Re: [ramon] Tom's equipment article
In reply to:
opening very close to each other. Is this a common occurence among "fun" base jumpers doing 2 ways etc to have openings that close to each other (planned or un planned)?
Yes...and no. It totally depends on the object, as well as the two way. After an interactive multi way, there is typically not a lot of time to waste. Every time your canopy opens, you need to be ready for a line twisted, lined over 180 with your canopy on fire. You don't have a lot of time to react as you do in skydiving (usually). These reflexes are going to allow you to avoid a collision should that scenario play itself out. With that said, you also plan your jumps very carefully, and stagger your openings as much as possible. On terminal jumps, it is not as big of an issue, as you have the time and airspeed to gain adequate seperation. On lower sub-terminal jumps, however, sometimes seperation is achieved by one person jumping slider off, while the other slider is up--sometimes you just stagger your opening altitudes, sometimes you just have to face away from each other and fucking pray you know what you're doing. The best advice I can offer is plan your jump, and know who you're jumping with. Did I mention you need to KNOW WHO YOUR JUMPING WITH? You open close to people on multi ways. That's just BASE. Yet that seems to be just another one of those special differences that seperate this sport from other parachute sports like skydiving--It's just super fucking cool to hear your buddy's canopy open right in your ear, watch it inflate, hear them say ouch, that hurt my fucking neck, man!
There is a really cool photo that was on the cover? of I think ParaMag (one of those super cool european skydiving magazines who aren't afraid of BASE like those USPA-holes) In the photo, there is a two way jump from what might be a crane, in maybe Brazil? Anyhow, the high guy looks like he's taking a bite out of the other's inflated pilot chute--not a pleasant thought--I heard he just bounced off the inflating canopy below, but Who knows?Can anyone confirm or deny this shit I'm spewing?