Basejumper.com - archive

I posted some kind words (all true, of course) about Nick in The Bonfire. Might be a good opportunity for those of you who know Nick and have been helped by him to publicly thank him.

Here's a link.

edited to add:
Here's another link to an earlier posting regarding NickDG in the same thread.

Walt

I "base" my life on NickDG's teachings. I worship him like a god. Nick and Rhonda are like my mom and dad...

If one tells me I cant do something, I can always run go ask the other, and they usually say I can.



Base 758



***********************************

sig x

To Walt and Nick:

Its been an honor most of all, and a pleasure to meet ya'll both. Thanks for your guts and glory, and for paving the way for us yahoo's. Ya'll are the true pioneers and w/o that, we wouldn't have the history or knowledge that we have today.

Slightly off topic, but still... When was the last issue of the Fixed Object Journal, and is it due time for a resurrection of the magazine? It should be a fair few around the world who would be interested in subscribing... Just came to thinking about it when reading the link posted above by waltappel. There are so many talented jumpers who are both good with writing and taking photos... If not starting the magazine again, how about making an issue with the best of previous journals? Taking up base jumping late 90s there are so many of the old stories I for one have missed out on. Would love to have a read through:)

CJ =)

Brit,

This one's for you, Ted, Chris, and the rest of the guys.

I just posted Mike Allen's classic BASE video, "From Gravity Came Groundrush", on skydivingmovies.com.

In case you haven't seen it, this is a "must see" video that shows how we were doing it 15 years ago.

Here's a link

Here's the description:

Classic BASE video by Mike Allen, circa 1990 or so. It is a BASE parody of the classic Norman Kent skydiving video--From Wings Came Flight A true classic, I am posting it to preserve this piece of BASE history and in loving memory of Mike Allen, who was killed 04MAR1992 when his car swerved into the path of a truck on Hiway 27 in Florida.


Walt

That video is GREAT!!!

Those who haven't seen from wings came flight won't quite get it.

Good stuff Walt. Thanks for sharing.

Walt,

Check your PMs . . .

NickD
BASE 194

Hey Walt thanks for posting that!

Do you mind if I put that onto HMB2 as a seperate clip? I'd love to include some old school stuff on the videos that I put out.

And no I would not profit from it. All HMB videos are free.

Of course. I can bring the video over to your place so you can capture the whole thing.

As long as the video is not sold for profit, right on. Mike Allen was a friend of mine. After he sent me this video (there are other great clips on it too) I told him I thought he should sell it commercially. He told me that he wanted it to get passed around "underground" rather than commercialize it. As long as his wishes are respected, I'll be grateful for the opportunity to help preserve his memory.

Walt

Hey guys, This isn't Walt's fault as I'm sure he didn't know, but Mike Allen has a niece named Marah who's a pro film maker and she's spent the last two years working on a film called "Gravity."

It's a mix of new stuff and her Uncle Mike's old stuff and Mike's videos belong to her and shouldn't be out there without her permission.

She's a very nice person so it may be alright with her but you better ask first. She has a website you can contact her through here http://www.scissorkickfilms.com/index2.html

And gee . . . this was a thread about how cool I am.

NickD
BASE 194

Nick,

I sent her an e-mail and copied you on it. The gist of it is that I posted the video to skydivingmovies.com to preserve his legacy in a way that is consistent with his wishes. Mike was a friend of mine and I mean absolutely no disrespect to his memory, his family and friends, or anyone else.

Zennie, I'm going to put a temporary hold on things until I hear from her. Thanks for understanding.

Nick, thanks for the heads up and yes, you *are* really damn cool!

edited to add:
You are absolutely right--I had no idea about the film in progress. Had I known, I would have contacted her first.

Walt

Mommy thinks sonny boy is a wise ass who needs a trip to the woodshed. But I'll be sure to check it out with Daddy first.

<thwack, thwack, thwack>

rl

Thank Mike for that. I'm sure he would be pleased.

Mike appears several times in the video. On the shot of the 3 way (inc. camera guy) going off NRGB, Mike is the one facing the camera, right shoulder facing the bridge, dumping high. He's a tall slender guy with curly hair and a mustache.

No way can words describe the loss that a great many people felt when Mike died. He was one of the kindest souls I have ever met--a genuinely nice guy who really lived for his art.

I know many of the guys in the clip. I've jumped with them. When From Gravity Came Groundrush was made, the sport was still small enough that it was almost hard NOT to meet the "big names" in the sport--the originals and the next generation, like Mike, who seemed to have been passed the torch held by Carl Boenish until his death.

There is something that I would like to say to the younger BASE jumpers of today:

When "From Gravity Came Groundrush" was made, BASE jumpers were making history, and that history needed to be preserved by video and stills. The same is no less true today. The current generation of BASE jumpers is doing things the founding fathers and mother (Jean) never imagined. The video and pics you make are so much more than just cool things to see. Please preserve them in a way that can be passed on to the next generation.

Walt

Per request of the family, I have had the video taken down from skydivingmovies.com. They are not mad or anything. They are genuinely nice people. It just makes them a bit uncomfortable to have Mike's work floating around on the internet.

They are preserving Mike's work, and doing so in a far better way than I ever could.

Walt

We were screening some of Mike's stuff last night and it brought back this memory of the bumper sticker I included with the first issue of the Fixed Object Journal in 1989.

And yes, most didn't actually put these on their cars . . . I had about 200 of them and have exactly one left.

NickD
BASE 194

I never knew the story behind that bumper sticker until now, and I have wondered about it! Thanks for posting that.

Walt

>>Hehehe, time goes by but some things never change...
I happen to know a Norcal freak of nature with that same bumper sticker on his truck, 'cept it's much bigger!