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EVENT DESCRIPTION - Bridge Day is an annual legal BASE jumping event held on October 15, 2011 at the 876' tall New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Up to 450 BASE jumpers and 200,000 spectators are expected to attend. For most jumpers around the world, Bridge Day is a chance to make legal jumps, see old friends, and meet new ones.

For 100+ jumpers each year, it's the chance to make their first BASE jump. For those interested in BASE training, Apex BASE will be teaching a 3-day long course from October 12-15 and a 6-8 hour Introductory Course on October 14. If you're new to Bridge Day, please read our Frequently Asked Questions. Last year, jumpers from 12 countries made 1030 jumps (average 2.5 per person), drank six kegs of beer, and consumed 120 pizzas. Jump slot purchases include as many jumps as you can make in six hours, pizza, beer, soda, T-shirt, shuttles, water rescue, seminars, video festival, etc. To see more of the event, check out our Bridge Day 2010 photos.

Jumper registration begins on July 1, 2011 around 2pm EDT (18:00 GMT). Refreshing your browser around 2pm will allow you to see the phrase "Jump Passes Available" directly below the price. You will then be able to fill out the questionnaire and add a single jumper to your basket. If you have multiple jumpers on one order, please add each jumper's information separately to your basket.



CHANGES FOR 2011:
1) BASE jumping headquarters for Bridge Day 2011 has moved back to the Holiday Lodge! We've got 100 hotel rooms reserved for jumpers. As soon as you register to jump, you'll receive an email with information on how you can immediately reserve a room. More details and other lodging options are listed on our Lodging page.

2) Tandem BASE jumps are now available to those with no parachuting experience.

3) We discontinued the stash and dash and crazy ID badge contests. Fun times, but too much work.

4) Tri-State skydivers will have skydiving opportunities near the bridge. There is some chatter about a large aircraft being available.

5) Red Bull is again the main sponsor of Bridge Day BASE jumping, but they're also sponsoring the entire event via the Bridge Day Commission.

6) More than likely, the video waiver will be gone, gone, gone!

7) Last year, we mentioned that we've begun the design of a new piece of equipment that will "launch" you to new heights next year. Although it may not see any action on the bridge, it'll be at the Holiday Lodge.


OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
1) Late Arrival Option - You can now complete the Bridge Day waiver and 2x2 photo via mail prior to the event and simply show up at the exit point on Saturday morning to retrieve your Bridge Day jump pass and ID badge. This option is intended for experienced Bridge Day jumpers who may have difficulties arriving in Fayetteville, WV by Friday at 4pm. Click here for more info.

2) We'll continue handing out more than $1000 in cash to the winners of the BASE Videofest and Accuracy Contest.

3) Note that early jump pass purchases get to jump off the bridge first and have the best shot at obtaining a hotel room at the Holiday Lodge (jumper headquarters).

4) There are exclusions to most of our rules and we're pretty accommodating to jumpers who have special situations. We are not the BASE police and we want you to have a great time at Bridge Day. If you have a special situation, don't hesitate to contact us.

ABOUT US - All BASE jumping activities at Bridge Day 2011 will again be coordinated by Vertical Visions LLC, owned by West Virginia BASE jumper and skydiver Jason Bell (BASE #428, D-16725). Jason will be assisted by his wife Jennifer, Bill Bird (D-6977), Nate Varns, Mark Krasinski, Shawn Kendall, Donk, JJ, and over 50 staff members.



MORE BRIDGE DAY EVENT INFO - Bridge Day is the largest extreme sports event in the world held on the third Saturday in October every year in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Bridge Day is unique in that it is the only day visitors may walk across the bridge, BASE jumpers can parachute from the railing, and rappellers are allowed to descend and ascend fixed ropes. Vendors line both ends of the bridge selling stained glass, crafts, shirts, photos, and refreshments. Bridge Day is West Virginia's largest one-day festival and is rated one of the top 100 festivals in North America.

Jumpers from all over the world will be lined up to take their turn leaping from the world's second longest single arch bridge. Most will fall from the bridge for 3-4 seconds before deploying their parachute. Then they'll spend the next 20-30 seconds floating down to the designated landing zone located on National Park Service property at the edge of the New River.

