Basejumper.com - archive

How many jumps did you have before you started jumping without your mentor?

Who didnt even have a mentor? (I didnt... but I had several jumpers that I confided in and learned various things from...)

Im just curious to see when people started to head out with other people or even solos...

For the mentors here: Do you have a number that you generally shoot for to cut a student loose? I know this can change drastically with experience, comfort level, many factors...

I had 1 with an instructor, and then I was on my own. The next 15-20 were solo with GC. I wouldn't recommend it.

7-8 with mentor then did a solo exactly wrong.

I have yet to go solo. I only have 23 jumps now... I wouldnt suggest that plan either. My progression wasnt really the norm, but I have a fairly good amount of knowledgable and experienced people that I have been able to sponge knowledge from.

I told one of my buddys when he asked who my mentor was "I take the approach that it takes a village to raise a base jumper" :P

I *could* go solo... but I like having someone there to share the whole experience with. sitting at exit looking around and chilling for a few min before the jump I feel I have gotten to know a couple people really well...

Jumps 1 thru 7 with Tom A. during FJC
Jump #8 thanks to LeRoy & Blitzkreig
Jumps 9 & 10 at Bridge Day 2007
Jump #11 with LeRoy & Blitzkreig
Jump #12 Solo, 1st Crane, 1st S/L

Been rolling self-supervised ever since.
For a couple years I would call Tom A.
any time I did something new/different.

I still bug him and others occasionally
with a question or input on something
and always willing to learn new tricks
from any jumper with a good technique.

------------------------------------------------------
I have taught 4 people to BASE jump,
PCA'd maybe 7 virgins, and helped lots
of people get ready for their FJC, learn
to pack, do static-lines, or help them
get a letter/new object.

Each person has/d different levels of
skill, experience, maturity, dedication,
and other real world life distractions.

The most motivated and experienced
student opened his 1st object from
380 feet, static line, on his 4th jump
without my knowledge and called
me while driving away. He is an
animal, better than me and most
everyone else who BASE jumps!

The rest of them under my wing now
have an explicit conversation about
what steps/actions are expected:

1. with me only (boots/helmet/pads)
2. with someone I know/trust
3. with someone they trust
4. solo with ground crew
5. solo with cell ground crew
6. solo, high, drunk, naked, etc.

Not every one gets to the point where
they open objects or jump all alone and
that is fine, just like Tyler Durden said:
You decide your own level of involvement.

I did a solo w/ non-jumper GC on my third jump...

I did a couple of jumps with a friend prior to my first solo...said friend definately showed me some stuff, like how to pack, exit HH, bridle routing for HH exits, body position, etc. I wouldn't say I ever really had a mentor...more like a friend/friends with some experience helping me out.

As mentioned above...I think approximately half my jumps are solos at this point. There is something very peaceful yet challenging about doing a solo, that being said I also enjoy jumping with friends. More a matter of scheduling, availability, etc., if I want to jump and it doesn't work out to have company I don't mind going it alone. Although having had a close call while jumping solo it does make one consider the dangers of solos and the potential consequences of any type of mishap...even a small injury can have pretty severe consequences pending weather/location/etc.

This post in no way condones any one path or the path I chose to take...we all make our own choices in this sport. This is not a recommendation for anyone to follow suit. I think I have been lucky a couple of times and eventually our luck can run out. I believe that one has better odds if they follow a slow, gradual progression in BASE jumping.

Your final question, the answer, of course, is I have not mentored anyone...nowhere near the experience that would require. Fact is I don't think I ever will as I don't think I want the added responsibility. I have enough on my plate looking out for myself and any mistakes I might make. People that become "mentors" have a LOT to deal with and kudos to them for doing that for others. I even struggle to help very inexperienced jumpers with advice as I am still learning myself(and am very inexperienced)...it would be like the "blind leading the blind."

Have fun out there and stay safe!

jump 1, Urban A S/L (no pc) no ground crew (no clue)
jump 2, same A S/L No ground crew perfect landing possible premature break as i had time to get worried before opening..
jump 3, Big Green S/L poor landing buddy driving getaway.

