Basejumper.com - archive

Hi all,

First time I post here...Im a skydiver with now 90 jumps...started skydiving in march...Why I started to skydive? To base! Base was not the really 800% reason..it has just been in the back off my head...

Now I was wondering...would you learn me how to base? Just out of a basejumpers view...

Oh oke : Im 19yrs old. :)

You can always see my AFF on : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_4LZ5RmwM

But i think that aint really rellevant?

Greetings

jody

Most First Jump Courses require 200 skydives before you start BASE. EGI Recommends 500 Before you start. I look back thousands of skydives ago and how much I knew at 200 skydives no less 90 jumps, whether I was ready at 200 Jumps to BASE and my answer is no. At 200 skydives you are still figuring shit out. However, my time was at the advent of high performance canopies. Obviously my head was not in Large 7 cell canopy flight.

If you are going to start BASE Jumping at this stage, wait until 200 Jumps. Get your self a nice used 7 Cell non-vented BASE canopy and fly the shit out of it. Pack yourself line twists and climb above them to steer your canopy and then get yourself out of the line twists. Learn your rear riser controls, deep brake flight, deep brake landings. Practice your accuracy on every jump. Do some balloon jumps to get used to the dead air exits.

Then, take an FJC if you have the money. If not, find a "QUALIFIED" mentor to teach you. There are a lot of people that have very little BASE experience mentoring people that have no business doing so. Make sure they know their stuff and that their primary concern is your safety and not getting to make the Jump itself. Ground crew in this learning time if you get the opportunity.

I hope that this helps.

Hi Jody,

you should:
1. have minimum 2222 Skydives
2. have minimum 666 (extra)jumps on a 7-cell with hardcore accuracy landings on a stamp
3. have been participant of 13 canopy control courses
4. never trink alcohol or consume other devilish shit
5. have read the BASE Ethic Manual many times (if there is one somewhere)
6. spent 3 year as ground support (filming, render homage, paying the beers, etc.)

Just like me...

------------------------------------------------------

If he is buying Beers for three years, I change my previous statements.

Jody,
Start BASE now. Move to California, I will mentor you.

Truly though, the more experience you have, the better. Also, it is about your physical and mental abilities. I know guys with 4,000+ skydives that I would not take on a BASE jump because they do not have the right head for the game.

No. There are a number of things you need to learn about including

1. Canopy flight, including accuracy and obstacle avoidance with large F111 seven cells. Apart from giving you ideas about how to fly a pattern and read winds the skills under the canopies we enjoy for skydiving do not translate. I put well over 1000 jumps on parachutes down to 105 square feet, could consistently fly those between a set of cones 10' apart and set down in a 30' diameter circle (enough for a USPA pro-rating), and still missed a 50' long landing area (ran into a tree and landed short a couple times) with my 245 (nearly 2.5 times the size of my skydiving main). I got serious after that with a big accuracy rig. 100 jumps are not enough. 100 jumps focusing on big F111 seven cells are probably insufficient. The accuracy guys suggest 300 jumps to get to consistent landings within a 15' diameter circle when you don't waste time with smaller skydiving canopies.

2. Tracking. Opening away from tall objects is safer than having to rely on quick reflexes and skills to turn yourself around after an off-heading opening. 100 jumps aren't enough for that.

3. Rigging. You will be responsible for packing, configuring, and maintaining your gear. You will not pick up enough tricks in 100 jumps. More jumps won't help much but will give you time to start hanging out with parachute riggers and BASE jumpers, picking their brains for technique.

4. Judgment. 100 jumps are not enough to let you get into trouble and get out so you learn from your own mistakes. 100 jumps are not enough for you to do exactly what some one else did when you thought you couldn't be such a bone-head. 1 year is not enough to see enough other people break themselves exercising bad judgement to learn from their mistakes. Maybe 500 jumps and 3 years is reasonable; it took me > 600 jumps under parachutes before I realized there was a lot I didn't know (bruised heals also made it a little painful to walk for a few months) and maybe 1000 for it to really sink in. Due to a lapse in judgement I broke myself and sidelined walking for at least 3 months; the doctors will let me know when I get rid of the crutches and can have contact-sports back on my agenda.

5. Mortality. While hard to believe (all of us are gifted athletes not like that guy) people get hurt and die. Most people need to have a few people they know die to drive home the point. Fortunately skydiving is safe enough that that takes more than a year in the sport.

