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Hi. I had a cliff strike in Moab a few days ago and thought I'd just share some details. I turned the canopy around and landed without a scratch.

Video: http://vimeo.com/91038893

Jumper. Myself. 230 or so jumps, mostly low stuff. 180 lbs. Current. I consider myself fairly safe and conservative with no real incidents in my jumping career.

Exit: Crown. 400 (?) feet or something like that.

Gear, technical: Vented Troll 265 with decently tuned DBS. 42" hand held. Okay winds, not optimal but not too bad either. Winds from the side, blowing into the bowl.

Details: So I had been in Moab a few days and done a bunch of exits with friends and locals. Great fun all around and good on heading openings with my flat and stable exits :) As a first jump of the day of the incident I hiked up to The Crown with 2 friends. Decided to go hand held to take in the visuals of the jump, normally for that height and landing I go stowed. Did a stable flat exit, got an off-heading against the wind, turned the canopy around but still impact. Turned the canopy around.

In hindsight... I think the reason I got the off heading was because I took a too short delay for the wind conditions and pilot size. Of course it's difficult to say - I hit the wall at a fairly good smooth spot, had I been lower I could have impacted the talus turning around. Also as can be seen on the video I accidentally pulled both risers instead of just the rear. Could perhaps have done a running exit for a greater push but I don't think that would have prevented this. Of course, all theory...

Take care and be safe guys.

Update: I have posted some info from back camera further below.

Glad you are okay and
Thanks for sharing this!

Few questions:

1. Did your buddy jump after you?
If yes, 2. how was his opening?
3. Which riser did you grab?

I can't tell for sure which side
but definitely looked like your
hand was at the bottom where
both front and rear risers meet.

Ideally, the response would be
grab only right, rear riser high
up near the links and pull down
as needed to correct direction.

Hi. I was 2nd jumper of 3. The other guys had ok openings.

Per information from the last guy, my canopy initially opened 120 degrees left but I got thrown around as can be seen in the movie around 160-170 degrees. I initially got my right hand on both risers and pulled down both of them then got my other hand on the rear riser. By then the canopy was already turned away from the wall.

Also something that I think helped was that I did a harness turn as I lifted my other leg to brace for the impact. This is something I've actively practiced (this may sound weird but my other sport is powerlifting and whenever I have a have a super heavy set I think that this may help some day, my legs are fairly strong).

Edit: Mixed up left and right...

Thanks to share;-)

You explain the the short delay.
Big thing id take away is get a good push. Even with that short a delay I think a running exit could have easily doubled your distance making this nothing more than an offheading.

So what is the height of the exit point at Crown? Standing on the exit point it feels like you are just as high as Tombstone. The actual height to impact is much much less than the height to landing. I have witnessed several wall strikes at that exit point and in the one case where the jumper turned around before reaching the talus (after a go and throw followed by a 180) he barely outflew the talus and made it to the road below.

I think if you hit the wall twice you'll end up on the very steep talus.

Tombstone and the Crown are not equal in technical degree of difficulty/risk. (IMO)

THIS. Run like your on fire if you've got the room.

You are all probably right about pushing hard. It's interesting how it's all these small decisions contributing - all my other exits I did (except Welshmans where I static lined) I did running exits. Going hand held and how the gravel/sand at the top of exit looked contributed to taking steps instead.

Anyhow, I don't regret this jump, it's a valuable experience.

Looks like you may have a twist in your left front riser, may want to check that. Could just look like it in the video though.

Hard to tell but does a bit in the picture

You're lucky that wasnt a "full" 180. Impact would have probably been much more "direct". Way to save your own arse!! Object strikes suck... period!!

Agreed with others on the importance of that initial run/push at exit. Critical on low(er) exits like Crown.

Yes!

If you run off at 5 mph (a slow jog, actually) you are moving at about 7.5 feet per second. Basic laws of physics means you continue that horizontal velocity regardless of vertical speed until your parachute slows you down, so even if you pitch at 2, your body maintains that horizontal velocity for at least one more second -- until you get line stretch, so there is 20+ feet with a "jogging" exit.

