Basejumper.com - archive

I cant help but notice more and more people, some with not all that much experience, are charging people to teach them to base jump. Honestly, I have no problem with people learning from others with not a ton of experience, but charging them money when you only have 200 jumps and 10 objects yourself is assuming a lot about your own abilities.

Ive heard details of a few incidents where a jumper gets taken to the potato bridge by someone who is charging them to learn to jump, gives them a quick packing tutorial, and then theyre on their own when they get back to fly into trees or hit cliffs. Mentoring to learn how to assess objects, conditions, and landing areas used to be a huge part of this sport, and now the only requirement seems to be having enough cash to buy a rig, hire someone to huck you off something, and then buy a few go pros, not necessarily in that order. What happened to ground crewing for a few months, talking to locals, and buying beer? I understand people that want to do this for a living, but take responsibility for those that you teach then. I personally dont think Ill ever officially mentor anyone, but if I decide to, im sure as fuck not going to charge them for the privilege of my company.

To be fair, I learned from a couple of yokels with about 100 jumps between them, but they were on the vast majority of my first 100 jumps, and we all learned about BASE together, and the cost was a few beers here and there and some ground support before my first jumps.

Suckers. There's one born every minute.

This.

You can't fix stupid. Pretty soon the gene pool will be cleaned out and these forums will get really boring.

and the era of the bridge baby was born...

If your going to call somebody out you might as well name names

No specific person, just hearing a lot of similar stories from newer jumpers, and it seems like a lot of newer jumpers have been jumping in moab and more technical areas and having accidents. The 200 /10 ratio wasnt directed at anyone specific, just a forinstance.

Fair enough it just sounded like you were talking about something specific all three if the recent encidends in Moab came from major fjc courses people can push it as fast as they want regardless of advice from the course they took and there advise or skill. Overall people jump into things faster than they should I know I'm guilty but most get away with it long enough till something happens but with all the new fjc courses and new jumpers the more accidents are going to happen.

Even people with decades of experience teaching
parachuting still have students NOT listen and get
hurt. Saw a dim-bulb at a DZ have to land out on
his first solo jump due to not listening to the radio.

On final he saw a wire crossing a dirt-road, decided
to land on the telephone pole and climb down it.
That did not go well, I think he lost the foot...

Granted BASE is simpler, but much less forgiving.
I think a big part of the problem is the number of
low time parachutists coming over to the Dark Side.

In a different vein, I have met people who were
experts at many things, but would have a tough
time accurately telling you how to prepare some
scrambled eggs. Not everyone can teach well.

I also feel that a lot of knew jumpers act/feel entitled to BASE, that it is their right, as if it is something that experienced people HAVE to teach them. I have seen wannabees get into arguments with people who wouldn't take them jumping.

I think it is up to those teaching to pound the facts into the newer jumpers heads that this isnt a game and not the sport to rush.
do teachers still show the death/carnage video to newer jumpers?
that sure slowed down my 'rush factor' when i was starting out.

See I think the low time parachutist stuff really doesn't have much to do with the serious injuries (i.e. cliffstrikes) as much as improper reaction time does. A lot of people are just making the transition from skydive to BASE without ever having a background in pushing the limits with other "extreme" sports and maintaining a clear head throughout.

Snowmobiling, Skiing, Snowboarding, Dirtbiking, etc etc. force you to make split decisions via your WHOLE body in a very short time frame. Now in most instances this will result of broken bones or even just a harsh bruise the next morning. It sucks, but it's not death. With BASE you are now talking about having a cliff strike or not. Most of us know that would be a really bad thing and it could go to the worst case scenario very easily.

The body awareness, spatial awareness and ability to react smoothly (not miss toggles/risers upon a 180) are going to be much greater factors than if you can fly a parachute or not. I'm not denying that parachute experience is crucial, just not in the most deadly part of BASE (cliffstrikes).