BASE jumpers have jumped from the New River Gorge Bridge every year since the first Bridge Day on November 8, 1980 (the only exception being the cancellation of Bridge Day 2001 shortly after 9/11). The first Bridge Day saw five skydivers making BASE jumps from the bridge in the early days of the sport of BASE jumping. Over the years, Bridge Day became the place for thousands of skydivers to make their first BASE jump. It is also the largest gathering of BASE jumpers each year, complete with first jump seminars, packing classes, and a BASE gear trade show.

The popular 16' commercial aluminum diving board, first introduced in 2003, will be returning to Bridge Day this year. BASE jumping aerialists from countries as far away as Australia and Russia will again travel to Fayetteville, WV to amaze the spectators with multiple flips and twists from the massive diving board before deploying their one and only parachute. The Vertical Visions team plans to have a BASE jumping film festival and some special jumps that should make for an exciting Bridge Day 2011 for both jumpers and spectators.

CONTACT US - For questions regarding Bridge Day BASE jumping, please contact Jason Bell, reply to this thread, or visit www.bridgeday.info. For further whuffo-type information on Bridge Day 2011, please visit the official Bridge Day website located at www.officialbridgeday.com.

ADDITIONAL LINKS
Schedule
First Timers Page
The LZ
Hotels/Camping
Shuttle Buses to LZ
Our Main Staff


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Vertical Visions LLC
Jason Bell - Owner
6 Point of View
Bridgeport, WV 26330
Phone: 304-933-9330
Bridge Day Website: www.bridgeday.info

How will the Tandem BASE people be put off the bridge? Stowed or PCA? I know in years passed they do not allow PCA at bridge day, will there be an exception for Tandems?

Did you find someone to do it?

Tandems: Will be slider up PCA at this point in time. The steel won't be an issue.

Video Crew: I've got about five groups interested in the job. I'm sending emails out right now.

Please tell us the take a number ticket deal will not be used this go around........

What don't you like about it? Our view is that it prevents line cutting. We are revamping our fencing and intend to offer more railing space this year. See attached. I appreciate your comments as it helps us improve the event.

My experience is some people take numbers and others dont creating confusion. That, and over the past two years no one has actually called or taken a number from me further adds to the confusion in the line.

To be fair however I never get in line before noon, so maybe I am missing when the numbers are the most productive.

As far as other feedback goes...is there anyway we can keep spectators out of the jumper line? I dont mean friends, girlfriends, ground crew, etc, i mean people that arent there with jumpers but are there to watch. I understand they want a good view, and this event wouldnt be successful without them, but there were several times last year we had issues getting through the line in the later part of the day. For one jump we even had to jump the fence because the spectators simply refused to let us though.

+1
The new layout looks like it may work better. Thanks for all the hard work. Looking forward to it

Well I must say that I REALLY wanted to be catapulted off the bridge

However, I can't wait! I love BD! This will be my 15th BD, six of those I have jumped.

Im so freakin excited!!!!

i will not have money until july 15th, do you think that i will still be able to secure a jump slot? this will be my first BD so im unsure of how quickly slots "sell out" so to speak............? im living in virginia until november and ill be damned if im going to miss it this year

No problem.
http://www.bridgeday.info/faq.php#40

You can also register on July 1 and elect to pay by check. Then send me a check after July 15.

Oh, it'll happen soon off some bridge in the US. Catapult is partially built and will undergo testing in a few months. Spent too much money and time designing it, but it'll be exciting. I just wasn't sure that I had enough time to fully test it in time for BD this year.

Well shit Ill test it. What could possibly go wrong?

Appalachian BASE "What could possibly go wrong?" hahah

Have you done anything to handle the large volume of requests during registration?

A completely new updated Miva Merchant 5.5 web store is being used this year. I'm also hosting the store with a new company rather than doing everything myself.

Bridge Day 30+ way?
Sign up to Join.
- It'll make the line go faster.

Its now working, whats the deal here........

It's working for a few hundred so far. Call me and I'll take your order over the phone (304-933-9330). If you have a really old browser or funky cell phone, you might find some issues.

"A few hundred so far"?!? its only been up for 30 minutes no!? My invoice number is #1252, around where will that put me?

What was the first order number? #1100?

Then the next question is how many jumpers were registered in each order, probably average is 1.6 per order. I like making up numbers.

I bet your last.

_justin

So if my is 1280 something does that mean im a spectator? FML

Just a heads up, the hotel rooms are already booked up.

