Basejumper.com - archive

34 yrs old. 192 jumps the past 4 yrs. I'll be honest. All the deaths have taken its toll. I'm always asking myself"am I next" ... Had some amazing jumps and some sketchy landings:) just not having fun any longer. Just curious if others have the same thoughts as I? Be safe out there guys. BSBD

( will be posting all my gear up soon)

If your thinking that it's good to get out especially if your not having fun.

Over the years I've often wondered if I'm next and it scares the shit out of me . The more I jump the more convinced I am this sport is going to kill me too.on some objects I find the climb up is horrible I'm so terrified I think I'm going to die.
But I just can't stop it, I feel like an old heroin addict I've been doing it for so long.

Good friend of mine often says that BASE jumping is much like using hard drugs. Very addictive and you will see a lot of your friends dying.

778 over 9 years, has been a huge part of my life, but breaking my left leg for the 2nd time and being confined to the couch for 3 months (again) made me question as to whether its worth it, decided its not, sold all my gear.

Was sick of being skint too due to all the constant traveling.

Think I'll miss The Valley the most!

I quit "cold turkey" and sold off all my gear almost one year ago now. I was somewhat in the same boat as others. I traveled a lot with the sport and enjoyed new people/places but truthfully the whole "bro'ness" of it all started to wear on me just as it had with my rock climbing adventures preceding my nylon addiction. After two weeks in the valley where everything was so "SICK EPIC!" I vowed to only jump solo from there on out. (which was pretty normal for me anyway) BASE was simply something I did.. it wasn't who I was.

Not to get into too much detail, but what really changed me was a profound experience that happened to me and really made me see things differently. There is a lot of back story that goes along here, but the short of it is that I had a very real experience where I fully believed that my wife (One month newly wed at the time) had been killed. I sincerely thought that she was dead only to realize later, to much relief, that in fact she was perfectly fine. None the less the feeling of what I knew to be fact at the time cut straight through my soul and upon reflection what I learned from this experience was the absolute horror that I would inflict not just on my wife but my family and friends if something were to happen to me because of BASE. I can truly say I understand that feeling of loss.

Now.. comes the arguments.. you could die drinking water/riding a bike/playing a harmonica/etc.. This is true. The inevitable outcome of being born is that you must die. That's something we can all count on, but that's not what I am talking about. Then comes.. well then you just live scared. I get that mind set as well and if that is your perspective I will simply recognize it as such and let you feel right in your own judgement. I personally don't feel that way about myself, but there is no point in trying to convince you. I will say that it is not fear that I live in, but simply awareness.. awareness that my selfish acts have an impact and if I can minimize the hurtful actions that I could potentially cause then I think I should make my decisions very carefully.

Obviously BASE was a deep addiction if I am still reading/posting on the forums after being "out" for this long. I'm responding now because, well the question was asked, and I just want to encourage everyone to simply take a moment and truly ask yourself why your doing what you do. Besides the tragedy of your accidental death, the continuous anxiety that is caused for loved ones can be equally as difficult for them to handle. Step back and see the full picture. As long as you are aware.. truly aware of what you are doing and how it can effect others, then do as you please, but in awareness.

For me the cut went too deep.. I long to stand with my toes draped over the edge of a cliff and my heart beating like a hummingbird. That one second of pure nirvana when the angle of your body passes the point of no return and for just an instant you hang motionless in a timeless realm of existence. The peace of that electrifying present moment I miss dearly, but as they say if you love it let it go. As was already stated.. All the best and be safe out there everyone. Sending out good vibes!

Been there. I've decided to start taking it easy and PCA on most jumps. I'll only freefall the special jumps and high jumps now.

+1

After nine years the risk-reward balance has definitely shifted. Full-on "TouristBASE" for me.. only the most primo of jumps in the creamest of conditions..

After witnessing a BASE fatality, having a couple sketchy incidents myself, and personally knowing several of the deceased, I hung it up a few years ago after 4 years and 402 jumps. It was a very difficult decision and hard to accept for the first year or so but I knew deep down it was just right for me.

