Have you ever had to confiscate gear
from a friend because they were going through a really really bad time yet couldn't stop jumping? (And by confiscate I mean to graciously ask him if you can hold it for a while till theyre feeling 100%) Basejumper.com - archive
General BASE
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Maybe its better jumping with a rig, than without one. If I was in a bad way I would probably do something stupid and irrational like jump anyway. Unless you know him well enough that he won't try something like that.
Re: [Dorkzonehero] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
If you stole his pullup cord, he would only be able to do unpacked jumps 
Re: [Dorkzonehero] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Dorkzonehero wrote:
Both you and your friend needs to drink a bottle of HTFU.
First off.
Nothing clears your mind like a couple of good near death experiences in a row. In the long run it will also make your friend more hardcore and in better mental shape. Just look at how well danger exposure worked out for Jeb, he is mentally fit as a fiddle.
Second
If I find out my friends are going behind my back asking random nerds on the internet for advice and implying that I have some kind of mental problem I might get so pissed that I de-friend him/her on facebook.
Third
What about if you just asked to hold on to his pullupcord. Without it, he would only be able to huck off one more jump. Unless its a velcro rig...yeah...difficult subject. You should probably send a letter to some daytime talkshow for further advice.
can we be friends on FB :P
Re: [JBag] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
I've heard of a few casses of people commiting suaside by skydiving but it seems to be the exception. I've actually known several jumpers that killed them selves, I can think of five off the top of my head, and oddly enough all of them did it some other way.
Lee
Re: [prdstmnky] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
prdstmnky wrote:
there was a point that people where pretty close to taking my gear. the feelings I got from jumping actually kept me alive however. I used it to feel alive and experience feelings other than those that seemed to be haunting me. My brother once said, "I dare you to try to kill yourself with basejumping. you'll pull everytime." A ballsy statement I wouldn't make to just anyone, but clearly he knew me. He is my mentor. He is my younger brother. I admit that I took chances and laugh as I look back at some of the things I did, but it gave me something positive to focus on. I did some of my best and most calculated jumping while depressed. I still jump well when I'm angry or hurt. If you are that worried about someone, I suggest other interventions. It is far more likely that they will do themself in with gun, rope, knife, drugs, or car. We don't have any BASE suicides on the list. And if you think it is a problem, it is a problem. People don't like to admit their weaknesses and sadly many people back away from people that need help. I suggest you help them meet new people, try new things. People have no idea how to accept help when they are down. Even if you shove it down their throats. Depression is overlooked, but oh so common. I hate medicine, but turn on the TV. Your friend is not a freak. They are in the majority of people that experience extremes. As much as these times may kill us, we find a way to look back at them with a smile. It can open our eyes to be forced into changing. It sucks, but introduces new things we didn't know about the world and about us. Again, I suggest you let them continue jumping but try other things to help. If the jumping is not calculated, like done while drunk or on drugs, that is obviously another story. When I hear they are basejumping, I assume they are doing it right, otherwise it is not really jumping. it is russian roullette. It is wreckless and out of control. Jumping is different for everyone. If they are using it to live, more power to them. I believe there is little that is right or wrong about it, though we love to argue about it. What the hell do I know. reach out to someone else.
Didn't the thought ever cross your mind that even if you didnt intent to "kill yourself" per se, that your mental condition at the time would affect your judgement? For example, jumping in conditions you knew were not good but doing it anyways just because you were so sad that you desperately needed that fix....to feel alive again?
To me that is just as dangerous.
And regarding the question about would I rather him jump without a parachute?
As fucked up as it may sound, if i had to choose between my friend committing suicide by jumping off an object with or without a rig, Id choose without a rig. And Ill assume you guys all know why.
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
really??? car keys is to drunk friend
as
rig is to sad friend
sounds like an SAT question... which you failed
I second the motion: HTFU
Re: [itsbasebitches] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Take his rig? Take his guns? Take his car? Wait what if he just walks in front of a bus. You can't shelter or protect some one from this. Short of locking him in a padded room I don't think you could protect some one from what he's faceing. I remember reading some thing in a book once. It said baseicly that you were not a full and complete human being till you had seriously adressed the question of suicide. This is something that ultimently we all must face. Whether it's a passing thought or a life long strugle you can't fight this battle for him. You can try to be there for him if he wants to talk but in the end he must find his way through this him self. Be prepared for the very real possability that he will die.
so what I'm basicaly saying is that in the end he'll eather eat a bullet or he'll HTFU but you can't do much for him eather way.
Lee
HTFU
I agree, no one can baby sit another adult forever, nor should you have to... but simply trying to help
might be the difference between a friend suffering
depression & actually trying/succeeding in suicide.
There was guy I knew from skydiving who failed
the bar exam twice and then blew his head off
with a shotgun.
Personally I did not like the guy so there was no
emotions for me, but I sure felt sympathy for his
friends and family who must have felt very shitty.
Some of you talk so tough on here - Why?
Re: [GreenMachine] HTFU
Didn't you know? Being completely apathetic online makes you super-cool. I think the average human response to such a situation is to try help, and if one feels the other persons judgement is thrown off by the situation then one should try to intervene, even if it's just by trying to discuss the said bad judgement with the person. But essentially after that it really is up to them what to do.
But anyone on here who tries to act like they'd just sit by while a friend of theirs added to the chance of dying through bad judgement is talking shit. If someone is adding risk while trying to push the limits it's one thing, but when someone is adding danger because of bad judgement or something it's different.
