quickly, correctly, and efficiently in order to save yourself? Once you leave the exit point there's no amount of support personnel that can do a thing for you until you're on the ground, in the trees, or in the water.

I should know. I started BASE jumping with less than the recommended number of jumps (this was six years ago when Tom A hadn't made his "Getting into BASE" article accessible to the many new young up and coming BASE wonders) and I very quickly realized that I needed to go back to the planes and the altitude or my BASE career and my run on this earth would be coming to an abrupt halt in the very near future.

Now I'm a pretty solid novice BASE jumper, I'm technically competant, and I've had a lot of fun getting here.

Ultimately it's up to you and you alone. But when it really comes down to it, what makes you or me special? Why push it too hard too soon before you even really know what pushing it is? You may end up in scary territory without even knowing you're there until it's too late.

Make good decisions, but first, gain the knowledge to make the decisions from an educated point of view.

I only have one BASE jump to my name, but that was after a year of asking questions and waiting until the people who could be my mentors watched me skydive and determined that I was ready for a relatively "safe" jump.

From what you are saying, it sounds like the potential mentors in your area are not responsive at this stage in your skydiving experience. Perhaps you could contact people who were mentored in your area and get some ideas from them, as well as letting them know that you would like to start when they (potential mentors) have watched you fly the previously mentioned canopies and land them safely. It's also a good idea to do ground crew on as many BASE jumps as local jumpers will allow. It doesn't cost a dime to offer to go with these people and perform necessary functions from the ground. It'll give you better perspectives on things as you go through all of the same briefings and landing area walkthroughs as the jumpers. Plus, you can video them from the ground and watch body position, canopy control and other important aspects of the jump to compare with what potential mentors will brief you on.

My first jump was cake: large landing areas on all sides, no support wires to avoid and a mentor who took his time detailing the jump, landing area and safety issues. I don't plan on doing any more BASE jumps until my mentor feels it's time. It's all about patience, and if you don't have it/can't exercise it, experienced BASE jumpers will tend to shy away from you...with good reason.

Ask for guidance, show a willingness to wait and learn as much as you possibly can and don't pester the hell out of experienced BASE jumpers and you'll find people willing to guide you on the right paths.

"Anyway he made the choice not to jump, so chill"
Indeed he did...and I think that was a smart decision...

I'm chilling...what did I say wrong? ..read my post again please..It was all meant in the nicest way possible.

its cool, just seems alot of people here attack those that know no better. A nice friendly attitude (personal skills)usually works better in the long run than attacking and "showing" the base community all they know by doing so on an open forum. I am not saying you did this of course.

added: ...Though maybe the attack technique might save someones lives....

Thanks all for your insightful responses.


Fab...
I realize that 50 jumps is too low a number to start BASE, and I did state that in my post. If you read carefully (which is hard, because it is long and boring) You will see that I mentioned that.

You quote me talking about Death, and I think you misunderstood, and so might others. Let me clarify. Death was the one thing that kept me away from a lot of more dangerous things, and taking risks. I recently realized (getting a little personal) that we need not be afraid of death. I have grown in my faith, and therefore I am not afraid of stepping beyond this life.

"No man has power over the wind to contain it;
so no one has power over the day of his death."
Eclesiastes 8:8

If I am on God's side during my time on earth, he will decide when to take me no matter what I do. I have come to incredible peace about this, even when I drive my car or anything simple. This is my realization, and it is not a point that I want to argue. If you want to, then we can take it to Speakers Coner.

Obviously I still have safety in mind. Not being afraid of death does not mean being unsafe. I am being very safe and open-eyed. Why then would I have called the jump off?

I will make the skydives, in time as the money comes. All I asked was to be able to get in contact - the get into the BASE world - not necesarily to jump off right away. There is more to BASE than just the jump experience. GC'ing can help an incredible amount. That is what I was asking if you read my last paragraph.

Now to answer skreamer. I packed for a while in Colorado and would have continued if not for a friends dad offering me a sweet opportunity back in Kentucky (which, uipon arrival here didnt ever work out). My local DZ is way too small to sustain a packer, and no one would pack. My DZO is also very pciky about his gear, and even though I have good Tandem packing experience, he does not like the idea of me packing. He is working on his riggers, and things will be different then. The job I have now makes me more money anyways. Thanks for the concern and the idea.

DexterBase
I am not pushing the jumping. I will make the skydives and understand that. You say: "Make good decisions, but first, gain the knowledge to make the decisions from an educated point of view". That is exactly what I am trying to do. By meeting more local (or even not-so-local) BASE jumpers, I will be able to learn a heck of a lot more about BASE jumping to be able to make those decisions. Thanks for your concern.

So.... in summary, I am willing to wait, but I want to learn while I wait. I am very anxious to get into BASE, but realize that there is a price, and right now it is not being able to jump, being patient.

I am hooking up a job next summer in Jackson guiding on the Snake. It is about 4 hours drive from Twin Falls. I hope by this time, if all goes well, to be able to take advantage of being so close to the bridge. If not, I will still make the drives and learn what i can without jumping.

And lastly...I apologize sincerely for mentioning a BASE number. I did not realize it was poor form.

I would think until you do, no self respecting jumper would even consider taking you,
i know you may not have meant it that way, but there is no shame in waiting.

I have been lurking for a long time as well as posting stupid questions,
i would much rather have to ask them here and have the time to digest the answer,
than going quiet on someone at an exit point an looking a fool..

..not that that's ever bothered me before.

As was said earlier... whats the rush ? objects will still be there long after were're dead and gone.

Enjoy learning everything.

I guess I will just see you all when the time rolls around.

If you hear or know of any local activity, please let me know if it is an apropriate experience for me to learn something. I guess i'm just living in the wrong place to learn more about BASE. So be it.

Probally not... there is a large Cinci crew out there, there is a small Eastern KY/southern Ohio crew I know about too. Both are probally willing to take you on as GC, I've asked before myself of one of the KY crew. None of them are online as far as I know though.

I know nothing of their ability and skill levels towards being a mentor... but I'm sure asking a few people in PM's their opinions will help you pick the right path. I made my decision a while ago the same way.