While 200 jumps is the quoted minimum to take a first jump course and be put off a tall bridge with a nice landing area, 500 is a better number.

>Oh oke : Im 19yrs old. :)

Not a good age for an injury-free start to skydiving and BASE jumping.

>You can always see my AFF on : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_4LZ5RmwM
>
>But i think that aint really rellevant?

You have to start somewhere.

Hi all,

Thanks for the answers...if i think about it...i completely understand that you have to have the experience and maybe also the age...

I think the first step to do is to go with some local basejumpers once and a while and film it, etc...and yes also paying the beers

For now...I will concentrate on my jumps and canopy flying..also at 200 jumps I will start wingsuiting for fun...

One day I will post my first base ;)

Ill keep myself up to date...

PS: More answers and comments are always welcome

Out of curiosity.

How many of you that have posted a reply, achieved the jump numbers, skills etc. etc. etc. that your advising this person to go away and achieve before he/she does BASE??????

i had ~47 skydives before first base jump, but my second was not until over 150. i did some crw, only a few jumps. I did a lot of rear-riser flying, DEEP brake flying, heading awarness, etc.

... and how many of you that didn't have been injured? (I would rather learn from your pain than mine.)

I had 1400+ skydives (I now have over 2,500) of which, 14 were Balloon Jumps, 24 Ultralight Jumps and 7 Helicopter Jumps and put 43 Jumps on a Mojo before taking the Apex First Jump Course. I had extensive canopy pilot training under Wyat Drewes and Brett Willard from Icarus. Even though the canopy training was for high performance canopy flight, they concentrated on the physics of canopy flight and ability to fly each and every canopy to its maximum capacity. Am I a rigger, no. Do I have a thorough understanding of rigging, what goes into building a canopy, harness, container system, materials, packed reserves, etc...Absolutely. Did I study meteorology so I could understand weather patterns and conditions that could adversely effect a jump...absolutely, I took it in college and flight training. Did I go back and take the ABAT course for Back Country BASE Rescue...Yes, I did. So I guess then I am semi-qualified to make my suggestions.

get a rig and send it !!!

I had 800-900 skydives over 6 years before my first BASE jump with lots of tracking dives. The jumps and hanging around skydiving taught me enough judgment to avoid breaking myself while current (Lapses in judgment while non-current got me into the BASE jumping titanium club). 200 would not have done it and 500 would have been marginal.

I put my BASE canopy into a student rig and made one jump on it before I headed to the bridge, with a dead center landing in the pea pit. At the time I thought that was good enough. After I hit a tree in my first small landing area I changed my mind. Bigger people would have broken. Landing out on a 10x10x10 foot boulder really changed my perceptions on accuracy. On a different day I might have flown into the side. Without > 1000 skydives both situations would have been worse, but serious practice with a BASE canopy and skydiving rig would have been better. I bought a J7 (sized for a 288 Manta!) after that.

Before getting active I started packing my own reserves, hanging around riggers, and picking peoples' brains. I've known when to get things fixed and learned how to rig my pilot chutes to prevent orbiting which yielded better heading performance. I knew to tie down my slider bumpers because they can ascend the lines and cause opening problems, and found reserves which had them incorrectly installed. I know what worn velcro is like and had my shrivel flap rig repaired before I had problems. While it didn't cause problems, I wish I'd learned even more sooner - things like fabric strength tests (you don't know how long a canopy has been in the sun or water) would be good. A more formal apprenticeship or reading Dan Poynter's manual might have done that; I don't know.

When you can eat a gutter-sluts' pussy for 8 hours straight. Then you will be ready.

Just go for it....buy a rig, learn to pack...stay at the potato bridge for 2-3 weeks...jumps the hell of it, ignore this stupid base gods who think they know all about basejumping..just remember to have fun, SMILE!! after that, go and try other objects

It's not called being a BASE God. It is called being rational, intelligent, mature, and responsible. Lose some friends that are highly experienced BASE jumpers and skydivers, watch even just one go in, try to keep one of your friends calm as they bleed out from a shattered femur going into shock. Maybe it is the father in me, but don't give a 19 year old kid with 90 skydives stupid advice.

...watch even just one (person) go in...