I'm sure they were swamped, me and a buddy tried but couldn't get through, took a break to take a shower and when I came back I got through only to be told they've been gone an hour and a half after registration opened

That'd make me #90. Sweet. Room booked. See all you fools in a few months.

Im interested, but I do not want to get wet. I will do 5.5 seconds if that is an open slot, def not a slider down short delay. Can this be the opening jump?

Max
from IN, OH, or WV

Tennessee BIG WAY at Bridge Day?

You'd have to beat the N.C. big way's first. And none of that using the railing crap, it only counts if everyone launches from the ramp.

your mom launches from the ramp...im in on the 30+ way. I want to go from the railing...like this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA44NpPCELo

registered, and somehow lucked out and booked a room at the lodge. this will be my first BD. im soooooooooooooooooooo stoked

Not me, I'm pissed. I think I waited to long. I think I'm going to pass. Or just come down and talk you into poaching something more awesome within driving distance.

registered #1283, staying with jake at the lodge!!!
my first BD!!! soooo stoked

How big is the bigway? What are the qualifications required to jump the NC bigway? Is it available to part time NC residents? What if someone lived in SC but jumped mostly in NC, can they join? I would make sure you are checking credentials... it would suck to have the record be invalidated because someone didn't qualify as a NC jumper.

wow, i totally forgot to book my room last week... but i still got one just now. so crisis averted.

see y'all on the ramp.

I forgot to update, rooms were not sold out apparently.

I called and was transferred to reservations where a guy half laughing told me that the rooms were filled, I asked to be put on a waiting list and he said they weren't doing that this year, fair enough. I called my buddy and he asked if I tried to get a normal room that wasn't one of the 100 reserved and sure enough I didn't.

He called not 5 minutes later, asked the same question I did and they asked for his order number and password and got a room! not sure if they were sold out the more opened or he just didn't want to deal with me at the time. verified we called the same number and we did.

Either way we got a room so crisis averted here too.

See yall there

dont worry 570, your NC credentials are *good* (see footnote)...and so are mine



***Will still be considered NC BASE As long as you bring me some of that good ol' Canadian bacon!

This will be my first BD as well!!! I went last year to watch how it all goes down and now I am ready to jump off :-) See you there :-)

Hi Jason,
When will the tandems be going off? I foresee the tandems getting top priority over the other jumpers since they paid $1000. Won't they cause a delay or a slow down in the jumping? How are you going to work them in and not piss off the other jumpers??

Also, since Red bull is sponsoring this shouldn't we be charged less for registration or get some extra bonuses or time to jump??? What exactly are sponsors doing to sponsor Bridge Day other than slapping their name on it? Are they putting money in and where is it going if they are? Sponsors with deeper pockets are finally moving in but jumpers prices are still going up... why is that? I would think that there would be some sort of push to make it more affordable and attractive for one of the main attractions. Doesn't a sponsor mean someone who foots part of the cost for an event, which in turn makes it more affordable to the other participants? And don't tell me they are providing free red bull.... I don't care about that crap!

-Only two tandems per hour will jump. They will jump in the same manner as others and won't cause any delays on the exit ramp (this was critical for me). I haven't heard any complaints from jumpers about two tandems jumping every hour.
-Tandem jumps comprise roughly 1% of all jumps made (assume 10 tandem jumps out of 1000 total during the day).
-The majority of tandem jump sales goes straight to TandemBASE. I only get a small cut, so money isn't why we brought tandem jumping to BD. We brought it to BD to permit spectator participation and gain further acceptance of our sport.
-Jump prices are the same ($89.99) for three years now, but you mentioned that they're going up. Not sure where you got your info. You're getting a bargain already as many jumpers tell me it should be more. The rappellers pay more than $100 plus $40+ for transportation fees.
-Red Bull has sponsored us on and off since 2003, so this isn't new. You HAVE been charged less during the last 8 years because of their sponsorships.
-We're not getting rich from sponsorships.
-I am giving away $1000 cash to winners of the Videofest and accuracy contest. If you hit the accuracy pad early in the day, you can win $100 or $50 cash, which comes out of sponsor donations.
-I put in A LOT of time organizing Bridge Day every year (estimated 700 hours). My time is worth something.

Read this.

Thanks a ton for your effort and the time you put into this event. Really looking forward to my first B-day. See you in a week.

Sergio

Thanks for the reply... I was not really expecting something until after BDay because I know you are busy.

I'll continue this discussion after the weekend. Have a great event!