Basejumper.com - archive

About 5 hours ago, with the sun almost set, on a Troll MDV 265 (285), in a Gargoyle WS off a 360 ft A. After I climbed to the exit, it took about 3 minutes (with the mentor patiently standing by my side, my pilot chute in his hand, never once complaining about the bitter cold winds, except an occasional "don't look down" and "it's getting dark" remark) of getting ready. The jump itself was rather a fiasco in the sense that I went so head-down, damn the shaking knees. At least the landing was beautifully soft and stand-upable (though I did not).

Two days before the jump I got (extra) insurance and wrote the recommended letter. The insurance company's policy is that their insurance kicks in three days after the signing at the soonest, so we had to add a special clause for it to be in effect right from the following day.

Thank you, dz.com friend, who took the trouble of climbing up the A to film the whole thing, then down the A after the jump. Can't show the footage yet, though.

My next jump's tomorrow, and so, incidentally, is the friend's (his first).

Oh yeah, on coming home, my sister said I looked like I had best sex ever

She knows this how.... And that takes a lot of courage to admit in an online public forum.

Well, I had staggered into our apartment after a few wild nights before... you know, the silly-grin look and overall elatedness... apparently this one topped them all.

Congrats on your first!!! You do know that what you're getting into is so much more addictive than skydiving. Not to mention how much more dangerous. Take it at stride, and enjoy every frustrating learning moment. Remember that you will never stop learning. Have fun, and welcome to the "dark side"!

Thanks!

Second jump now done, much in the same frustrating fashion -- i.e. too headdown. Thankfully, it was a little lighter this time, albeit the winds made landing sorta rough(ish). Friend made his first jump today, already a near-perfect launch and a near-perfect landing, of which Helxen and I shot some great footage. Post up the experience, man!

Third jump hopefully tomorrow.

Just out of curiousity, are you being PCAd?

Congratulations on your jumps!

Have you considered rigging up a pendulator?

A couple hours rigging and making 30 or 40 practice exits could be very valuable in overcoming this issue.

Oh yes, I am. And thanks!


I am not exactly sure what a pendulator is, but if my third jump shows no improvement I am off to the gym pit to practice exits, says my mentor. How do you overcome weak legs that make the launch so bad? Force of will? Just keep jumping till fear wears off*? The second jump was much calmer.

Edit: sorry, I obviously meant to say "till fear subsides a little bit"

I also found the exit to be a little psychologically easier if I went with the "go," plus an extra beat. So at exit point, the countdown went like this, at regular intervals:

Ready...
steady...
set...
go!
fuck!!! (shout I seeing the antenna whiz by upside-down: launch booboo again.)

If you are over rotating you are pushing off too hard or too late. Don't jump off as much as hop off. And don't wait for your third jump to start practicing. Find a pool or gym or an old mattress and do some practice right now.

The problem with doing early jumps on a hard object is you may be thinking more about separation from the object when overall stability is probably more important in the long run. It's a delicate balancing act that once you learn it you'll wonder why you found it difficult in the first place.

And congrats by the way . . .

NickD
BASE 194

That's because BASE = sex with the most beautiful woman out there: Mother Nature.

Yuri

 

try this to calm yourself a little. On the exit do your ready, steady, go and then take a deep breath and exhale. It calms the nerves a little.

How is the wind directed when you jump? Tail wind? If you are jumping in a crosswind due to the landing, area and guy wires, you can catch some you can get some unstability that way.. Winters on the verge, and with winter, comes wind. Be safe. Focus. Don't ever be ashamed to climb down..

one step at a time!

peace

Third time's the charm! Perfect launch, acceptable landing, so I passed BASE "AFF" level 1. Of course, no video to prove it this time :)

Sounds like he's looking at his feet/ the object. This could easily induce a head-down exit.

I think fear was (is) the main issue. My third jump went perfectly in terms of launch. I have the first jump on video but it's neither very interesting nor beautiful as far as scenery goes, to watch.

Congrats on a jump gone well...Feels great!!! The pendulator that Tom was talking about is designed to eliminate some of those specific issues regarding fear and it altering your performance.

Basically he puts you up in a tree about 10-15 feet off the ground with a harness on attached through a pully to someone on the ground. You can then practice your exits repeatedly from a safer altitude. There's still the fear of jumping and knowing whether the person is going to catch you, without nearly as much real danger, unless of course it's rigged so your direct line of flight includes an aluminum picnic table bolted to the ground. That was a close one!!! But it really gets you over the learning curve of what's going to happen when you leave the exit point.

I'm sure something could be rigged quite easily, similar to what gymnasts use to enable the same type of practice regarding aerials.

congratulations. I look forawrd to seeing th pics / video

Fifth jump made! First freefall, went flawlessly. Currently writing from Atmosphere Gear facility as I wait to get measured for a BASE H/C.

Once I start my 3,2,1 countdown I have started the ineveitable. I will jump, unless their is an issue

...and then inevitably post in every goddamn thread on the board. Dude, do you have a slightest idea about how annoying are you?

bsbd!

Yuri.

yea, just for you! and then to top it off i reply to your reply to about being annoying..... all in luv

I'm with Yuri on this one. This guy has posted 4500 times on this site while the moderator has 6700. See anything out of balance? Difference is, when Tom speaks, some meaningful is usually said. His posts remind me of that little annoying mosquito buzzing around that just won't go away.

I know....bordering 2 weeks double secret probation so I will quit now.

hey i have loads of posts aswell,most of them while injuryed...

Anyway Leroy,if theres an issue no one would jump right...

by the way i count 2 1 3 ya c as you see my gramma aint that good neither is my speaking

To top poster congrats you your first few jumps hope many to come..

When people ask you to look into the horiosont then rember it aint that punching you,i always looks down right after exit that way i also get a ground rush and dont need to count

sorry guys i were boored,i still am.. hate this point of year.. its windy as ....

Ah! My first flawless freefall, just the right launch and delay, was jump #7. I went back for #8 a couple days later, climbed the A up, did the gear check, looked down, then handed my rig to somebody who would otherwise have had to climb down (he was grateful ) and climbed down for no reason, thus ruining any chances of scoring with a present BASE girl and getting any pictures shot by Helxen who says he's not going to climb that thing up AGAIN until it's at least spring. Poo!

For the record, the packjob I'd have had to jump opened flawlessly.