As stated above though, suicides are rare in BASE and the person probably wouldn't resort to that as a method of suicide, I mean who really wants to add that kind of media attention to an activity they are/were involved in, I'm pretty sure they'd know the repercussions of doing such a thing.
So if their actual judgement of the jumps isn't hindered I wouldn't worry about it (as BASE may be one of the only things to help them feel better as it does with many). But if they are jumping with worse judgement calls based on their mind state I'd recommend trying to help.
Just my 2c.
Re: [460] HTFU
I was talking about using BASE as the means to commit suicide. From what I've heard, for the ease of the practice, jumpers often take another way out.
Re: [xmesox] HTFU
i know, but i thought other people on the forum should realize that a suicide by Kiki's friend may be very likely (since statistically, BASE jumpers commit suicide at an extremely high rate compared to the general populace).
Re: [460] HTFU
Fair enough. I think I need to lobby with the tech guy to add a 'new post' button that doesn't require replying to someone else's post as it is fucking confusing in many cases.
Like this.
As an admin I am sure you are aware but you just forgot that you merely have to change the subject line if you want to post without replying to anyone.
Re: [xmesox] HTFU
xmesox wrote:
I was talking about using BASE as the means to commit suicide. From what I've heard, for the ease of the practice, jumpers often take another way out.
Yes and no.
True, no jumper has deliberately taken their own life in a jump....but....how many times have we seen someone who is depressed get reckless? Start pushing the envelope too hard because they arent reasoning as well as they should. There have been multiple deaths and hospital visits because of this....but it is always argued about after the fact and no suicidal conclusion is ever made. (Most likely to respect the dead.) Hell there have been several times on this forum where someone has come forward and admitted they did something stupid because they were in a bad place.
Think about it though next time you tell someone to HTFU. How many times have we said "What were they thinking?"
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Is this person doing a lot of drinking or intoxicating substances? Sleeping? Barring that, all you can do is be there and listen. Often just being there and saying nothing is the best. A calm touch and a look in the eye will convey your thoughts. Try to be there and encourage not being reckless. Since I don't have any knowledge of this person or others in his predicament, the only examples I have or of myself. I personally have performed some of my most dialed in escapades when my emotional state was off. It's not that I cared less, I just needed something to do and would use that energy to enhance my performance. Jumping or another higher risk activity was tops on my list of things to clear my head for a few moments.
Does this person appear to be in such a state of mind that you feel he'll be unreasonable? If you have to say something then just do it. Bad times go away. It seems like they never will but they do. Doing something, anything, is better than just sulking in the dark.
Good luck
Re: [460] HTFU
That in it self is an interesting quetion. The very fact that I can name five off the top of my head with out effort seems really high. Keep in mind that I've heard several others speek of it but did not or have not as yet acted on it and one that tried but bailed half way through. There have been times that I my self might have qualified as a risk. Is it a personality thing that makes skydivers/base jumpers prone to suacide or vice versa? what would be concidered an average rate?
It seems to me that wofos seem to use the threat or a half harted attempt to seek attention or cry for help. Jumpers on the other hand are by defanition not passive indeviduales. They seem to run a very high success rate. A threat or statement from such a person should probbably not be dismissed lightly.
Lee
Re: [RiggerLee] HTFU
the old list that NickDG used to maintain contained BASE jumpers who died outside of the sport. There was a huge percentage of jumpers who committed suicide. It just abruptly stood out. There was some airplane related deaths, some skydiving deaths, some emphysema deaths, and a huge number of suicide deaths.
Re: [hookitt] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
hookitt wrote:
Does this person appear to be in such a state of mind that you feel he'll be unreasonable?
Yes and he already proved it. For the sake of keeping anonymous i can't get into it really. But this person has already made huge mistakes and bad judgements that are EXTREMELY out of character for him. This is what has me concerned. Im not scared he is going to go off an object and not pull. That is very unlikely. Im concerned this person will make bad decisions influenced by his condition. Decisions that could get him killed.
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
damage his gear so he has to wait or spend time getting it repaired.
Re: [460] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
460 wrote:
damage his gear so he has to wait or spend time getting it repaired.
Good idea. I could also steal all the pilot chutes.
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Kiki32 wrote:
460 wrote:
damage his gear so he has to wait or spend time getting it repaired.
Good idea. I could also steal all the pilot chutes.
Still have to worry about the BAJ
Re: [Halfpastniner] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Halfpastniner wrote:
Kiki32 wrote:
460 wrote:
damage his gear so he has to wait or spend time getting it repaired.
Good idea. I could also steal all the pilot chutes.
Still have to worry about the BAJ
LOL! you cheeky minx
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
That and all the gear you will have in return for looking after him.
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Because of my happy lifestyle, I've never ever had these kind of feelings. However, I've been there for many a person in this situation. I would never take anyones gear though...unless it was an all white rig...than i could use it as a backup
Re: [CebJorliss] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Do you wear white because you're happy inside?
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Im so happy I feel the grass move with the wind and the bugs walk
Re: [CebJorliss] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
What about when Jbag masturbates in the park. Can you feel it when he does that too?
Re: [Kiki32] Have you ever had to confiscate gear
Only if he abandons his evil ways and starts wearing white. I even have a very nice white affliction shirt for him to wear, so that way he can still be a badass even if he's not wearing black. But yes, I do get tickle from time to time.