Basejumper.com - archive

After several months of traveling, I've finally settled back down at home. It feels good! So, I decided to head out to the Potato Bridge to make a few jumps and more importantly, see friends. As usual, it was a stellar weekend. With folks from Seattle, New York, the Cnetral U.S., Australia, and Denmark, I'd say we had a pretty good geographic representation. As he has done so many times, Tom welcomed jumpers into his home and cooked up several meals (I bet Tom has fed over a hundred hungry jumpers by now).

Now we've all seen silly tricks at the bridge before. McConkeys, TARDs, McJJs, Free Base'ing (big balls), McCut-aways, Tard-overs, all sorts of daisy-chain jumps, etc. etc. Well, this last weekend, Tom pulled off another silly trick.

"The Catch and Release" performed by Tom Aiello and Katiemonster.

Tom and Katie did side-floats facing each other. Tom was slider-down and was being PCA’d by another jumper standing on the bridge. Katie was going slider-up hand-held.

After they jumped, Katie threw her pilot-chute at Tom’s chest and he caught it. He then held it through his deployment and PCA’d her. Henceforth the name: “Catch and Release”. Just another fun, silly antic at the bridge.

BASE jumpers have been doing silly tricks since the beginning of time. Post your silly trick here...

Bryan

Tom , I'd like to see this done with the catcher going stowed.

Still, way cool though!

So Tom finaly found someone who agreed to do this trick with him...
I hope he got it on video. After seeing Tom perform the "hanging Chad" this is something I want to see!

Me too. And I'm sure we will. I'm a big believer in working up to things in small steps.

It was scary enough as it was. I still giggle when I think about it, hehe. It was really nice to see you again Brian! Tom and Cheri's hospitality is unmatched, thanks guys!

Oh, and lets not forget the jump before Tom and me when Dexter got PCA'd by the cop! That was just so backwards, I love TF!

Katie.

Me too!

I'll try to put some video online. My camera jammed (just as I was trying to film Chad doing his "Police Chute Assist" jump) so I'm having trouble with video stuff right now.

Uhh...what the hell is that?

Chad was PCA'd by one of the Twin Falls Sherrifs.

Life is good in Idaho...

Does anyone have a still photo of that? That is just classic!

We should send a copy of that to certain "other" authorities with a line saying "this is how you hold a jumpers pilot chute: before the jump, not after."

if I can steal a line from nick, "now thats a nugget"

I got Chad teaching the cop how to do it and the whole thing on video, I'm sure he can grab a still from it.

Postcards. Notecards. Posters. Calendars.

We can send them to NPS as Christmas presents.

rl

Just be nice boys and girls and make sure to photoshop any identifying badge/car numbers out of the picture.

No reason to bone the nice authorities right?

.jim

If anyone were to do this, he or she should get the standard release and divert an appropriate share of the proceeds to the star of the show or the charity of his choice.

Doing it without permission would be bad. And I'm bad for not mentioning in my post.

rl

Did it today with PerFlare. I'll see if I can firewire his helmet cam video over beer tonight.

It actually worked amazingly well. I even managed not to totally destroy his PC (which I thought I had, judging by the popping sound it made coming out of my hand).

That's way cool! Congrats on that one.

I would love to see that video.

 

I'd like to see it as a 3 way, personally. First guy pitches to second guy. Second guy catches and holds. Second guy pitches to third guy. Third guy catches. Third guy pitches his own PC and initiates PC chain below him.

Holy crap that would be sick!

evil grin forms....

Exit time will be so super critical. Scary, scary, scary....

Can someone please explain Free Base'ing to me - cheers.