Basejumper.com - archive

Is being comfortable ever a good thing when basejumping?

Or are you just that one blissfully ignorant step away from complacency?

There seems to be a lot of people being very comfortable with just about any approach they take to base these days, regardless of how little experience they might have and how fast they are rushing their progression.

But it's OK, the goddamn fairies will keep them from being busted up because they are comfortable.

and because they know their skills and abilities better than people with a lot of experience and they are happy to make that known

being comfortable is IMHO a BAD thing in base

you need respect for what you do

you need even just the tiniest nagging fear to keep yourself in check

you need to have that little voice asking you if you have really considered all the possibilities and the best course of action for each one

why? because like Al Pacino said in Heat:

'it keep's me sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be...'

...

You really need to spend one more week with the Maggot

When you land safe.

A wise man once told me that the jump wasn't over until you were at home drinking a beer.

Ah, that's the key... many skydivers worry about the extreme scarcity of freefall, going from 2 minutes to 2 seconds, but this more than makes up for it, since the jump lasts for hours.
indeed, the hike out should not be taken for granted.

In the context in which I received the advice, it wasn't a hike so much as a high speed pursuit.