Basejumper.com - archive

 My son recently started skydiving, he has grown up around the sport, one of the original DZ brats growing up on the DZ around skydivers since he was born.
Admittedly he is an adreneline junky from the beginning, mainly motocross and skiing which some of this is probably due to following his old man around.
He has specific goals that he has defined, specifically build jump numbers, wingsuit experience, then on to B.A.S.E.,
He does have very good skill building qualities and does listen to critique very well when being coached and did exceptionally well in his AFF course, comment was made that the AFF coaches were just going through the motions of the required course format with him to satisfy the requirements of the course. He had completed his A licsence requirements while still in AFF.
He is very heads up and can tell you accurately what he did when and at what altitude and what is happening at any given time and what he see's.
I still have a little misgivings about him B.A.S.E. jumping because I know the statistics of the sport, and he is my son.
Any thoughts on this from anyone?

How many skydives does he have now?

FWIW, I am a full time BASE instructor and I'd really prefer that my own children not become BASE jumpers.

I'd be happy to discuss further via email or PM, if you like.

 We have talked before Tom, albeit not about him, He is just getting started, we shut down for winter.
I do have misgivings about him doing B.A.S.E.,
but I don't want to be an ass to him either, I have always encouraged him directions he wanted to go, perhaps I will take him to see some jumps at Perrine and he can talk to some jumpers.
I do discuss with him statistics and do bring the incidents to his attention and discuss what or possibilities of what happened.
One thing going for him is he is very level headed and has very good powers of obsevation and thought processes.

Kudos. Continue to support him regardless of how you feel about his decision. Hope your son realizes how fortunate he is.

If he's as good as you think he is, he'll probably do very well. If he thinks he's as good as you think he is, he might be quite dangerous

I agree Jakee, he is very level headed though and he is not a braggard or a know it all, perhaps he leaves that to the old man!

Very true, YOu need to support him in whatever decision he makes, I would never advise anyone else to BASE jump. I think its an incredable sport, but i dont think anyone should be talked into it with a false since of security, if he desides to do it, make sure he has the best instruction possible and that he has someone with tons of expiriance to answer all of his many questions.

I would recommend a book to you and him. "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales.

Might help temper the ability with knowledge...

He sounds like a lot of us, so I think you can either help him get with a good FJC, or just expect that he WILL end up getting BASE gear and possibly learning from someone who teaches him retarded shit whether you like it or not. You have no choice. You could help him do it safely or have him possibly make bad decisions behind your back. Tell him you support it as long as he takes the right steps and gets with the right people. Yes it could end his life but thats not up to you either. Good luck hope he stays safe!!!!

I know that there are a few good folks on here that teach amazing FJC's but thats not the only way. A good mentor isn't a bad way to go if you have access. if he's a smart kid, which I undoubtedly believe he is, I doubt he would just find someone who is willing to "teach him retarded shit." Honestly, if the OP has made friends with good jumpers along the way, I think having a sit-down with them and his son would be a wiser decision. Maybe a knowledgable friend who has an interest in the family's well-being would be honored to mentor him. I know FJC's are great because I jump with a lot of good jumpers who came from that route, but its not the only way. There are a lot of really great jumpers who came from a period before FJC's, many of them now teach them.
Personally, I think supporting him best would be talking to the friends you trust, and getting their opinions.

I agree very very much, just saying its easy to believe someone who knows so much, so when someone tells you 99 right things and 1 wrong thing there is a problem. It doesnt have to be a real FJC, im just saying make sure its the right people who really know their shit. I have seen people with 500 base jumps say some really stupid stuff, not saying they are more dangerous in any way just saying its easy to believe 100 percent of what someone like that tells you. I used to think "500 jumps that guy has to know everything" that is so far from true. So i guess what i mean to say is support from a father can only be positive. Even if its just getting references from his kids new mentor. Not trying to say you have to go spend your money on an FJC.

and retarded shit prolly wasnt the best choice of words sry for that, i just mean after you learn something that you didnt know before it seems like you should have known all along. I trust this kid prolly has a good head on his shoulders and will prolly make the right choices too, just saying better safe than sorry. If you have a father willing to help you pay for an FJC take advantage of it, no reason not to.

 Thank you all for very good advice and information, it is really appreciated.
My son will read these posts when he gets home tonight and we shall discuss all.
He does have sometime to go skydiving before he gains the experience and skills to get to the level to base, and our discussions and such I am sure will continue and along the way we will go some places and maybe help out as ground crew and meet people
and just help out and perhaps this will be a learning experience all in itself.

