Re: [VincentVL.] Need Help
I don't usually bother writing replies to posts like this but its a slow morning:
If you want to feel the rush, just once like you said, then Bridge Day would be a great option. I seriously wanted to get into BASE when I had about 200 skydives, but in the year or 18 months that I was reading and learning everything that I could about BASE, watching videos to learn from watching others styles as well as mistakes, I had about 425 skydives. When I got done with my first BASE jump, I remember thinking that I was very grateful that the way things went, I had every jump since 200. I would have done fine with 200, but I learned a lot about general canopy flight, had that "experience" watching videos and talking to people, and overall had scared a lot of scaredness out of myself with a couple routine skydive mals and the things that happen when jumping out of planes 200 versus 425 times.
Its a heck of a thing to BASE jump. Its a heck of a thing to get someone to help bring you into the sport. And its a heck of a thing to ask strangers online, with marginal experience, and without gear, to risk and take you to their local objects and possibly take you to the hospital. BASE is a personal journey, maybe while you slow down and round up some patience, you can build up some extra experience, and look within yourself and find out not only why you want to jump, but if you want to take that first hit from the crack pipe. You're life will be different every day afterwards...
I'm writing this not only to you but all the other skydiving lurkers who dream of jumping. BASE rocks. I couldn't not do it. But it isn't what you think.
Remember when you tried explaining to whoffos after your first skydive, and you told them how it was the greatest rush, compressed into 50 seconds of freefall? Well, take everything that you know, and compress 100x that into 2-3 seconds. It isn't for everyone...
Keep jumping, until skydiving loses the edge. Keep reading here and other techinical BASE websites. Learn all you can. Download everything on skydivingmovies, and watch everyones crashes and I love me videos. Analyze the bad ones to see what they did wrong. Analyze the good ones to see what they did right. Save $1500 for your first rig, and pack it 20 times before you want to jump. You'll appreciate every pack job, just like every skydive you did since, when you are standing at the exit point the first time. Talk to people like tfelber when you come out, buy him beer and listen to everything he has to say. He'll tell you some stories that will make you wonder if its worth it to you. It is to him. Watch him and his bros jump if given the chance. Keep sponging it up. And don't be in a hurry. As often is the case, you only hurry to an accident.
If you made it this far, congrats. I hope something that I typed made a little sense, and helped alter your BASE experience to make it a little more safe and/or enjoyable.
