Basejumper.com - archive

First jump courses offered= spiking influx of newbies= more fatalities?

Is it just a numbers game? The more jumpers out there will ultimately give way to more possibilities for deaths?

No insult is meant to anyone.

I think GoPros are exposing people to BASE more than anything...
The year that Point Break came out there was a huge spike in the number of skydives.

but you're right, the more new jumpers, the more deaths. it does seem like a numbers game

i dont think first jump courses attract new jumpers. the jumpers that take the coursed have done the skydives needed and learning from courses rather or including mentors.
fjc help people if they dont have a mentor get into the sport. if there is money to be made out there people will take advantage of the opportunity.

i totally doubt it. the following are questions that come to my mind that i dont really have the answers to........

first, how many new jumpers stay in BASE after taking a FJC?

how many people with little to no skydiving experience get into an FJC and remain BASE jumpers without supervision/mentorship........?

how many people who are inexperienced BASE jumpers/inexperienced WS pilots go out to the valley and/or start WS BASE not too long after FJC's........?

I just went through the BFL, and the last 2 dozen + fatalities (for the most part with a few exceptions) have been WS pilots with a somewhat significant amount of BASE as well as WS skydiving experience.....

i think whats happening is not that youtube is attracting newbies who are immediately killing themselves in this sport, but that people who do have a decent amount of experience are making stupid decisions and flying WS and tracksuits in places they shouldnt, on technical jumps they are not ready for............

+1

What would you consider newbie? there are plenty of BFL entries with super experienced skydivers with little base experience going in. i haven't checked but i bet there are more experienced jumpers who have gone in then brand new jumpers. correct me if im wrong.

but, i guess to your point, in any situation that you have an increased amount of anything you have an increased amount of posable problems.

BASE has increased in popularity over the last few years. So yes it is a numbers game.....the more people participating, the more accidents are gonna happen. Plain and simple. I agree that FJCs are not the problem. IMO its the mass amounts of coverage online that is attracting people (Im not saying this is a "problem" just what is bringing attention).

I think back to 2003 when I started, less than a decade ago. There were easily less than half the FJCs that are publicly offered now, a fraction of the YouFag videos posted, GoPros did not exist, and WS base/proxy flying wasnt really the main stream.

It sucks to say but this List we're keeping track of is only going to grow at a faster rate.