I have never had a nest, I guess BlackSheep dont have nest???

you asked me this in person once
i told you ' whenever you feel you are ready '
that was the only answer i could give

this still holds true.

you should be ready.
i wouldn't say that she is. but thats her call, not mine

Dr Thrill and I just took our skydiving rigs up a 400' A outside Austin and went for it. we learned what was what by reading Walt Appels online BASE info and just tried to mimic it. never had a mentor, though the Spiders from Mars were quite helpful.

Jump 7 - was my first solo on a well known A.

Jump 9 - I opened my first A.

Jump 21 - opened my first B.

Not recommended. But I survived.

No active jumpers in my area, but I still get lots of good information and lessons learned from the guys that jumped before me.

I'm not. Can't say I don't have a desire to go prowling every night.. but I expect that's natural. I'm aware of my boundaries.

Spiderbaby you're my hero .. I knew there were people that learned from Walt's docs and I've been curious to know who...

Hank (spiderbaby) jumped a racer with a bagged canopy and a pud and hit an attachment point on landing, resulting in a broken ankle. it was pretty dumb for the late 1990s since the basics of BASE jumping had already been very well defined. it was pure bush league and fortunately did not result in a fatality on their part.

Thanks for all of the replies so far.. I think its pretty neat to see how others got into it.

I did my first jump in situations that I probably shouldnt have.. I didnt prepare myself for base (this was 5 years ago) and I did one jump and stopped. Just last year is when I got back into it. I have gone with a handful of people, and like I said never really had a mentor, persay. I have picked the brains of those who were nice enough to let me and got good advice from those nice enough to give it.

I have heard that people have been "set free" after about 20 jumps....(or maybe that was just a number in my head...) and when I hit 20 I felt like it was a pretty cool accomplishment. Yeah, Im still a newbie and I have tons to continually learn, but I felt like I just got my license in slydiving or something.

I know it truely depends on the person and their comfort level, and I wasnt looking for advice for myself or others. for others that are new, this was not a "look-see how they did it...you should do it that way" thread. I just wanted to see what other people out there do/did.

My first jump was with 3 experienced locals.
I also had no mentor.

my second jump, the very next evening, i climbed 500' by myself and did my first handheld.
it was awesome. i had two GC, people i worked with at the DZ.

My 12th jump, i freefell the 280' platform where i made my first jump, by myself.

i guess the point is, i was comfortable jumping alone starting with my second jump.
you got it right though, its a completely personal decision.

Definitely. I know I could go do a solo... but I weigh different things. Being able to jump when everyone else flakes or cant due to some reason, vs being out there alone where even a minor injury could prove extremely problomatic. Feeling the freedom of a solo and experiencing the whole thing without anyone there vs having a close friend sit next to you at exit and soak in the amazing feeling together. I really like the friendships and bonds I have built so far... I have a couple close friends that were my brothers already, but when we did a base together it just made us that much closer.

The first jump I did was with someone I dont really see or talk to anymore. I did 6 jumps with a close friend who isnt really a mentor but had more experience than me and was comfortable with me going...then I went to TF and only got 8 in there due to winds...

When I got back to town I did one more with my friend that was on the previous 6 before going to TF... and at TF I did one by myself. Then I started going with a couple other people. I dont mind going with other experienced people or even people that have less experience as long as I am good friends with them and I am confident in how they will deal with things.... I am obviously at no place to be a mentor, yet... and I am not comfortable taking on the responsibility of putting someone of on a first jump... ( Im not sure if I will ever montor anyone-but thats quite a ways away so I dont really need to think about it too much yet), but as a skydiving instructor I do love teaching and I am happy to share the knowledge that I have so far.

ive got 7 jumps so far, and there have been some nuances that i wouldnt have thought of without some experience. could i jump alone and be ok? probably but i feel like jumping with a mentor or more experienced people will keep you out of some sticky situations that could be caused by ignorance until you gain your own experience. just my .02

had a mentor in hawaii that ended up not being able to make it to the perrine with me for my first jumps. he taught me everything he knew about rigging, gear configurations, gear inspections and continuity checks, PC selection for different delays, all that shit.

ended up being allowed to sit in on toms FJC because the buddy who i went to ID with wasnt super experienced. banged out 23 jumps that first trip

ever since i havent really had a steady crew, ive just linked up with different people from different crews.

ive done 2 REAL solos with not a sould knowing where i was, and probably 5 or 6 solos with ground crew

im pretty conservative and that can be a good and bad thing

I've done about a dozen solos with my mentor and husband, Spiderbaby, as cell phone groundcrew (one state away). These jumps were priceless.