There is still life out there without jumping. One thing is for sure I will be taking the memories from BASE to my grave whatever ends up getting me in the end.

So to the OP....your not alone brew.

I quit in 2012. Some 6 years after starting with about 12 Swiss trips, 500 jumps, a hospital visit, an arrest and most importantly countless awesome memories and friends.

At first I Took some time off to see how much I would miss it after an Arizona base trip where things just weren't the same for me jumping. I then ended my base career at bridge day after hitting the accuracy target first thing after my 9 month hiatus. Decided I couldn't end it better, so that was it.

I love all my friends still charging hard. Like my sister always told me; Have fun, don't die.


_justin

25 years and going strong. I am a lifer man i have no choice i just LOVE this shit

Yep just made the decision to sell my gear a month ago.

It took a certain amount of self awareness over time to come to the conclusion. This took about a year. Three things prompted my change of drive.
I agree with the "bro-nes" thing, I experienced it in Europe this year and found it strange (not knocking anyone who loves this, it's just weird and drpozoneish, even though I still skydive I enjoyed the absence of this in BASE in the past)
People with really low jump numbers skydive and BASE who I had never even heard of (in a fairly small skydive comunity) contacting me to jump after FJC's leaving me wondering what the hell is going on in these courses.
The third also relates to mentoring/teaching but I wont share it here, just a negative impact on the sport I used to be crazy about.

The clincher was when I realised I couldn't be fucked driving 15 minutes to my favourite A for a jump, when years ago I would drive for hours by myself, to jump by myself for a weekend. I just realised I don't actually care anymore.

Meanwhile I have discovered speed flying I have the same drive for this as I has for BASE when I started, if not stronger. I very quickly realised it's not a 'safer' alternative find myself wearing more armour (and a full face) than I ever wore even on shitty sub 50m cliffs.

Moving on with good memories, of jumps, passed friends, and a goal of staying off the other list now

key is that your not having fun. good call.

it's all about fun, adrenaline and good times.

I had lost friends jumping and thought that sucked big time, then I lost my brother very suddenly and without any warning. Made me realise what it would be like for those I cared about if I went in, I hadn't really been able to imagine that perspective prior to this. That base letter I wrote would mean fuck all, an attempt to make me feel better about my decision to jump. I carried on for a bit but it never felt the same after, I just felt selfish.
Some of my best ever memories were given to me by basejumping, I miss it in a lot of ways and if I ever find myself with nothing to lose in life, I will return.
There are however many more things in life that make me as/more happy, I just never looked for then when I had jumping.

I've been BASE jumping for 17 years and I've been through ebb's and flow's. A few years over a hundred per year, other years as few as 5-10. I thought for a while that I just may end up stopping because of deaths, marriage, moving where no jumpers were, friends getting out, etc. but something always kept me coming back to it. About 2 years ago I started to jump more and I have found a new passion for it. I like seeing the new jumpers excitement, I like meeting new people, I like the new challenges and I'm still loving finding new places to jump all over the world.

Like with many things in life you have to weigh the pro's and con's of your decision to BASE jump. Yes, it is a selfish thing to jump but so are a lot of things in life. If we didn't do things for our own spirit then we would be run-down and unhappy and then we would have less to share with others. I look at it as a give and take... the happier I am the more I am in a positive mindset and am able to give to others. If we stifle our spirit of adventure we run the risk of turning into boring, cynical old fucks. I'm not saying we can't find a replacement for BASE, there are plenty of things to keep us exploring, but for me, BASE still brings it. The people... the places... the experiences.

PS- If you have responsibilities and people who are detrimentally reliant upon you then you need to make sure that you have taken care of those issues first in case of your untimely demise. BE RESPONSIBLE for your decision inside AND outside of BASE.

+1

Celebrating 25 years this year also,...
Perhaps we can celebrate together on that Big Rock in Romsdalen this summer? Keep Cato of the radio,.....

Of course mate you know where to find me