I think for the most part "retarded shit" is probably spot on with many things BASE jumping. After all, we're talking about jumping off of a perfectly solid object with a parachute and risking everything for minimal moments of what will hopefully be uninterrupted euphoria. I'd say on several levels its as retarded (and slightly related to, maybe more dangerous, but definitely just as addictive) as smoking crack. Gives the term BASEHEAD a whole new, yet kind of the same, meaning.

In my opinion you can't really KNOW the risks of the sport until you get hurt yourself, see a jumper go in (not necessarily fatal), or a close friend dies in the sport- especially if that friend was known for being a very safety orientated person.
That's the point where you realize it could have been you, and lose the "it won't hit me" attitude that some people have for a long time despite telling everyone that they are very aware they could die during every jump.

I don't think it's the lack of skills, wit, or open-mindedness,
that are "killers" in the sport. It's the "bad days" where you're not focused 100% and do stupid things you would NEVER do. For instance I missed my PC for the first time after 1000+ skydives the other day. I never thought it would happen to me but it did. In BASE that sort of thing can get ugly really fast.
And before I forget: You can do everything right and still get killed- and that happens.

Usually when a jumper experiences reality checks like that he is already deep inside the community, almost all of his friends are BASE jumpers and probably the awesomest people on the planet, the parties are awesome, and his lifestyle has changed so much it will be hard to quit even if he wants to because it means having to lead another life (which will be kinda boring for a long time) and it probably means kind of leaving your friends behind too.

In the end it's a decision whether or not, not only the jump but more importantly the whole lifestyle that comes with BASE, is worth the obvious risks.

But then again it's all relative- someone I knew just got killed in car crash.

I agree entirely. That's some of the most truthful stuff I've heard on this forum.
I always tell someone who says they are thinking about BASE jumping to be absolutely sure they want to do it and not just want to 'see what its like', because for most people there is no going back.
Although telling them to read the BFL or watch carnage vids will help them understand what will happen, there is always that distance because its not them or their friends, they haven't experienced it first hand.

lol i like that

this is godfrogs son. any one have some advise for geting started into base? umm like contact info we could exchange or any thing like that?

From your pops:

If the goal is BASE, then you've started. Just keep doing that for a while and try to get better at something on each jump. When it's time to explore the idea of fixed object jumping, you'll meet people to help you along the way.

I'm being sincere. Just stay skydiving for now. It's the best starting point.

i want at least 500 jumps,(minimal) before starting into BASE. but first i got to get a job and get my feet under me and established well enough i can start doing fun things like skydiving/BASE

get your skydives, read the information on here. there is a fair amount of useless banter, but quite a bit of good information. just read, dont post. read the incidents and bfl, i think you are doing that already. doesnt hurt to watch first person uncut videos from jump to landing. Watch the set up pattern, choice of landing area, etc. (same with skydiving) basically learn as much as u can from reading and watching without doing. it might save your butt someday. same at the dz. listen and observe. dont talk about base at the dz. listen and figure who those guys are. Once u get a hundred or two hundred jumps, then talk to those guys.

 O.K. Sinjin, are you trying to turn my boy into one of those who lurk in the shadows?

haha pops you should know that i dont lurk in the shadows im the kind that goes out and does it with out hesitation

I would not want my son base jumping, I would actively discourage it.
As I look back on the friends and acquaintances I have lost, being smart, heads up, level headed, what ever else does not seem to make as much difference as you would think, it some times seems to go against you, I see people getting away with some pretty dumb shit time and time again but some of the most talented people I have known go in.

matt, i understand that shit goes south in a hurry. some times to quick to react, my dad has been behind my decisions my whole life, through moto,skiing,skydiving, exc. we sit down and talk about the risks involved and the benifits. yes he does discourage basejumping. but he also respects my decisions and actions. at least im not out smokin crack or drinkin my life away. i wanna have fun doin what i do and make the best out of my life while im still here

Sounds like you have it pretty much figured out.

Im not trying to put you off, you have your own decisions to make. You have a good attitude and would be the sort of person I would go jumping with, but the difference is that if you went in, I could easily live with that, if you were my son, I couldn't.

This sums it up very well I think

cold cut and straight to the point, thanks for all your posts and opinions, i think it will help in the near future. help me ween out the bull shiters, that the real deal people