Basejumper.com - archive

I found recently in the net, this old incredible movie about the best all around skydiver of 20th century:

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/781141/video/xgqi7_patrick-de-gayardon-hommage-1ere-pa_extreme

http://www.dailymotion.com/related/780847/video/xgqqd_patrick-de-gayardon-hommage-2eme-pa_extreme

Looks like he BASE jump using skydiving rig:

Footage 1) Solo earth jump using orange vector container
from a not that high Gorge (looks like slider down)...on
heading opening but quite strange opening....

Footage 2) skysurf Base jump in Norway using the same Vector skydiving rig (slider down?)

Footage 3) aerial base Jump in Venezuela water falls (quite high) using Atom container (looks like he using base specific slider? and maybe Base canopy? for first time).

Footage 4) Jump in Mexico cave using both his base rig and his atom
skydiving rig!!!! (1000ft high).
He also jump from a helicopter to the cave, but I had no idea if this jump is in terminal velocity (probably not).

Looks like most of his base jumps was in modified skydiving rig.....the orange VECTOR which was maybe the rig Patrick use in his last jump (wingsuit jump from aircraft)...
If this is true then the specs of this rig, according to para-mag are:
"Vector BASE jump parachute with a static between the main canopy and the reserve. They are both big canopies from Performance Designs: 252 sq. feet for the main and 200 sq. feet for the reserve"

My question is if we can using a skydiving rig-canopy for base jumping??(if we cannot afford to pay for a BASE rig).


This forum is absolute fantastic for people searching
for base information, to start base.
There are many old experienced base jumpers here.....I
found this old topic of Nick, searching around:

http://www.basejumper.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1556673;search_string=skydiving%20rig%20for%20base;#1556673

but this guy has done a lot of modifications in his skydiving rig, maybe because he is trying to jump from
a very low object?

Patrick looks like he is jumping his skydiving rig with normal skydiving pack job except the slider down modification.

I know that base jumping with skydiving rig is even more dangerous....but if old jumpers can give me advice how I can modify a skydiving rig to jump from 450ft+ objects, I much appreciate it.

Best wishes to all of you
Stratos

Im not even that experienced, but im going to say that jumping even modified skydiving equipment off a 450 foot object is a very, very, very, very bad idea. There are a lot of people who paid with their lives that we know of, and many more that got very badly injured that we dont know about. Is it possible to modify, probably. Will anyone on this board in any way recommend it, id doubt it.

I am not recomending it but I clocked up 135 jumps on modified skydiving gear (pre 1990). SST Racer and a Fury 220,free packed and free stowed lines. A PI 52"Pilot Chute and never had a problem( f.f. regulary from 245'). The only problems that I witnessed was the 'human interface ' with the gear. people forgetting to take their pull up cords out, not secureing their static lines, and small pilot chutes etc.
Everything I use since 1990 has been Base specific, I still have the velcro rig that JD Walker made for me many years ago. Things have come along way. But why does the human element still seem to make the same mistakes ?