That said, I prefer Spiderbaby to be at the exit point with me to hold my hand and keep me from peeing all over myself.

We were not all created equal... some of us
have more SKY jumps, canopy skills, rigging
experience, mental/physical fitness, and/or
just more OCD about important variables.

On the flip side I have seen newbies do
some dumb shit: bridle routed through a
leg strap, gainer on second BASE jump,
and literally 100's of canopy pilot errors.

Me included, 2 trees landings, 1 water,
1 over delay, narrowly missed power
lines 2 or 3 times, 1 small injury that
would have been a mother fucker had
I not had ground crew.

I would always prefer to have someone
with me, preferably a more experienced
BASE jumper, but even a whuffo on the
ground helps.

Taking a scared newbie is usually extra
work/responsibility and definitely takes
more time to climb, gear up, triple check,
gather up gear after the jump, etc. BUT
many patient people helped me get to
where I am now, hence I do not mind
giving back, plus the friendship forged
in this world are more real to me.

So please do not misconstrue my own
path as a suggested course of action.

We can ALL benefit from friends in BASE
and a cool Pete Certain (RIP) BASE 683
story fits this topic.

A big group of guys come to spend the
day at Wanda: Perry, Ryan, Jake, Dan,
Josh, Me, and Pete. We collectively did
20 jumps that day.

Anyways, after PCA'ing all the newbies,
Perry jumps, Jake jumps, and it is just
me and Pete left up top.

It was the first time I had the opportunity
to jump with him, he had 750 BASE jumps
and almost 6,000 SKY jumps at the time.

I am going HH, PC ready, and about to go.
Turned to him and asked if he wanted to
prep his PC before I jump so I can give his
a bridle a quick peek. He says, "Nah, I am
good with going stowed".

I said, "Well sir, you are the senior jumper
on the load and welcome to do whatever
you want, but I feel obligated to tell you
that no one has gone stowed yet but I
have rope and a saw in my truck so no
big deal, WHEN you land in a tree we'll
get you down no problem."

He looked at me for only a second and
then immediately pulled out his PC for
a HH jump. I jump, he jumps, lands
right next to me in the field and told
me thank you, yeah, stowed would
have definitely put me in the trees.

1-5 at an S with an experienced jumper

6 was solo at an E, but I saw someone jump it before so it was like I've already jumped it.

Really stupid in hindsight, but I'm alive still.

I really cringed when you told me that you guys learned to BASE jump from those articles. Still, I suppose it was much better than reinventing everything from scratch.

Fortunately there is a *lot* more BASE info available now.

Walt

i was fortunate enough to have quite a few skydives before i started which allowed me to meet the base jumpers at my dropzone and not only ground crew a lot but also absorb a ton of information about different things in base. that helped me transition from just skydiving to doing my first jump because i knew a lot about the gear etc from hanging out and seeing different jumps. seems like its worked pretty well for me so far i feel like being conservative is good while learning the environment and can be dialed down or up as needed.

Same here. I started skydiving in 1997... I took a couple breaks, but have over 2,000 skydives which time in the sport definitely gave me a thorough understanding of gear and how it works. I also had the advantage to know a few base jumpers (when i wasnt even really thinking of getting into base) to talk to about gear and rigging...

I didnt pack my first jump... but thats a long story :) I have packed every jump since and I am comfortable with my gear.

haha yes i think jumping your own pack job and seeing that it opens is much more important in base than in skydiving as a mental tool!

I forgot to teach you one other important lesson. You have to have more jumps than posts, otherwise your a fag. I'm getting close to my limit, so we better go jump soon.

Good call, after this one ill have one post left lol. Lets get on it! Or off it?

Have only done one solo so far. Jump #15 I believe. Spent a few hours that day reconing and assessing the object/site and decided to go h/h.

This would be my first possibly life threatening mistake.

I had a non-jumper friend drop me off on top of the 240 S and went for it. After a lengthy 6 seconds of canopy time I landed safely. We've taken several loads off it since then but they're all s/l and pca now.

I prefer to jump with others anyway, theres something about a group of wannabe ninjas sneaking around at night and then doing something completely stupid that really motivates me

I have 142 jumps and this is post 141st so I am safe.
I never had one mentor but a combo of about 8 and counting. I did my first solo on jump number 7 not a good idea but I got my building way to early then continued to jump the bridge with others for a while before moving on to other objects.

