Basejumper.com - archive

I'm just curious to see if jumping with a full face helmet is a newbie thing or not.

I started off with a downhill full face, but when I started doing some flips I found it's bulky size got in the way.
Not to mention that I didn't like it for terminal jumps.
I jump with a protec now.

Thats interesting. Makes sense but I did just the opposite. As my jump numbers increase I keep having more and more close(ish) calls and have scared myself into getting a full face. Just started jumping with one and I love it.

where is the one for people that dont wear helmets?

I started my BASE career with very little armor, and added more as I went on and saw more and more people getting hurt. I also started jumping things with worse and worse landing areas, and added armor for that (and upsized canopies).

I decided to go with a full face for virtually all jumps after a friend of mine had to have facial reconstruction surgery following a cliff strike.

I'm with tom on this one. I started jumping 8 years ago in only sneakers. Those became hanwags after a botched landing on rears had Chris H in norcal carrying me on his back on the hike out. Magot taught me the value of a spine protector. I own and jump a fullface mtb helmet on anything slider off and solid. I was alone on a tower earlier this week at 700ft in a protec, 661 spine protector and hanwags. It could save my ass or none of it could matter.

It's a weird game we play.

having discussed this with a number of people I am left thinking it comes to how you want to get hurt.

The two schools of thought that I have been presented with are that while a full face will protect your face it has a high potential to transfer the impact through to the back of the neck which in itself can cause other injuries.

I imagine that this is dependent on the style and design of the helmet. Certainly when helmet laws first came in for motorcycles in the UK there was an increase in non-disfigured open casket funerals caused by broken necks to substantiate this idea.

The other school of thought is that having some kind of chin bar that will protect your face in the event of a strike leaves you in a better position to manage the resultant situation as you still have your vision and the ability to breathe normally etc

anyone else have strong thoughts on these?

Oops, sorry about that, just tick "it's just a GoPro mount" if you don't use a helmet.

I have buddies who have had cliff strikes and other incidents and it always seems to be lower body injuries when it comes to these incidents.
I saw a guy have a strike with no helmet and he didn't have any head or facial injuries.

My thinking behind jumping a half shell is that if I have some canopy above me I'll be going in feet first, so a good pair of boots or ankle protection is more important to me.

I'd like to hear from some guys who have had a full face save their ass.

This one reminds me always of why a full face on low shit is a good idea...

http://youtu.be/9-O86p7EcS4

skip to 2.28

But hey who gets linetwists anyway..

And not only that, I believe some people on the bfl could have been saved by a helmet.. #153 for example

Yup, True. I'll try not to impact with my face

I know this sounds a little cocky, but if i thought I would need a helmet I actually wouldn't jump. My logic is " I don't need a helmet because I can't possibly hurt myself, because I have taken all precautions neccessary to insure I don't"! It's as if I thought I might break my leg if I went skiing,... I wouldn't go skiing if I thought I would break my leg,...I hate pain!!! I guess what I'm trying to say is that performing a BASE jump isn't as dangerous as everyone would like to think it is? I don't believe you should ever hurt yourself,... please feel free to come and laugh in my face if I end up in the hospital. I wouldn't BASE jump if I thought I would get hurt,... it's that simple.

Hey Stealthy,

Hope ya doing well bro,

But to that point i am pretty sure alot of people would say the same thing until they get hurt...

like everyone thinks it wont happen to me it always happens to everyone else...

But like everything if you do it long enough your gonna get hurt atleast once...

and i bet the 184 people on the list said,

I aint gonna die basejumping that happens to everyone else...

touch wood Stealthy B ... hehheh...

i wont laugh in ya face mate,

Have a great season mate

Me. Fullface provided zero benefit for 2000+ skydives and 630 basejumps. Jump 631 a helmet saved me from possible death or a very serious head injury. The impact managed to cut my forehead (1 1/2-inches long) through the helmet and leave a very decent bump alongside a minor concussion (it took about 30 sec until I could think clearly and radio for help). Normal opening, landing off in turbulence......who would have guessed. Oh, mouth guard also took a scrape on the rock...I've always gone fullface and will continue to do so.

Your statement is like a racing car driver thinking he'll never crash.

Out of interest, are you only doing terminal walls and bridges or do you also jump lower sites and building with no helmet?

You and Patto are absolutey right, of course everyone should wear a helmet, everyone should skydive with an AAD. I started before AAD's were reliable, and when alot of jumps were stealthy and you just didn't have time to put on all that battle gear and getting your stuff into you stash bag quickly was a priority. I study the BFL frequently and in my opinion most of the members set into motion a series of events where no amount of protection would save them, I think you should add "No Helmet " to your poll I'm not the only one who likes the freedom, Regards,B.

