Basejumper.com - archive

I am a skydiver and am the first to admit i know next to nothing about BASE jumping.

However, I have a question to ask...

My family has the opportunity to purchase some rare land in the southern hemisphere. It is 10 acres and right next to a cliff that looks about 800-100 foot high. It is pretty rugged terain but the cliff is oververt and there is a large piece of the land at the bottom that looks like it would be a very suitable landing area.

From what I am told in New Zealand, BASE jumping is only illegal if you are trespassing. So i imagine if i gave you consent to land on my property then it is all legal. The launching ground is national reserve though.

What I am wondering is the legality i just mentioned, am I correct?
Also the big part is if we buy this land and build a couple of cabins do you think it would appeal to many BASE jumpers as a so called BASE resort?

The reason i ask is because i wonder if people would come over to jump a cliff of this height and how many jumps would one person do on the same cliff without getting bored of the same location.

It is not something i want to profit from or anything, but of course over time would want to recoup costs of building any cabins etc.

Would this be an attraction for BASE jumpers to fly out to New Zealand to spend a week or longer living at the bottom of a jumpable cliff when i think it would actually be legal?

One issue i see with this is that the drive to get back to the top is about a 20 minute driver and then a good half hour walk to the edge.

Does this sound like something that you guys would be interested in and also is there any legal aspect of it i am missing out?

I know i sound like a WHUFFO about all this, and I am. However if we buy this land and people were interested in this it is something that would be first on the list to get put together.

The rest of the land is not going to be used in the forseable future and for now is just an investment for the future. BASE jumping is just something that I think could be done on this land.


I appreciate any feedback.

Thanks.

Look at it this way:

The countries most visited for cliffs by people from afar are:

Norway (>3,000 ft)
ITW (c. 1,500 ft or >3,000 ft in a wingsuit)
Switzerland (1,200-1,500 ft but easily accessable and where you can manage 5+ jumps a day if you want, unlike the other sites)

800-1,000 ft you can find in the US, also legal - but people don't travel that far. Similarly, that well known desert area out west in the US is on par / slightly lower with your prospective site - and the reason people travel some distance to go there is simply because of the sheer variety of possible exit points (I've never been) - but if it was just a single exit point, people wouldn't bother I'm sure.

In all, I doubt your idea would work, nice that it is: the exit point is just too low.

(all heights are illustrative only - you get the idea )

No problems mate. Thanks for the reply and i completly understand. I was just thinking that if we purchase this land we may as well put it to some use.

Cheers mate.

I think ANY site trying to make money off of BASE would be a tough business plan.

I look at our local community of jumpers (an as I can tell, our regions adventurous outdoor mentality actually increases the % of skydivers who base, or base jumpers without skydiving).

I can count on my hands and toes every BASE jumper. I certainly know them by name. We have about 10% of the active skydivers BASE jumping....

So two math formulas for the USA:

40,000 skydivers * .10 = 4000 BASE jumpers

-or-

20 per state * 50 = 1000 BASE jumpers

So, roughly between 1000 and 4000 BASE jumpers in the US, active, simply by extrapolating a small region larger.....

If your site could attract 5% of the community for a vacation, you would have between 50 and 200 customers a year.

Lets say you could get $100 from each in gross revenue ($25 a night for a cabin) - you got somewhere between $5,000 and $20,000 gross. It would take a lot more % or $ to break 100K a year.... And to support an operation, you probably would need that.

So, my two cents - it "would never work".... But then again, I come from a long line of pessimists - my Father (in real estate) turned down Starbucks as a client because "this isn't cold rainy Seattle, dedicated coffee shops would never work here."

Do it. Just fuckin' do it. Build a shack or shanty for a crash pad. Let the climbers and basers know it's there for rent. There are places like it in Mexico. What's the downside? Doesn't work out, so what, tear it down. You don't need to put up the Taj Mahal! Just stock up on Ramen noodles and beer.

jon

do it!

