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I just have an interest in BASE and I was told by a company that offers tandems that my risk calculations of a death ratio of 1 in every 2,500-3000 jumps was grossly erroneous. Would you agree or disagree with these sources of information? Thank You.


"BASE jumping is probably more dangerous than you think it is. At a site in northern Europe where the BASE environment is heavily regulated and the number of jumps each year is recorded, approximately 1 in every 3000 jumps ends in Fatality." from The Great Book of BASE on page 18 first paragraph in the section BASE Jumping is dangerous. You probably shouldn't do it.

This lovely sites seems to enjoy this book: http://www.basejumper.com/gear/Detailed/139.html


"Another study reported the fatality risk as 1 in 2,317 jumps over the period 1995-2005 in Norway only"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASE_jumping

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/Risk/sports.html

I don't understand statistics well enough to understand how anyone could get a valid ratio from an extreme lack of data. maybe there is enough... I'm not sure I would trust any source.

but that's just me.

there are certainly ways to minimize risk. that company would be one option. I expect it will take fine care of you, but like all things in aviation, it is new. new sometimes needs further refinement. (for example: many recommend a parachute be out for a few years before buying one.)

The Norwegian study is the only statistically valid study I am aware of on BASE fatality per jump numbers.

It's interesting that most jumpers would agree that the object for that study (a huge terminal cliff with excellent on-site support for beginners) is one of the safest cliff jumps in the world, and perhaps even one of the safest jumps in the world overall. If anything, that would suggest that the fatality odds in BASE generally might actually be worse than the odds found by the study.

Great first line from the fanastic flick:
Run Lola Run

The Ball Is Round
Each Half Is 45 Minutes
Everything Else Is Theory

ALL statistical measures are meant to provide the
thinker with some information about the underlying
data set, since even when available, looking at each
data point can be akin to looking at leaves on the
many trees in a large forest.

When counting/measuring a population (whole thing)
is either impossible, not feasible, unwanted, or just
economically not viable we use a Sample, which is a
subset of the population that hopefully represents
to some extent the entire data set.

For example: since prostitution and marijuanna are
illegal in our country of freedom, our stats on them
are imperfect.

In this scenario a Statitician / Economist / Acuarist
might use a proxy, some other available number to
estimate the rest.

So the number of busts for solicitation gives us
some idea of the number of tricks being turned,
definitely not perfectly accurate but better than
a simple guess. Same with weed usage being
based on surveys, polls, arrests, seizures,,
number of grow houses busted, number of
head shops, and so on.

Back to BASE - I personally think slider-down jumps
are more dangerous and more likely to cause an
injury or death than slider-up jumps, so based on
my assumption, which may be wrong, I personally
would conclude that the risk of death is actually
a little higher / worse than 1 in 3,000.

Of course if you only jump at Bridge Day and the
Perrine then you have a better set of numbers to
work from... the numerator would be 6 right, 3
died at each place, but over what?

The denominator, or total number of jumps made
at both bridges, is very large but an unknown #.
6 over 20,000 is mathematically totally different
than 6 over 200,000...

Of course at the exit point none of this matters,
you are standing there with 2 options: jump or
don't jump. Jumping involves risk of death and
as every jumper gets more experience he or she
learns which jumps are more sketchy and then
they react accordingly, such as wearing a back
brace on solid objecs, full face helmet on cliffs,
or you can opt for naked, cocaine, and an angry
badger in your pants, the choices are endless...

 

My mentor, Steve Morrell (BASE 174), once told me that BASE is a finite sport. If you stay at it long enough, you will die doing it. He also said that no one would survive to 1000 base jumps. Obviously education, vastly improved gear, and accessible safe objects have made his statement obsolete, thank goodness. At the time he told me this, it was 1992. I believe it to be true at that time. The Perrine, NRGB, the ITW, and Norwegian big walls allow a vast improvement in allowing jumps to be done without appearing to have a death wish. There are some objects where I think every 1 in 5 or 1 in every 10 jumps would result in serious injury of death. The risk is obviously different jumping buildings in downtown NYC versus a bridge over water with a decent landing area.

To me, it's strange that we figured how to base jump with any real margin of safety.

1 in 3000, 1 in 5000, 1 in 15000, all that's good, unless you're that 1.

Thank you all so far for your responses. I don't know if this gives me an answer(which is not a bad thing at all) but a little more to consider and furthers my knowledge. :)

Brian Stout
Jason Corcoran
Shannon Dean
Joey Lathrop
Yegor Drozhdov

I've seen two people in this thread say that there were three fatalities off the bridge here. Where are you guys getting that number?

Without referring to the list I can come up with 5 off the top of my head. And that's not counting another three Twin Falls fatalities (Moose, Roger Butler, Richard Heaton).

Are we revising history, or just forgetting it?

 

I thought it was 3 at each bridge
but I guess I was wrong, sorry

The kid who froze to death after
jumping definitely was NOT in my
list either.

I watched Shannon go in and read
about the guy who was drinking and
may have tied a pull-up cord around
his PC, don't know about a third...

Hey Green machine

can you click on the link to blinc and check the page about fatalities at the bridge and surrounding and tell me if i have that all correct....

Thanks mate

I have another question. I see that easily the majority or all of the deaths in most countries are caused by earthbound objects. I also see its due to off headings. On antennas you are looking at 90 or 120 degrees navigating room and buildings don't have near the casualty rate with the same 180 degrees. What makes these earthbound objects more difficult to avoid? Is people's attraction to track very close (proxy flying with wingsuit/tracking suit) then having a 180 opening that makes them more dangerous?

In Order Of DANGER

The most forgiving object is a SPAN.

Next is an ANTENNA with proper winds.

EARTH jumps can be very dangerous
due to tricky winds, ledges, slipping
in icy conditions, and proximity flying.

BUILDING jumps are always tricky due
to the way winds are affected by other
downtown features: other buildings,
asphalt parking lots, etc. plus the
landing areas are plagued with cars,
re-bar, light/power poles, etc.



However, while buildings are fun many
of them are difficult to access and the
bust factor make them more a misson
than an every day jump.

Mountains in almost every country (but
ours of freedom), are legal and readily
available year round, hence plenty of
jumps and the higher fatalitiy rate.

Lastly, the effort required to climb up
antenna ladders probably prevents a
bunch of lesser committed partipants
from jumping (and possibly bouncing).

I clicked and looked... I think you have things
correct, I mean I did not notice anything wrong,
but with only 5+ years in the sport I am not the
guy to really ask.

That was Roger Butler.

There have been 4 at NRG. 2 by drowning.