Basejumper.com - archive

 

Steve
You will know when your ready,just do a little soul searching.Like all things in life,someone will always have a positive view and a negative view.
The story for all is unique ,why they started BASE jumping ,so that alone is not a simple question to answer.What matters the most is why you want to start BASE jumping and can you live with the consequence of your choice.
BASE for me was an easy choice after being around other adventure sports for 20 years and having all the extreme highs and lows that adventure sports can hand you on your path,chasing the dream.
We can talk about the dangers but whats the point its always the other guyChase it long enough and you too will have the highs and lows on your path.Wisdom comes from life experience,so take your journey and the outcome will let you know if you made the right choice or not.
Gary Begley

hey gary, i've got to comment on that response. i'm not sure if that just rolled off your tongue or you sat down and put it together slowly but DAMN, that was some good sh@#!

My rants just roll on out,my poor friends

Getting into BASE is just flat out a bad idea. DON'T DO IT!

Do you enjoy it Pope?

I agree with JamMasterJay... Nice one Gary!

The part about chasing the dream is so very true. Years ago before I did my first BASE jump 587 said, "it will take you to your highest highs and your lowest lows" and that is the truth!! It is a little bit like chasing the dragon I think....

Dave

BASE jumping is not for most people. It's a bad idea and will probably hurt you. That said if it's in your future it'll find you. Hopefully if that's the case you'll have the patience and judgement to wait until you have the skills to limit the trouble you get into.

When I started skydiving I thought that BASE jumping was crazy and that I'd never do it. After a few years I was less judgemental but still wouldn't do it. A few more years and I knew I had to try it some time. Once I had 800 or 900 skydives I knew I was going to BASE jump and bought a rig.


Once you're around parachutes enough you trust the gear and learn that a lot of the risks are manageable. People often have lapses in judgement. Random things still happen. There's a good chance you'll spend time in a hospital but we think the rewards are worth that.

Having family may change the sorts of jumps you do and risks you take. I was usually more conservative after becoming a couple with my wife until I broke myself and she had to get me home from 1000 miles away; she's been driving me around for the last five months while my leg grows back together.

Life is hard when your poor...Gary, how about a small donation for the cause ?

Seriously though, ZM Begley (zenmasta) knows what he speaks. This guy has been down many roads and is still living the dream.

...Sometimes I can't believe this life was given to fly

 Save your money,my trust fund is still good

 
I agree with Drew. Alot of it for me is commitment level, and matching how you participate with how committed you are. You need to commit to it, and to a big degree your results will depend on the work you put into it. I would not recommend it for somebody who has too many other things sucking time/attention/currency from base. Within my own puny local crew there's a variety of commitment levels easily visible, so if you are at a more serious commitment level you may paradoxically find it more lonely as less people will share your participation level due to a different commitment level.

Why? What does my enjoyment have to do with someone's decision to get into BASE?

Yes, I wanted to BASE jump before I went for my second skydive. I was scared of the whole death thing, but once I had enough skydives I thought I was ready and bought a BASE rig. I still get lots of resistance from my close friends and family, most of them don't like the idea of me risking my life all the time. I still jump when I can. I think it's fun.