Basejumper.com - archive

Is E just cliffs? Or anything not man made? I know I've heard of someone jumping a tree, (actually making a jump out of a several hundred foot tall tree, not jumping out of a tree ontop of la mousse) I've heard theres video somewhere but never seen it. On that note, has anyone ever jumped an ice cliff?

Can anyone else think of any other types of "earth"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hn1b3E4BXY

4:18

you're welcome.

First off, who cares? Define it however you like.

Traditionally, there are two different systems for classifying objects, the "shape" method and the "wind" method.

Wind method:
If the wind blows under it, it's a span.
If the wind blows over it, it's a cliff.
If the wind blows through it, it's an antenna.
If the wind blows around it, it's a building.

Shape method:
A horizontal line is a span.
A vertical line is an antenna.
A plane (flat surface) is a cliff.
A solid, three dimensional shape is a building.


Personally, I think the "ask a five year old" test is superior to either of these. Just ask a 5 year old "is this a building, antenna, cliff or bridge?" and see what she says. If you want to email me a photo of your proposed object, my daughter will be five for another 8 days, and I can get her ruling for you.

I'm also a fan of the "alphabet soup" method, where you try to claim a different letter (a to z) for every object until you've completed the entire alphabet. Antenna, Building, Crane, Dam....collect all 26.



How do you define that? I've jumped a snow/ice wall on top of a cliff. The ice portion was tall enough to jump by itself, but the cliff gave a lot more altitude. I'm sure that lots of people in Switzerland and Norway have done the same.

why?
to echo Tom, who cares?
BASE lacks an organization that sets any such standards, and most of us appreciate that!

make sure you jump for the right reasons. these forums are filled with stories. people motivated by the wrong reasons seem to find their way into stories of jumps gone wrong. eagerness all too often over rides caution and prudence. (read up on the incidents at the Swiss valley for example. - although some ARE just cases of sh*t happens)

I personally prefer stories like those from the Hobo jumpers. they studied, planned, and even bought gear specifically for the jump, and then sacrificed that gear. they did everything they could to guarantee a successful outcome. they sought a successful experience rather than a particular letter.

That video was pretty bad ass.. and the tree jump looks super fun and so unique. Dig it!

You and Tom are both right on point. When Carl invented the word BASE, there were no real hard rules. To us, a building was what the 5 year old would call a B. However, remember that back then we were all jumping skydiving gear and at first we all wanted at least 700 feet for a B. I was lucky we had a 1000' B in Houston for my first BASE jump. Tall buildings were hard to come by so people would ask if big smoke stacks counted as B's or grain elevators etc. Carl tried to fit most objects into one of the 4 categories but only if it deserved it. The two prong test Tom references was informal. After Carl died, the definition of each became sort of fuzzy as more people got into BASE and wanted to substitute objects to get a number. So there were never any strict lines. I counted my train jump in 83 as a span since it was attached to the bridge and I already had my number anyway. The idea was to be lenient on the classifications if the jump presented the same basic hazards which really combines the wind and shape tests. I have continued that policy since we've had the numbers from Jean in the mid 90's.
Anyway, with the gear today it is no trouble finding a legitmate Building, We've issued numbers for jumpers who never saw 300', unthiinkable in 81. I feel like if you wouldn't have called it a building before you started jumping, it shouldn't count as a B. Anyway, with an increasing number of people getting into BASE to be cool or because they think it's a carnival ride from You Tube, I think I need to emphasize that it takes 4 jumps to get BASE and each has to be easily identified as one of the BASE objects.
Hope everyone has a great and safe New Years.

Drive Fast Take Chances
Cliffleaper and Joy
USBA