It sure slowed my ass down!

a person going in...?

As in "dead!" They jump, shit goes wrong and they die.

I mean no disrespect by calling you a kid, but you are almost young enough to be my son if I started a little earlier. I look back to when I was 19 and I guaranty I would be dead right now had I started BASE back then.

Be safe, use your head, evaluate what everyone tells you, and make your own educated and informed decision.

ohh yeah...and don`t forget to read this fucking "fatality list"...have anyone learn something about this one? i don`t think so...people are still going in, BASE i a stupid and selfish activity, have always been...and will continuous to be...but what a joy it is...but in my meaning it will be even better without all your bigheaded idiots who always gonna warn new people about the danger in this"sport"....BASE is as just as dangerous as you like it to be..

Norbase, I think people just want to prevent me off getting in to it to soon without the needed experience...but I understand your point, It is dangerous and it will be dangerous even if people give me 50000 words off information. But that's not the point I think. I checked the fatality list, but it doesn't do me much...Because i don't know these people? Because i'v never see anyone go in? Because im just a 'kid'? Because I don't understand the real danger?

Only time will tell right?

Would you stick this kid on a VX89 at 90 Jumps? At 19 years old with basically no skydives under his belt...It is pointless responding to you!

Jodi,
If you want to listen to Norbase, I wish you the best. Remember in my first post when I said "take an FJC if you have the money. If not, find a "QUALIFIED" mentor to teach you...Make sure they know their stuff and that their primary concern is your safety and not getting to make the Jump itself. Apparently, in Norbase, you have someone who could not give a shit less about your safety and well being. He is the perfect mentor.

I hope to see you in the sport, SAFE!

Instead of listening to any of us...

Call each one of the BASE manufacturers listed under "Gear" on this site and talk to them. Ask their advice and opinions. All of the owners of these companies spend hours on the phone with people because of their passion for the sport and their experience within it. They are all nice people and obviously, the AUTHORITIES on BASE. Good luck.

I think this subject can be interesting for anyone who wants to start base, no?

I think for now on I will follow some local basejumpers and just concentrate on skydiving...

Roger d'ardenne and steve braff are the most known basejumpers at my local dropzone... I know steve has about 800 base...but roger I don't actually know...

Maybe you know them?

Greetz

The fatality list is also a great place to learn from others mistakes. File those little bits of information away.
The one that sticks with me is the guy who packed his canopy with snow inside,brought his rig into the house, and his canopy froze up in the trunk on the way to the jump. This came back to me the 1st time I jumped in the snow.
The list is filled with little things like that.
One the most important things on your way to base and in skydiving in general is to realize how little you know. This helps opens up the ability to really analyze youself and situations, and be open to taking in as much information as possible . Some
people take thousands of jumps to get to this point, others 100.
Take everybodys recomendations, learn as much as you can, and decide for youself when your ready.

The replies you received are very good things to digest, but in the end you will do what you think is right for you! The bad part about jumping the gun on this activity to soon is it can bite you pretty good and change your life forever.Many people started BASE with less Skydives then the numbers recommended,me included and are doing fine!You have time ,do a little soul searching ,work on your skills ,talk with the right people and still keep a open mind, because plenty of shit out there!You alone will know when you are ready to start BASE.No reason to rush, just have fun and enjoy the journey.
GARY BEGLEY

Yo gary! how are ya man? It's been awhile, any plans for a norcal trip?

Because i`v never see anyone go in"? Because i`m just a kid? Because i don`t understand the real danger?

Not you, Norbase~


I already got one off before work today. Are you just getting up and going?

You have offered Jodi nothing constructive in any of your random bantering. He seems like a smart kid. I trust he will listen to the masses in this thread and make his own educated decision.

I feel that I have lowered myself enough in arguing with nescience. Good luck Jody. I am out of here.

I know Steve. He's a good guy, who will probably be more concerned for your safety than random voices on the internet. Go talk with him.

true, so true.

it appears the kid wants to limit the danger somewhat, so is asking questions. I hope he wants to learn so he can make an informed decision. good for him.

he gets to choose whom to believe. he can emphasize safety, or fun. it's his call to be plodding or spontaneous.

hopefully, he will listen to your quote above.

Let me just say that your attitude in this thread has been A-plus. In BASE jumping, patience is a life-saving skill. You're totally getting started on the right foot here.

