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Hey Guys, I live out of Jasper National Park in Alberta Canada. We have just had a fairly well needed and highly anticipated change in our usage capabilities which now allow us to hang glide and paraglide (speedflying) in there as well. There stipulations is that is a non motorized form of flight, no ground launching of gliders, gravity only. While I am still in conversations with Parks about this and making sure they will consider base jumping apart of these new guide lines as it has no more environmental impact than hang gliding does, I was curious if any of you guys have heard about these revisions and what your input would be on them as well. The more voices heard the better we will be able to enjoy our Parks like they are supposed to be enjoyed!

thats awesome! that seems like a reasonable avenue to allowing BASE. it is ground launching with a bit of a delay

I added your country to the Subject line.

we don't want a bunch of people thinking the rules for Yosemite might be changing!

appreciated, but with this change happening up here, maybe there is hope down there :D

I read the provisional guidelines that was published and have been meaning to write a letter to make a case for BASE. Alas I have yet to do it and time is running out as the publics' opportunity for input is closing on the 21st of January if memory serves correct. I personally think it would be great if we could legally jump in the parks. I attached the document in case anyone is interested in reading it...no I didn't...the file is too large.

If you could post the link to the page that would be great, I can't find it any where. I sent my letter in on December 14th I think it was and got a reply that my letter had been reviewed and was being handed off to an appropriate person. This was january 3rdish. so they are getting replies and concerns voiced! Lets get our voices heard and hopefully things will be legal for the Base jumping community as well. I think they will find it hard to find a way to charge some one for base jumping beside a person launching a glider and holding a case up. None the less the more hoops and loops they see us going through the more respected we will be in the parks! Hopfully !

Here is the link--- http://www.pc.gc.ca/...b/jasper/ne/ne4.aspx

Bad news is, technically, speed flying will not be allowed! Not that they really know the difference when looking at a wing. I could be wrong here (so get your grain of salt out) but, as I understand it from someone who has been working with the parks is this. Paragliding will be allowed in the parks but will fall under the rules and regulations of HPAC. Their link here- http://www.hpac.ca/pub/

This means you need to be a member in good standing and have the required ratings to fly in the parks. HPAC also does not consider anything smaller than XX-metres (cannot remember exact number, too lazy to look for it) to be a paraglider. Pretty sure all speed wings are smaller than what is allowed by HPAC. It will not be a free for all where anybody with any kind of fancy tarp can go top gun in the parks. You will legally be required to have pl&pd insurance and above mentioned ratings and documents.

All that being said, this is a great start! I have written them and very kindly suggested that additional air-sports should be allowed and would fit nicely into the parks system mandate.
I used Norway as a good example. Switzerland is kind of a good example except they have problems too. Mostly to do with gung-ho selfish assholes who do not follow rules, litter, get drunk an obnoxious and of course the large amount of fatalities there. Yes, I know the death rate isn't super crazy considering the amount of jumps but Parks Canada would consider a few deaths a year unacceptable, not that our parks system would ever be as busy as LV.

The good news is, as we continue doing what we do there should be less risk since legal canopies will be flying so it won't attract nearly as much attention!

Thanks for the link post! As for the few fatalities a year that Parks will find unacceptable, we have seen how they deal with things like that first hand with the Athabasca Falls Fence. Sadly every year some one or some people find the need to see if they can swim better than the last one. Again it is a start and you are 100% correct, they wont be policing things as much when there are other canopies flying around. As for the insurance, to fly a speed wing at kicking horse or revelstoke I was under the impression that you where to be a member of a gliding club. Things haven't been completely set in stone yet and who knows, Maybe a nice big 280sqft canopy will fall under that xx-meter guideline :D It all may be wishfull thinking but we are closer than ever before to having an amazing venue!!