You don't think that time under canopy has much of an influence on the manner in which jumpers making the transition would deal with an off heading opening? What brought you to that conclusion? Snowmobiling and all the other sports you mentioned have nothing to do with parachuting aside from the use of fine motor skills. Canopy skills are the most important aspect of your BASE skill set, in my opinion, especially after seeing some of the retarded shit being passed off as BASE jumping in the valley recently.

maybe this
https://www.facebook.com/...p;type=1&theater

There's been more than 3 bro.

im sure there has just the three recent ones that I konw of in past couple weeks

Not at you wasatchrider. but FJC from a solid? IMHO this requires Mentorship. About the course fees...FJC is exactly what it means. First Jump Course. after, you are on your own. One gets what they pay for. My fee is quite expensive to mentor someone. almost 25cents per hour.
Take care,
space

And what ratio is appropriate to start mentoring?

Something is better than going at it on your own I'm at 370/40 and don't feel ready or would want the responsibility

I know I am grabbing a live snake.... BUT
in my opinion jump numbers and objects
are not the only variables to consider.

I have jumped with newbies from every
FJC course taught in the US and some
abroad, hence I have seen how their
students perform.

Some had trouble packing, as in how to
properly set the toggles for a slider-off
jump, more or less the crucial WHY.

To me, Base (at least in my area) has lost its prestige. It use to be a very small and elite group of parachutists. A fraternity in a sense.

Now its just the next cool thing to do. And there is way to many people in it. I dont like how the sport has grown. I dont feel special anymore, not in the sense that i once did within the sport.

I use to go on a full moon to my local object and it would be just my load out there. Maybe, we would run into 1 or 2 other jumpers, maybe! Now I go on the full moon and i frickin have to wait in line at the exit point because there are 5 different loads of 4-8 jumpers each. This sucks.

And the "Base Ethics", or "way to participate" that were taught to me during my 6 month mentorship, and taught to those generations before me, are not being taught to this new generation.

I know what ya mean. I jumped primarily alone in my beginning. Then as the sport developed, I had BASE bros. Me and My BASE bro looking for the exit point wherever, arguing Caliing each other assholes but we got it done. Then 10 yrs later you gotta stand in line. It's like you develop a romanticism with the object like your first gf. Then you have to stand in line to tag her again. Sux. I am greatly responsible for this. It still sux though.
take care
, space

+1
I used to feel like BASE jumping was a culmination of my efforts. Now with the retards I see in the sport I feel like my skills have been cheapened somehow.

If you're going charge I think the FJCs should somehow be Accredited in someway......? I think they should all be teaching the same information, etc. Of course this sounds like a USPA organization, but the sport has Changed....

Back when I started there was no charging what so ever. You had to earn the right to be mentored and show respect for the sport. My mentor John Hoover turned us punk kids down several times before teaching us. Diner, beer and gas was what we paid. ;-)

Just my 2 cents

+1

This system still exists, although it doesn't seem like it is the norm anymore. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones! It's been an awesome road so far and I wouldn't trade a true mentorship for any type of accelerated curve from an FJC.

The truth it that jumping off shit doesn't require much skill at all, just a willingness to take/ignore or be oblivious to risk.

And that is why people continually break themselves on the easiest of jumps like Moab or Bridgeday or Kjerag.
Seriously, some of the accidents I've seen shouldn't even happen on a DZ let alone a BASE jump.

I was turned down twice over a 1 year period by Base 311 before he agreed to teach me. This was all after i had been Sky Jumping for a couple years, had been to combat multiple times, and was an extreme sports athlete already with dirt bikes, scuba diving, and rock climbing I had to G.C. 5 times for 3 objects and do tones and tones of pack jobs before my first jump. Then the first thing he taught me in base was Patience. He took me for my first jump and then made me wait almost 3 months before my 2nd jump, at which i did multiple more G.C.'s and pack jobs and pool practice exits, and base video analyzations ect... He even made me write a 2 page essay on Base Ethics... LOL. It was hard both mentally and physically, but at the end of my mentorship, i truly possessed the skill set required for success.


Same...This was all i paid in a monetary form.

All this kind of stuff was S.O.P. for mentoring students 10-15 years ago.... And Now??

+100

+1. Though sometimes, people wonder weather just paying would've been cheaper

Yep it's changing had friends take me to the bridge over and over again had 50ish jumps before jumping cliffs no skydives things are a bit different.