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I see these periodic reports on here about heat on objects. A recent one indicates that some effects were left behind, and the police were kind enough to contact a local to say the heat is on.

I'm wondering how common burning an object is. Does it happen far more than it is reported? Are there degrees of heat brought on?

And what are the ways that jumpers do this?

Dayblazing usually happens when a non-local is passing through and decides they can get away with a jump in broad daylight. Whether or not they get caught, they will probably be seen. After they've left, it's the locals who have to deal with the ongoing attention brought to the object. In addition, a jump like that shows obvious disregard for the law. That's an image the local crew will be saddled with, which means when they are caught, they will probably have to answer for the dayblazer as well.

Alternatively, even a well-planned jump can go badly, and someone might get caught. In this case, the object is still probably burned, and it's good form to let the locals know what happened. This kind of thing can't be avoided, since it's pretty much inevitable someone will get caught eventually. Everyone just has to wait it out until things calm down a bit. The flip side is that if everyone keeps the locals apprised of what goes on at their sites, then they can let others who are passing through know what not to jump. This keeps everything low-key.

Michael

...and if you involve the locals and jump with them, and it still gets burned, they will share the responsibility with you and you won't reviled as a site-burning arsewipe for the rest of your BASEing days.

Burn-ability has morphed over the years . . .

There was time early on when it was almost impossible to burn a site. Before BASE jumping was a "known" jumpers caught red handed generally got off rather easy and local authorities didn't get too upset. After all they figured, "how many morons like that could there be in the world?"

The first truly burned sites were the ones that got specifically posted with signs that said "No Parachuting Allowed." This was the mid-1980s. There was a RR bridge in Texas and some tall towers in Northern California like that. But even then we didn't see them as burned and never got upset at the jumpers involved. That would have been like one bank robber getting mad at another bank robber that got caught. And you know, some banks get robbed over and over anyway.

The first outright attempt to protect sites was in Florida in the late 1980s when some towers became "locals only." But that was more of an ego thing, and not a reaction to a problem that was still years away.

Today most cops, judges, and site owners know what BASE is all about. Cops will stake out, or at least keep an eye on a site where there's been a recent bust. That's how the term "hot" came to be. Judges now are less lenient as they feel the need to send a message to other BASE jumpers. Gone are the days when a BASE jumper was a nice court room diversion from the usual line up of thugs, robbers, and murderers. Site owners will press charges always, in case you pop back up in a month to say you hurt yourself.

On the other hand we can also congratulate ourselves. I know several sites within a hundred miles of where I am that have been jumped for over twenty years that are still very much jumpable. I'm sure there are places like that all over the country.

The biggest problem I see is sometimes BASE jumpers get lazy. They start out jumping at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning, then it gets earlier and earlier and soon they are doing 11 o'clock loads and finally they get popped . . .

The next step that could really hurt us is if cities and towns begin to enact ordinances that specifically prohibit BASE jumping. That would take away what little wiggle room we have left. It's a fact that every new generation of BASE jumper does the most damage, and I don’t think we'll ever figure a way to preempt that . . .

NickD
BASE 194

These guys are way ahead of the game. Making legal tower jumps....

and even a smoke stack boggie in daylight....sponsered

>>These guys are way ahead of the game. Making legal tower jumps.... <<

You can look at that way, but I don't. Everything we see happening in BASE jumping today is possible only because past generations of BASE jumpers didn't roll over in the face of adversity. Carl Boenish was one of most respected skydivers, and camera persons, of his day. When he began his involvement in fixed object jumping in 1978 he started losing all that. Longtime skydiving friends and colleagues told him he was hurting the sport and he lost many of these friends. But, he said later, "I made new ones in the BASE community."

You had to be around in those times to see the vitriolic treatment BASE jumpers received from skydiving's old guard. Throughout the 1980s BASE jumpers developed their air pirate image not of their own volition; it was thrust upon them by skydivers who called us outcasts. I saw it as an ego reaction as skydivers saw BASE jumpers usurping them off the top of action (and danger) sport's list.

No, these fellows you speak of aren't ahead of the game, they are right where the people who gambled their friendships and reputations put them. We, all of us, owe everything to those who risked it all. The ones that gambled their economic futures starting the first BASE equipment companies, the ones who jumped before there was BASE gear at all, even when they knew they were using the wrong stuff. They owe it to the early publishers of BASE magazines who spread the word after seeing too many friends hurt and killed.