I did my first BASE jump solo,....with my skydiving rig. Free-packed my 9-cell, alone at the exit point on the tower, but with ground crew. Out of my first 17 jumps, 13 of those were solo, and probably half of those with no ground crew.

At an average of 35 posts per yr,.....I doubt I'll exceed my post to jump limit

My only solo to date was off a hotel in Vegas and ended with my first ever arrest.

And I just checked my post count...Damn, I'm super faggy.

Took a FJC, then started jumping with a good crew of people who were also somewhat new. We read/watched/absorbed anything we could get our hands on, traveled around, talked to more experienced jumpers that we knew, and learned from / watched out for each other.

First solo was at about 40 jumps, a sunrise Yellow Ocean in LB.

My 13th jump was my first solo (first jump with a solo packjob too): no mentor, no gc, just birds and trees.

I jumped after 10 minuts sitting at the exit point trying to control my shacking body.

Jump 24.... first solo with GC :)

You're close to your limit with only 218 posts?


What a fag.


Edit: because I post before proofreading.

I paid a well known jumper (at the time) who dated the former co-owner of BR, taught FJC for BR (out of the hot air balloon), was the primary insturctor for a few seasons for Stvanger BASE Klubb, and jumped alot with jumpers like Slim, DW, Douggs, Jeb. I was taugh on all illegal objects in my area and left the nest around jump 10-12. Oh yeah said insturctor may be a fag

AND hookitt shared a building with me (which was my first B and qualifying jump) in a city full of fags. Thx again bro.

I'm not gay just bi-curious!!

And back on topic, first solo w/gc was jump 29 and I was scared shitless! First and only true solo no GC was #44.

Congrats Yoshi! How did it feel?

It was pretty awesome... I raced up and made record time... once at exit I just sat there for 2-3 min catching my breath and soaking in the view and newness of being up there by myself.

It was definitely different, but nice to feel comfortable (although nervous and extremely focused) standing there at exit... I got ready... tightened everything down and then I ran through my head different scenarios, double and triple checked my bridal (I went HH) and then began my count... off I went and had a swoopy landing :)

I dont know if I will do a true solo... maybe. But the comfort of at least having GC is something I dont necessarily need right now, but like.

My first BASE jump was at BD, I jumped a Raven packed into a bag. I had twelve skydives. No mentor, no idea how to pack, no mesh slider or BASE pilotchute. I showed up determined to jump and met a crazy Canadian who packed for me and gave me a slider and PC. My second jump was a solo S/L off a low S into deep water. My GC was a fisherman in a boat. Been going at it like that for six years now.

My post way out number my jump numbers. So I guess I'm supper faggy too. But I still can eat a mean pussy

I have not had a mentor but try to learn all i can from more experienced jumpers whenever i can.

first solo was #22 with cell crew
first true solo was #26.

to date i have 26 solos with about 20 of them True solo.
other then TF and Bridge Day, i have never jumped in daylight.

Probably too few (7). Didn't even tell a single person what I was doing-- my housemates at the time knew the mountain I was climbing and we had a time they were to call S&R if they didn't hear from me, but no one knew there was BASE involved. It's just inevitable when you feel young and invincible to want to go and jump whatever you feel like once you have the ability to. Now that I'm a bit older, and a little less immature, I can see that it was pure lunacy on my part. Sure was fun at the time though!

Hell YEAH !

jump 21 for me ! Thanks to the SA crew!

BASE 1548 !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYkeXNYOG8

My first jump was a 278' freestander in a big open field (the pointy kind with a really exposed feeling structure exit). Learned to pack via dvd and rigged my static line using climbing experience. A close friend and my girlfriend were there to watch. I don't remember anything after starting the count down up until I was hiking through the woods on the way out. Next 3 jumps were also static lines but from different objects.

Was really really dumb. Glad I'm alive. Was life experience to be had. I don't think I'll ever be in that head-space again and the risk was worth it...but I may be biased, being alive and all.

P.S. Since then I've had proper supervision and instruction

haha thats pretty stupid and ballsy. But I love hearing stories like this. This is how I wanted to start but had some people talk me out of it, although my start wasn't much better. High five for being alive!