Michael

Hey dude, from the point of view of another person who is in your shoes - I had 56 skydives about 8 weeks ago (now have 139), and one of my goals when I started skydiving was to eventually do wingsuit BASE in Norway.

I think the gain experience approach is the way to go. The pioneers of the sport have already pioneered the sport... from their trials and errors, the current guidelines have been developed, and to me they make sense.

I just ordered my BASE canopy (no rig), have no plans to BASE jump anytime soon, but I want to practice with it to make sure I can land accurately, using a student rig at my DZ.

In my experience, if you tell people at the DZ what you are doing and your methodical approach to BASE, such as practicing cross wind landings or whatever, they tend to respect that. Just do it away from where everyone's landing In general when people see you putting your heart and mind 100% into anything, it makes them want to help you.

As for age - not everyone has developed the same at the same age, I had my own business at 19 although I still was pretty hot headed with certain other aspects of life, a trait that would not have been good in BASE. But lots of motorcycle crashes taught me otherwise :) Some people just learn the hard way. Some people don't get there when they're 40... just depends on each individual life experiences. The guy that got me into Skydiving was on a 4-way team with 300 jumps at age 19, doing competitions.

And as for jumps - much like everything in life - it is not quantity but quality that makes jump numbers important. I'm sure everyone agrees if you do 500 jumps, just pull, land, never try to steer with risers or do flat turns or learn how to track, those 500 jumps are more or less wasted. Just time getting used to being in the air.

However if you focus on a BASE related skill on every jump, such as tracking and canopy control, obviously you can achieve in 300 jumps the same as someone who spends 500 jumps doing whatever and then decides to practice the same drills, in 800 jumps they will be a better freeflyer (or whatever) than you but those 300 jumps will be on equal footing.

In line with that, I recommend doing lots of coach jumps. While it seems expensive, you can learn much faster than just flailing around the sky on your own, because you are learning technique and you have someone video taping you to break your bad habits before you make them. Although for BASE it seems the only relevant freefall skill is tracking. Canopy control courses are a huge help, too, and you can take them as a beginner and as your skills advance.

As for me I can barely land in the pea pit as it is, so I know it'll take me lots of jumps to get comfortable enough with my landing skills before getting into BASE. But at least by that point I'll have jumped my BASE canopy and be very familiar with it, and not trying to figure it out in 5 seconds of canopy time off of some bridge

Happy learning!

Stop being such a fucking prick. You say BASE is a stupid and selfish sport, it's only that way if you make it that way which you are doing. I don't think any of them were being BASE Gods they were just being nice and trying to help a newcomer to the sport. They weren't telling some guy to going jumping when they have little or no experience like you are. Yes, BASE will be dangerous no matter what you do, but why not instead of just going and jumping take the time to get some skills and experience and then going jumping.

i may be a prick but i know for sure im not the only guy in this forum being that..i telling this dude to jump from a BRIDGE not a building or a cliff, perrine bridge is a perfect start for jumping objects..every jackass can jump from this bridge with little or no skydiving experience..staying at this bridge for 2-3 weeks you could easily do 100jumps and being current with exits and canopy skills..people are willing to traveling to other exotic places for weeks and jump,why not this place? but of course..if this guy are gonna go bananas in the mountains and really do some monstertracking, some more jumps from a plane wouldn`t be stupid ..

nevermind :)

So get yourself a girlfriend and trade her in for a FJC.

I'll be in Schaffen for AFF next spring. Also with the intention of getting into Base eventually. Although I'll probably keep that information to myself (and perhaps the instructor if he asks) seeing as every other student seems to want to get into Base these days. Edited to stipulate: seems very dangerous though so I have no intention of even asking someone to help until I have the skydiving/piloting thing down.

Speaking of which...what canopy do you jump? See you in March then!

Uh oh... I see where that's going!

Also, you might want to ask your friends if they mind you posting their first and/or last names on this forum. It's generally thought of as bad ettiquette to do that.
cheers,
pope

I jump a stiletto 120

wow, that big?? i have a Velocity69 like to trade...i could use your big tarp in BASE...let me know if you are interested...

Do you know his exit weight?

Well that settles it then.

As long as it's not a Cobalt 105 I think he's all good...

well, i guess he wearing a 100pound weight belt since he flying this size...