Basejumper.com - archive

http://www.nytimes.com/...ed=5&_r=0&hp

Fixed it for you. now it starts on page 1 instead of 5.

Thanks for posting, and BTW, it's a well-written story. The author does a good job explaining the sport and the equipment, although he does make a couple of funny misstatements about gear that only a jumper will notice.

The headline is a bit unfortunate (it's a quote from Hervé le Gallou, the subject of the story), and it definitely does not reflect the tone or focus of the story, but that is not the author's fault: That call was made by some whuffo editor trying to extract the pithiest element from the story for the headline that will make more people read it.

Bottom line: The author did a nice job talking about the sport and its participants and their procedures and motivations and adventures.


44

I agree with robinheid - it's a good article with a crappy title. Do not let the title discourage you from reading it.

This link seems to work a little better:
NY Times Article

And this appears to be a related article:
Newser Article

I'm glad to see the NY Times picking out a genuine legend in the sport. So often these sorts of articles seem to focus on whoever worked the hardest to create publicity.

A friend sent me this article & I sighed when I read the title but I sort of expect the media to get basic things wrong at this point.

I was pleasantly surprised just to read that the author did take the time to get a clue.

Then I read the comments section and was disappointed again.

I do think the author could have explained that reaching the PC is always an issue with wingsuits and even tracking pants that jumpers are aware of & concerned about. Overall a much better job than anyone in the national press has done with even skydiving, let alone base.

Rule number one: never read any comments regarding base related news stories...

It's amazing to me how many people proscribe BASE with ridiculous assumptions and made up facts. Saying that there's "100 jumpers dead out of a 'few hundred' active participants", calling us dare devils/adrenaline junkies, and saying that you WILL die doing it are just some of the comments I find representative of a society that can barely take enough self responsibility to wipe their own ass without suing the toliet paper manufacturer.

While I was in a meeting with the NPS, I had one of the rangers who worked in the office tell me that he was concerned if someone saw a BASE jumper in the national park they thought someone may possess the lack of intelligence to copycat the BASE jumper without a parachute and plummet to their death. Other than doing a mental facepalm, my internal response was "well, good", but I shook my head and asked if that was really a practical concern.

Anyway, I digress, this is the reality of what we are dealing with. We can go about it two ways. We can act irresponsibly and throw trash at exit points, do incredibly stupid things outside of our ability levels on our one legal bridge, fight back this ignorance with anger. OR we can take another route and smile kindly encouraging people along the way. Giving people knowledge and proper facts will only help us out in the long run. I don't expect everyone to see eye to eye with my reasons for jumping. BASE should never be a "popular" activity. There are too many incapable people already who try or insinuate attempting wingsuit flying from the inspiration of their favorite Jeb Corliss youtube video.

Obviously this requires patience, and a whole lot of it. Anytime you are dealing with stupid people the best thing to do is smile and try to explain in a logical manner. Politely disagree and state your case unemotionally. If that doesn't work, well keep doing your thing. None of my friends or family have any sort of issues with my decision to jump off fixed objects. For they know it has made me a better person and given me experiences that are unmatched in anything else I have found on this planet.

If we all took this approach, it would eventually be a lot easier to accomplish jumping within NPS boundaries.