Basejumper.com - archive

I know a lot of people probably start off jumping at a younger age, but there has to be some people who started at an older age (30 +). How old were you when you first decided to BASE Jump? What really drove you to decide to BASE Jump?

i started at 33, i skydived since 2001, the bug bit me and i couldnt say no. i saw allot of my friends settling down, having kids, etc....i wasnt ready for all that, so here i sit waiting for the winds to calm down so i can go have some more real fun. i traveled all over the country as a kid racing bmx, and as i grew older i missed all of the traveling and meeting friends from the corners of the earth. whadda you know base put me right back into the lifestyle i was missing for too long. i love this sport!!!!!!!!!

Im 40 and i did my first jump a few weeks ago.
I decided to jump many years ago, but i was a sole parent, so didnt really have the time or money.
As for the drive, why not do as many amazing things as you can before you die?
I met a 50 year old guy at my dropzone the other week, and he told me if he sold all his investment properties, he and his wife could retire and travel for the rest of their lives. What are you waiting for, was my response.

43 yrs. old started out to just do one for payment of being getaway driver on high prophile jump and still goin 5 yrs. now 250 base jumps!!! and 3300 skydives!!!

28. i spent a phase of my life smoking crack and heroin, and after kicking that, this was simply meant to be

I think 28 after six years of skydiving.

If BASE jumping is a sport for you it'll find you when you're ready (or before ) however old you are and you don't need a reason you can articulate.

Otherwise there are smarter safer ways to spend your time and it doesn't matter.

Started skydiving at 21. 3 years and 550 jumps later began BASE at 24.

42 when I made my first jump, skydived for 22 years before. I only wanted to do a jump to see what all the fuzz was about. I never could understand why people would be packing for 45 min only to make a 2 second freefall. I got completely hooked on my first jump.

 

First skydives just after turning 21, first base just after turning 23 with about 400 skydives off a windy 360 ft freestander after a fjc consisting of jumping off a couch and a shot of whiskey. 300 skydives and almost 1200 BASE jumps since that day, and some of the best memories and friends I could ever ask for.

Startet skydiving with 39. Did my first jump from a 300 foot bridge 4 Weeks and 25 Skydives later (the same day when I got my skydiving license). Had no clue what B.A.S.E. was about but after I have been told that the canopys are packed like reserves and since I was told in my AFF that reserves "allways open" there was nothing to be scared about. I really thought it is just another "skydive"...just a little bit lower. Did a 5 min "deathcamp" at a gasstation and of we went. After that first jump I registered here and read what could go wrong and waited 4 more month and another 150 skydives before I jumped again at bridgeday :-)

1st static line at 16(1985), more static lines in the 82nd Airborne, 1st Skydive 26 years old, 1st BASE jump with skydiving gear from a 500' A with 28 skydives(still 26 years old). Now 43 with 700+ BASE jumps. boom.

I was 36 1/2, made my first jump at BD in '06. What drove me to start jumping? Probably all those times I would run around the house with a cape on pretending to fly. My mom would get so pissed. She would always say "Alan! Quit that! You are 36 years old, when are you going to move out?" On and on and on she went. I couldn't take it any more. So, I packed up my Star Wars curtains and moved out! Been jumping every since. Its great. I love it. Had Id known that earlier, Id moved out long ago. Believe me!

1st skyjump age 21, first base age 24 w 170 skyjumps and skygear @ Bridge Day 93. 2nd @ BD 94 and 3rd BD96. 10 years later 4th @ BD 06 w base gear. 4 more years and decided I wanted to base jump at age 41 because it's fun and the gear is a lot safer now. Haven't jumped anything in over a year now. I feel like something between a has been and a never was. But I will be back...

30 something. watching jesse and jt jump in europe while on the sidelines

2002 first SKY jump at 29

2006 first BASE jump at 33

Now 40 with 4,200 total and 392 BASE

Why? Still trying to figure that out...

I hear BASE jumping is second best to Jumping over the counter to rob a bank.. You should try that when BASE gets boring. Dont go back to crack.

1st skydive at 35
1st BASE at 38
Why- An intense curiosity to experience BASE at least once.

Skydiving started in 1983 at age 20.
Made around 150 to 200 skydives a year for the last 29 years.

First BASE jump was one year ago at age 48. It was a 500ft E in Arizona. I went back down to AZ last month and made 3 more E jumps including first stowed pilot chute, first own pack job, and first 2-way.

Why did I wait until now? All of the things needed came together. Time, Location, Friend/Mentor/Coach and Equipment.
The biggest road block for me is the lack of Time. Next is the lack of jump sites/mentor in this area. I could travel to jump sites if there was more time in my life.

The nest will be empty in another 5 years. I hope to do more then. But if the opportunity presented itself before then, I'd do more BASE jumps in a heartbeat.

1st skydive on 18th birthday ... JUL2005
750 skydives later...
1st Base at age 20 ... DEC2007
i be 25 meow
now at 975 sky
now at 396 base

i do this for the pussy... always have