Basejumper.com - archive

http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/original-base-board/42815-how-not-jump-new-walls.html

"4 Ozi mates climb Gridsetstolten, Norway for the first time to be engulfed in cloud. After several hours waiting, fading daylight and the potential of getting lost on the hike down they decide to jump through 4 seconds of cloud. One of them has a catastrophic failure of his left riser and spirals into the fjord. No major injury incurred. Very very very lucky."

Does anyone know more details about what happened here? What kind of failure? 10 feet to the right and the guy would be dead for sure...lucky fucker!

Shit, crazy! Hahaha chick at the end stfu!

So how did the riser come off? or what really happened?

The only way I can see a failure like that happening is if either the canopy was incorrectly rigged, the riser or other integral part of the lower part of the system was weakened and gave loose or the jumper released it himself.
Is there any damage to the riser, link, 3 rings(I.A.), loop etc.?
A lot of jumpers today don't perform routine inspections of their gear and a small fray or cut on the loop holding the 3 rings in place could cause something like this to happen, especially if it was already weak and then having a hard opening could exacerbate the problem. Maybe even the moisture in the air coupled with a hard opening could have caused a problem with an already weak link in the system.

As I was typing this I had another thought.... I don't think it was a factor in this case but I got to wondering if the tensile strength of the various components in our rigs are weakened by being frozen. Like for instance the loop holding the 3 rings in place. If we were to go from a warm humid environment to a freezing cold one or even getting snowed or rained on could the loops break because of the water trapped in the fibers? Most things I have dealt with seem to snap easier when frozen. Just a thought....

The canopy was actually flying for a few seconds then started to turn in a spiral then it just gave way. It seems almost like it was a slower failure than just a clean break... almost like the cutaway cable slowly slipped out. Hmmmm, that's a thought too. This would mean it was incorrectly rigged.

What do the jumpers on the load have to say about it??

Was it just me or did everyone seem overly nervous at the exit point? Almost like subconsciously there was a vibe of possibly catastrophe.

I remember speaking with one of the guys on the load about it. This was a riser release situation. Only one I have ever heard of. Their explanation of how it happened made some sense, involved terribly bad luck, a pretty hard opening and a side mount camera. Wish i could explain it properly. Maybe someone else can.

jt

seen one live, seen one in the video...not funny but if you use slider (in SD) you can possibly live longer :)...well, my opinion only, sorry

the container was old, worn and tatty and the jumper had been warned and knew it. He didn't check his rings before suiting up. Maybe coz we had bigger issues at exit. (i.e.The exit was hands down the scariest f***in, stupidist thing i've ever done - but what a rush;-)

After the incident we had a look at his 3 ring system and it was pretty obvious that the plastic/nylex cord that holds the three rings together was short on the left side and the sleeve on the riser was worn. We think that somewhere along the hike, the exit and the opening that it worked its way down the sleeve and then after the aggravation of opening and maybe a riser turn slipped the rest of the way out. Down he went. Lucky he can track.

The jumper decided to retire the container after that.

I fail to see why an old tattered and worn Rig would release a Cable ? A Released Cable on Opening has nothing to do with Old and Tattered Harness Container ?
Checking your gear on packing it, is another total issue though.
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quote:
..." The jumper decided to retire the container after that. "

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Why ?, Was it Gear Fear ?
Or was it that the Cotainer System conspired to Kill Him ?
The Evil bad, old Container and Harness must have been the problem, was the Jumpers answer and fix to the problem he had ?

If the jumper is not sure of what the main cause was ? . First thing I would look @ is Cable OAL . Then work-down on Posibles of Mal. after that check.
OK, It's an Old well used Container system. 1st thing to check. Is the cutaway Handle and Cable even the original ?
The big thing that is forgotten by MOST jumpers. Is that 'IF' the cutaway cable is cut short and not as manufacturer mandates it to be. It will 'Still Hold' the 3-ring closed but it is like a time-bomb that 'could possibly on that one special jump. Pull that extra little bit on Opening-Shock. To release one side of the Risers

Even though you pick-up and throw it 'BASE Rig' on your back when jumping like it is one unit. Harness and the Container. Although called ( Harness-Container ) like it is one entity. It Is actually 2 separate entities. That do 2 separate jobs.
The time when your BASE Rig, separates on it's 2 duties and becomes 2 machines instead of One. is on opening and pressurization. The Opening-Shock . At that time the Harness itself stretches and elongates separate from the Container . It stretches/Elongates and then return to normal length. At that time. The Cable release system & Handle that is connected on your Harness. And Is routed threw the Container and up to your Risers. On opening the Harness stretches many inches in length and pulls the Release cables on 'Every Opening'.
Nobody should ever forget. That's why the Cables are Cut Long and the extra length. Rides in Keepers that are in the Risers. For Opening Shock.
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I've seen a hard opening on a Javelin skydiving rig stretch the harness so much as to pull the cable of the pillow reserve handle and release the reserve. That problem has since been addressed on Javelins. It's amazing how much the harness stretches on opening.

Oh hell yes. Most jumper don't know that there is really only a hand full of bar-tacks that are connecting the Container that is wrapped around the Harness & It 'Must' stretch independently of the container. Otherwise the Rig would be ripped up pretty bad on the opening. Skydive Rigs are not beat as severe on opening shock as BASE rigs but even skydivers get a neck breaker once in while.
Both also share the same basic design of the Cutaway cable handle, Velcro-attached to the Harness with one-side (longest cable) of the cutaway cable that is routed up and around the back of the Neck/Yoke of the container to one side of the Risers . 'Stretch the Harness' & Pull the cables' . on every opening.

Hey ( Not saying that Is ) the problem that caused the Jumper to crap his pants when he had Spun-In to water just missing the shore-line .
But when you have Older Containers that have been used and traded hands a bunch of times.
& Nothing wrong with buying and jumping used Older Gear.
* Jumpers, MUST pay attention to the SWAPPING of ( Risers and Cutaway Handles ) that are common practice with older Gear over it's lifetime. Because in most cases. BASE Gear, that gets passed-down over the years. Has a longer Life-Span. Than what it's wrapped around on the Exit Points.
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If you'd have seen this container you'd see very clearly that it had not seen much love. With several previous owners (one recently deceased) and no doubt many additions and subtractions through the course of it's obviously long and much lived life it didn't look like something I'd put it on the line for.

I'm not saying the container was the sole cause of the incident but certainly a player. The cable OAL and opening shock was probably the clincher.

Regardless, the jumper came round to a similar conclusion and used a different container after that jump.

Hey hey hey. Only Tattered and shabby ? . Don't throw that Rig away yet. 'Sell It' for water-only jumps container. that thing still got a few hindered jumps Begging to be done on it. . ;) .
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What's the youtube username? i noticed it was taken down :/