Basejumper.com - archive

Let me start by saying that my knowledge in this area is very limited. I hope to change that. I am working on my master's in anthropology, specifically cultural anthropology. In determining what my thesis topic would be, I tried to find people who identify themselves as part of a certain group/sub-culture/community/etc. that is interesting but not particularly well-known or a cliche within the academic world. Obviously, the BASE community is fascinating for a number of reasons, and from what I have seen in these forums, not exactly well-represented in the media. I have no particular angle in mind here since I am not out to showcase any one individual person or event, but rather, my focus would be on observing the community as a whole and examining what makes it unique from the general population.

What I would like from you is any (and I mean, any) advice, contacts, or other info you would like to share. Also, note that any interviews would remain anonymous unless you specifically consent to being named. My fieldwork would be conducted this Summer, so I would really like to know of specific locations where I could expect to meet the most people in a relatively short time period. I am open to any and all feedback, so let me know what you think. Thanks.

You should contact Jason Laurendeau.

what general region of the country are you in now ? there are some places in europe you could hang out in to get a wide variety of people as well.

Right now, I'm back and forth between Alabama and Mississippi, but in the Summer, I will go where I need to go.

lauterbrunnen in switzerland will probably give you access to the widest spectrum of international base jumpers and also is an awesome place for a holiday too. Just rock up to the horner pub any evening in the summer and you will be surrounded by all the subject matter you need.

or if your on a budjet go to twin falls idaho their are a ton of people in and out of there from all over as well.
bridgefest is a good time to go.

Guys, I am confused.

The OP has a pic of an attractive woman for an avatar. All the responses have been friendly and helpful and, uh, for lack of a better word, gentlemanly.

What's up with that? No testosterone-fueled wiseass remarks and lewd propositions?

Walt

yeah i was waiting for the "how big are your tits?" type questions myself.

Hello, My name is Jacob Gardner, I have just gotten into BASE, I have 4 basejumps and about 370 skydives. I live in Mississippi, and travel to Alabama to Skydive every weekend, What parts of MS/AL are you from?

Walter Apple, you're spot on. It's amazing that everyone is polite. It's like asking to do a documentary of the Hell's Angles among their crew and getting nothing but respectful comments. I say Wow! BTW, fuck you WALT! Just kidding jive turkey.

Before just handing out THE location for the worlds base jumping mecca(Western Australia), I have a few questions for you:

Does your father own a brewery?
How big are your hands?
How thick are your fingers?
Can you punch with reasonable force?
Do you mind choking men wearing PVC?
Can you comfortably choke a person with a thick neck while applying consistent pressure and while wearing PVC?
Are you familiar with the term "blumpy?
Do you have thin wrists?
Are you aware of "fist" as a verb?

XOXO

So, are there any books, articles, websites, etc. anyone would recommend? I do mean stuff that pertains to BASE jumping, not so much along the lines of udder's apparent fetishes. I mean, thanks for the contributions from everyone; even seemingly irrelevant posts are revealing in their own way, but as far as reading suggestions go, I would really appreciate something that would teach me about the history and nature of the sport. If I want a truly accurate description of who you are, I have to know what BASE is in technical terms before i can go investigate it in person.

Oh, and i would be especially interested in hearing from anyone who has jumped and/or will jump in Bolivia.

The best resource for history and information:
http://base-book.com/

BASE66: a short book from a while back
but I believe it really best captures the
fear, planning, and excitement of those
first few bandits jumps a new jumper
makes. I had my wife and my mom
read the book, they said it helped
them better understand the sport.

As for websites, see BLiNC Magazine
in addition this one. You can just
click "Beware" in my signature line.

Have you just looked at wiki page
for BASE jumping? Most students
would just copy and paste it then
change the font and call it theirs.

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


Never been to or jumped in Bolivia but
I am a jumper and a professor, feel
free to PM me if you need more help
but honestly between basejumper.com,
BLiNC, the wiki page, BASE66, and the
Great Book of BASE (see page 43) you
have MORE than enough material.

Don't you guys think that Great book of base is a bit hard to read for a non jumper?
I read on dz.com that some skydivers found it hard to read.
I thought the same thing, let her read the GBOB but not knowing what a toggle or bridle is, it could be a very very steep learning curve?

I agree, technical information is not really
necessary/helpful for a lay person writing
about an activity they are not involved
with... hence the book BASE66, which
is much more about the experience.

edited to correct a spelling error

I actually preferred Groundrush to BASE 66 and it has a lot of the weird psycho/zen mindfuck stuff, but I have no idea where somebody might get a copy of it these days. But a good introduction would always be to make a tandem skydive and figure out first hand what all those toggles and bridals and things actually do...or you can watch a lot of youtube videos about grinding the crack and such...

http://www.amazon.com/...321988993&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/...321989076&sr=1-1

But it seems Groundrush is printed on gold or something, $93

Sadly I have never read it.

Anyone got a copy I can borrow?

Tom,

I have a copy I'll bring you tomorrow when we jump Wanda.

The history in the Book of BASE is not completely correct.

The best source of info for history and the general culture of at least old school base is to obtain copies of BASE magazine, BASEline magazine, and The Fixed Object Journal. You can obtain these on basejumper.org.

Why Bolivia? And did you find anyone?I am here now on a road trip with my rig planning on doing jumps, but would like contact to any locals or anyone with experience.

If you've got a research budget and want to fly me to Bolivia I'll jump off something for you...

There is already a masters thesis out there, along with a great deal of tangential research. PM me and I'll to some academic documentation. Kanemann, Taversky, etc...

Well, when I posted about Bolivia I was considering tagging along as part of a field school that my major professor takes there for the summer, but I decided that the money would be better spent finding my way around Europe where I was sure to find some jumpers rather than going somewhere that may or may not have any relevance to my project. I actually just got back a week ago from having spent about 3 weeks in Europe. I got to see a lot of jumps and meet a lot of people, so it all worked out really well. Now, I get to spend the next few months taking all the stuff I've read along with the experiences that I had this summer to write what I think will be a really interesting thesis.

Because I am obviously still working on this for a while, I am still completely open to any thoughts, questions, or suggestions anyone would like to send my way.