Hahaha... I remember that! But in your defense, you looked pretty dang cool in those skate shoes!

Same story here....

I have become a more conservative jumper as my time has continued in Base, and not just with body armor, but with every aspect of the sport!

Ive just seen too much shit go wrong to feel immortal anymore!

i have a full face helmet, but really don't like it. i will wear it if the LZ is extra gnarly, but as i'm a relatively conservative jumper, i haven't had much need in the past months.

that being said, my only injury BASE jumping is stitches in the face from a tree landing. a full face would have definitely prevented that, but hey... chicks dig scars.

i also started BASE jumping in skate shoes... went to boots for a while, then went back to trail shoes. don't think i will ever wear boots for jumping again. i love the lightweight shoe, with a grippy boot sole. i currently have been jumping in Merrell Moabs for about 3 years. really nice shoes for Swiss hikes as well.

i also, just finally bought a pair of knee/shin guards. been wanting them for a while, just never bought any. definitely a nice piece of gear for all the low stuff i jump regularly.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that performing a BASE jump isn't as dangerous as everyone would like to think it is?"

That makes no sense whatsoever.

Thought the same thing.

Anyway, I answered full-face and I have 40 BASE and another 20 balloon jumps on BASE gear. The thing is, like any gear its only as good as the time you don't wear it. I have worn my full face on every bridge and every balloon jump (since I got the helmet), and 90% of my terminal walls. I feel conflicted because when its time to get stealthy, or requires going dumb light the full face helmet is the first thing to be left behind (and a climbing helmet which is good for nothing takes its place). That being said, I've always made room for knee/shin pads. I try to jump smart even though the full face helmet feels silly, human skulls are terribly designed for action sports.

Let me try again to make some sense, since you've missed the point. There is really no need to get hurt in this sport. It is not as dangerous as you would like to think it is. I realise that you have been at it for,what ? 52yrs? but why would you participate in an activity that you believe would lead to certain injury, or worse. I do not believe that BASEjumping is synonymous with injury, that's my point of view, I'm sorry if that makes no sense to you or others, but prove me wrong by my own example and that of many people that have been in the sport much longer than you, Tom A., or Jeb C.,aside,(they have their own agendas), I am not a member of the "broken Bone club" I don't intend joining,... are you here to tell me that it is inevitable.
best wishes and kindest regards, try to stay safe,B.

Dan, Stealthy B jumps low cliffs to terminal. And yeah.... he jumps with no helmet. If you look at the BFL like he said in his last post, body armor will not save you.

Experience and good judgement will. Which you gain all that from poor decisions.

I recently suffered my first major injury in 6 years, quite minor (compared to what it could have been but there are some breaks in my bones. Put me out for 2 months. A helmet would not have changed the outcome.

I know of 3 people currently who if made better decisions at time of exit would not be busted up.

And a helmet would not have changed their outcome either.

You might as well start a poll of who wears underwear when they jump in the event they shit their pants.....

A full face helmet and knee protection may not have prevented *any* injury in my cliff strike which resulted in multiple jaw fractures, major damage to my teeth, a broken femur and shattered patella.

There's a good chance they would have reduced the severity of the damage though. Full face for me from now on.

I'm a litttle upset by your poll. Do you not realise that there are people that don't fit into your neat little category that have actually been invoved in this activity long before you ever showed up? If you do a little research you will find that people have long been BASEjumping before "GO PRO'S" and the need to mount them. If you are really curious as to Helmet preferences then you should recognise that helmets have not always been a concern prior to the need to document every jump by video,... people have actually been participating in this sport a long time before it was necessary to show off and be noticed. Just curious to know if you are aware of this?
Not meant to be shitty, but why are you BASEjumping?

No offence taken

The last option on my poll was a sarcastic one, the footage is not my primary objective on any jump.

I BASE jump because it makes me feel alive and gives me a stability in my life that nothing else can. Without BASE jumping I start to become depressed and I find my emotions jumping around all over the show. I am aware that BASE jumping started a long time before GoPro's came out, in the late 70's and early 80's.
But this certainly did not mean jumping without camera, it just meant the snag hazard strapped to your head was HUGE.
When I jump I surround myself with great friends on the exit point and avoid the jumpers that burn shit or that are jumping for the wrong reasons, like to be the "big balled bad ass" on the drop zone. A category I'm sure you have put me in already.

Anyway, to summarize:
Sorry to upset you it was not my intention.
The poll option on the bottom was just a sarcastic way of saying "I don't wear a helmet"