I'd agree, if your not looking to profit from it, then you can't lose. Over time the property will increase in value, and any money you spend on cabins, you'll recoup if you sell it. So any amount you get from jumpers is a bonus.

However if your looking for enough jumpers to pay your bills, then I doubt you'll get that many interested

Sounds like a gorgeous place GO FOR IT!!! Then take up BASE

Any pictures of the location?

You could also charge some token amount for camping on the property and allowing access to the site. As others have said, you won't be able to make (much of) a profit, but giving BASE jumpers access would be an awesome thing to do. I'd go. Although it is no Kjerag, 800-1k ft is nothing to sneeze at.

Pictures would help answer this. If its a good cliff people would come.

I doubt that you would attract too many over seas jumpers but there is still plenty of guys down here working or just passing through who would love to see your wall. And most of those would even be happy with your simple permission to bring a tent to the bottom. Once again I doubt that there would be too much profit.

As i Stated, I am not looking to profit from this in anyway. Land value in New Zealand only goes up for the last 20 years and my family buys a lot of land as they are residential developers.

This place will make a fortune over the next 15 years if we end up buying it and then selling it on. it is not intended for residential development either.

As far as photos go i am currently in Australia so have none to show you but in a few months i will post some pics when i have gone and taken some. This place is a little hideaway that an old family friend owns and is wanting to sell. My family want to purchase it.

If we went ahead, a cabin would be built for this purpose, even if it was just me and my buddys after doing some BASE training.

As someone said, we would not look to charge anyone to come and stay and jump as my home is anyones home in this sport. Of course a few bucks here and there from people who come and stay to go towards the water, power etc would not be demanded but would be encouraged as i am not in the business of paying for other peoples living expenses all year round.


Anyway, it is a few months away, it is very close to a dropzone and i will post more about it in a few months depending on the outcome of the purchase.


Thanks for the replies.

Again... this is not something that would be done for profit, it is something that would be done because it can be done and for my love of the nature of the sport. Who doesn't want their own BASE playground or their own antenna in their backyard? It may not be that high but i am sure it will be some wild times if we go ahead with the purchase.

 
I think it’s a great idea especially if you’re thinking about buying it anyway. I agree that you probably won’t profit a lot of money but it could “help” pay for itself… people can be generous when they have a unique experience. (I’m not familiar with the area so it may already exist near there.)

Open it up to climbers as well (as jon593 suggested) and get a few more people pitching into the pot. I know a ton of climbers/BASE jumpers who would love the experience of combining their two passions in a legal paradise, without worrying that their adventure is going to end behind bars and a huge fine. You could even invite a guide and teach the BASE guys/gals how to ascend ropes and other rock climbing techniques.

A 20 minute drive and 30 minute approach, you say. An experienced climber could ascend 800-1000ft of rope, attached to anchor stations up the face and to the summit, in about 15 minutes.

There are a lot of “hostel” type rock climbing places around the world that are successful, BASE could just be a silver-lining and the exclusive aspect that would make the difference.

Let me know if you need a route developer ;)

If you build, I will come.

Testing

can you pm me some directions and i will check it out

It sounds like a great idea to me.

One of those ideas that may not get too much hype until it actually exists....and then...

who knows, it may become a stopff destination for any jumpers passing by, or even making a special trip out there to jump it.

I would say it would be better to charge a set amount per head (only a reasonable rate of course) and then there is no quibbling about 'so and so hasnt chipped into the pot for x number of times', and it would all be equal.

Also, as others have said.....pictures speak a thousand words and Im sure some guys and gals on here would give you a pretty accurate verdict on the site from a few GOOD pictures.

Good luck.

Sounds like you could be on to a winner

Also, if you've got the $$ which it sounds like you have tho Im not familiar with land prices in NZ, you could start a little 'extreme sport zone' type of setup where you would have a cabin for an office with a room for training.

Maybe beefy quad bike hire or motocrossers
Climbing tuition and routes
Go Kart track



ok Im getting carried away now...sorry!