When I started BASE jumping in the mid-80s skydiving had been the biggest part of my life for 10 years already. Now I suffered the humiliation of people I respected and worked for calling me an asshole because I BASE jumped. It happened to me, it happened to all of us, and that's why the Jolly Roger went up the flagpole. If they were going to treat us like pirates, then by god, we where going to act like pirates.

Dwain Weston, before he died, came to understand all this. One time I was explaining the beginnings of BASE in the U.S. to him in a time he was already considered one of the best technical BASE jumpers in the world. He listened and he got it, I knew that when he said to me, "We are standing on the shoulders of giants."

The first third of the 87 jumpers on the BASE Fatality List (in general) paid with their lives learning the first hard lessons of BASE jumping. The second third (in general) are the ones who didn’t take those lessons to heart. The last third (in general) died learning the new lessons of wing suit flying and dealing with the general ease one could enter the sport. My hope is the next group doesn't repeat the mistakes of the second group . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Has any BASE jumper ACTUALLY sued a property owner after a BASE related accident? If so, WHY?!

nic

>>Has any BASE jumper ACTUALLY sued a property owner after a BASE related accident? If so, WHY?<<

No, at least not as far as I know. But the chance of it happening is always brought up by the site owner's lawyers when a determination about pressing charges is being made . . .

NickD
BASE 194

I agree with you Nick, But for me i see the need for experienced people like yourself to find ways to preserve base as a hole. The equipment has come full circle..as safe as you can make it. Sure its more mainsteam but so is skydiving..It came along way.. If you look at the website for these guys the requirments for jumping these A's are very strict. I think it helps people want to get the right training to do this kind of things. I just dont see sneaking out to a A in the middle of the night in the dark...with 20 or so some odd jumps a great way to gain experiance. Well for me anyway ..and i am looking at what i will need to pusue this sport in a smart manner. I dont see doing a B in the night with the same amount of jumps as smart training. If we dont live near a easy object that can be jumped without the added extra things one has to think about....gettiing caught...busted...hurt...sued...crippled...and just concentrate on the jump itself..i think we would have better trained people out there ....I cant see myself doing 20 some odd safe bridge jumps....doing another 20 some odd A jumps in the middle of the night to prepair me for Europe....I dont think i would have the visiual or mentel skills to do it correctly... Aagain i could be totally wrong and off base...i have never based jumped..but i am persistantly asking every and any question that comes to mind in a effort to better prepair myself for doing just that...And with my head and not my balls.....

It's funny, i never asked.. well...mabey one or two questions about skydiving before my first jump.It just shows you that base jumping is at a hole different level...

Really enjoy your posts Nick and hope all is well with you!

Terry Forestall's sister has tried to bring suit against a bunch of Norwegians in Euro-court.

taking off my jumpers hat you can understand why she did it,but then putting my hat back on then she doesnt/didnt get why Terry was there in the first place,like most people who look at what we do.

interesting point about the damage done being linked to the generation/time in sport of the jumpers involved...we have an "instructor" here in the UK who was taught by someone with little or no ethics andafter questioning his students it seems he too is now passing on that wisdom.

a point to ponder though is can all the experienced jumpers out there say with hand on heart that when they were on the "get as many jumps in as possible" rung of the ladder that they were completely ethical?

i know i cant.

Terry Forestall's sister has tried to bring suit against a bunch of Norwegians in Euro-court.
It was against the volunteer mountain rescuers for not doing their job

Can someone extrapolate... And was there a verdict?

Here's one way to burn an object. Think this crane will be locked up from now on?!?!?


"Crane climber closes Peachtree
Man identified as murder suspect from Florida

By MIKE MORRIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/26/05

Atlanta police Thursday morning remained in a stalemate with a Florida murder suspect perched atop an 18-story crane in the heart of Buckhead.

Peachtree Road remained closed at 6:30 a.m. in both directions between East Paces Ferry Road and Sardis Way, just north of the junction of Peachtree and Roswell roads, police dispatchers said.

The man, identified by Florida authorities as 41-year-old Carl Edward Roland, climbed the construction crane about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, and has refused to come down. Police negotiators climbed the crane and tried throughout the night to talk to the man. Ground temperatures overnight reached a low of about 50 degrees.

According to a press release from the Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff's office, Roland, whose last known address was in Clearwater, is suspected in the slaying of his former girlfriend, 36-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez.

The woman's badly beaten body was discovered Tuesday afternoon in a retention pond near her home in Oldsmar, Fla."