Basejumper.com - archive

I just noticed that I joined this forum 5 years ago today looking for information for how to get into BASE.
The first thing I learned is that I need some skydives, so on Dec 16, 2005 I made my first tandem and next weekend I was starting AFF.

Now I have 900 skydives, 250+ are wingsuit jumps, 350+ tracking jumps, some CReW here and there, all done with a 7cell and always working on canopy skills and accuracy. Also working on rigging knowledge and basically everything to get me "ready" for BASE jumping. However, I still have not jumped hahah

I decided not to jump yet, because after reading, and reading, and more reading, I found many reasons why this island is not good for a newbie jumper. No active jumpers here, all objects are low, etc etc....If I wanna BASE, I have to relocate.

Ive met and became friends with many BASE jumpers while traveling to boogies, and even had offers to take me for a jump, or I can also go take a course. But thats not how I wanna do it. When I start BASE jumping I wanna be current, and not do like 15 jumps on a weekend and thats it till next year. Well, basicaly thats why I have this dream is on hold, and I dont regret it, the journey's been fun.

Im not sure what my point is, but I wanna say to the people looking to get into BASE, take your time. Educate yourself and understand how equipment works and how weather affects everything. Objects are not going anywhere and equipment is getting better.

Ill keep on lurking and writing one liners and hopefully one day we will meet on top of something.

what happens if you die in a car crash tomorrow?

Ah, priorities

One jump in a year is better than none in my book. I recently did my first couple of jumps through a course without having a contingency plan. They're all the jumps I have so far. I'd like to think that I'm better off now than I was before the course.I have time to take a moment and reflect and make the necessary changes in order to be able to keep jumping.

However, I do not live on an island.

How would I know? Ill be dead...

Exactly! To me, being current and active is more important than 1 week of jumps each year. Maybe Im a bIg PusSie!

If you've managed that many skydives in 5 years i'm sure getting some money together for a trip to twin falls probably wouldn't be much of an issue. Spend a week or so there take an FJC and knock out 25 jumps or so..

Would make a good vacation, and give you that first taste of base that you've been waiting so long for..

Not sure how laws are down there with Base but low objects can be managed.. theres always something that can be jumped..

everyone does it differently.

Even though I agree with what you are saying here, I find it ironic that someone who hasn't done a base jump is giving advice to beginners based on what they read on a forum.

Also, objects might not be going anywhere, but your youth is!

Ironic eh?! Hardly seems ironic to me. Sounds like logical, well thought out advice. The longer he waits, the more understanding he gains which opens the mind even more to the the overall bigger picture. These are details that help keep jumpers alive and making sound decisions. I can't imagine someone who owns a BASE rig not knowing about slider use even if they don't jump slider up yet it seems to be the reality for some right?
As for youth, bollocks I say. Youth is highly over rated and usually just means a higher chance of making a poor decision.

To yeyo: Strong work, you will be much better prepared than most when you get on it!

irony may be when the guy who is allegedly a self-taught-from-scratch-with-little-to-no-training-or-experience base jumper and wingsuit polit goes in after giving people shit about their careful, logical approach to a sport, and doling out his own version of interthreat forum expertie.

out of curiosity, can anyone confirm that cheeky has actually made a base jump?

I am not giving shit about their careful, logical approach, I said I agree with him. I just stated it's ironic that a non-basejumper is giving advice on how to start base-jumping.

And it won't be ironic. I fully anticipate at least breaking a few bones switching to wingsuit base. Not news to me.

Also, if you want a list of people I've jumped with, send me a PM.

How do you know what "too" low is? I respect your decision. Wouldn't it suck to leave and then later on you find out everything there is jumpable and its all (was) yours.


Good luck!

Just ask cheekybastard how to jump the low stuff. I hear hes into the dirty low stuff. He also has has 100+ BASE jumps and is self taught. My hero. I'm the loser who has 600+ skydives with only 40+ BASE jumps. Where did my life go wrong?

Don't get me started on all the groundcrewing and scouting i did. What a waste.

Didnt based my opinion on what I read on a forum. It came from common sense and I dont need 1000 jumps to have some. Like dont jump the 80'gap your first time on a bike? common sense, you know?

and about the youth, Im 39 and not in a hurry

+1

I didn't mean to offend you or your approach to jumping, but there's a difference betweeen actively pursuing something and wanting to do it. A first jump will tell you a lot about BASE jumping that no amount of reading or skydiving can make up for.

According to wikipedia, there's a building with 31 floors in a city on the island in your profile. I'm not saying it's jumpable, but if you go abroad, meet up with some people and get some experience you might gain the proper knowledge to make that call. Taking it one step at a time. Maybe that's the only jump you'll ever do over there for one reason or another or maybe it's the first in a long line of many. Look at the guys in Kenya: http://www.basejumper.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2923495;

To each his own. I'm not saying "this is how you should do it". I'm just offering my view on the whole approach as a beginner myself.

I see that you have tremendous respect for BASE. And take this... you get tremendous respect from me for that, just as the level-headed jumpers here have from me. SALUTE !!

agree with sebcat. GET THE FIRST JUMP DONE. (of course in the right environment and with right attitude, And as I see from your post I have absolutely no doubt you lacking in any of these). As I have experienced, FBJC is the best start. AAAAND THE TRUTH.....it's a LOOOOOOONG way from there to become an actual BASE jumper. But once you get your first jump, you will have a better understanding of an ACTUAL BASE than scores of plane hop-n-pops in a 7-cell. Certainly not saying, it does not help but an actual jump from a fixed object is totally different from a hop-n-pop.

and just in case if you are wondering.... I have just taken the first few steps on that LOOOOOOOONG way :-). Hoping to make it before I get 'busted'.

anyway .... as 460 pretty much aptly said......'everyone does it differently'

I totally relate to your desire to be doing it as often as you can once you start it.... a morning jump on the way to office,..a night jump on the way back home, and jump jump jumps on weekends......sigh.... wish I could move to TF or Moab :-)

PS: THANK GOD and to whoever separated this thread. Otherwise it was THE EPIC hijack I have ever seen. whew!! Thanks to whoever did that. Now lets get back to the original topic, shall we?