Run instead of jog -- say 8 mph -- and now you are going 12 feet per second, and suddenly that 2-second pitch plus one second for opening gives you a nice 36+ feet from the wall.

Add one more second to the delay and your numbers go to 28 and 50 feet, respectively.

Another way to say it: If a running exit is technically possible at a given launch point, it's kind of silly to not do a running exit, because even a slow jog will give you way more distance than just pushing off.


44

Is it me, or does the whole freefall looks to favor left hand side ?
"feels" like there may be a dropped left shoulder ?

Also looked to be a whole lot of fumbling for toggles or risers or any form of control.

After looking at it a few times here's my take on it and what may have contributed to the situation.
1)As you stated above... winds and short delay
2)As noted, weak push where you had plenty of room to get at least a few large strides.
3)as you said you twisted under the canopy and it almost looks like you are pulling on the left risers to start, turning you further towards the wall, and then getting to the right side once your body had untwisted from 170 to 120. Not sure, hard to tell.
4)As also noted, your front left riser looks twisted.

thanks for the share as a novice its good to review these, is there any footage from the 3rd jumper?

No, I have very consistently had good exits and heading performance over the years I've jumped. This is also supported by my back camera. My body is straight. The packjob is twisted before line stretch.

I just got back from Moab to Sweden so it's just now I've had time to look at that video. I can post it given time.

Screenshot from back camera:

Are you stating that you ? It is not clear with your edit.
This is the norm if it is the case for a flat and stable exit in go-n-throws in low crosswinds though 120 deg is a bit excessive. i will review the video again and may edit this post.
take care,
space

Yeah I would have thought so but then again I just watched the back camera and now I am not sure anymore, more leaning towards the "short delay" theory.

Off-headings against the wind is normal because the cells of the canopy will tend to inflate against the wind.

Can you put the back camera up. Those views are sometimes great to get the PC action.

I couldnt see anything from the vid other than you may have turned it more to the left. The foto tells more which is consistent with the windward side loading first and acting as a pivot point for the downwind side, turning the tailpocket/nose into the wind.



I agree with short delay.



Understand (the "why") that there are maybe more different phases of deployment than you think. Alignment comes before line stretch, then bottomskin, then cell inflation leading to a profile. From the foto, as best as i can deduce is that left side was loaded first during the alignment process as opposed to during the bottomskin inflation. Viewing your riser grabbage, You had a deployed off heading. Not a flying one. That comes from the canopy turning before bottomskin inflation. The corresponding l/r riser grab sets will not be in the same position.
I agree with short delay..
other notes; that semi-twisted front left riser looks like it was caused by the slderdown locktie. not much of an issue unless you're doing flippydos, but why if you are doing mostly slider down, do you jump with a slider down instead of off?
;Yes, the exit was weak and the delay quite short.
; Always check pc sym and make sure it is calibrated. i dont think this was an issue though.
Tired now, crashing out. I will be happy to answer more stuff in my views in a coupla days.
take care,
space

Glad you're okay bro. I'd take the slider OFF for the trip. Not saying that was a culprit but it can make those situations worse with line-spin and when you reach up to grab risers/or toggles you're not reaching for a pile of shit(you're risers are more distinct with no slider). And for sure the Crown is much shorter than the Tombstone, at these altitudes even 30-50 feet is considered much shorter. All this is just an opinion. Watching someone suck it down, have a 180 and turn it around just in time to go plowing through a real talus field is awful to see. Like I said, way glad you're fine. Learn and act accordingly.

I reverse my previous statement. Dropped right shoulder, favoring left-side first inflation. I guess what I saw in the video was you head turning with the torso, and thus looking left.

Nice save. I have been looking at a lot of off heading openings on video. The off-axis pull of the pilot chute on slider down openings is suspicious to me.

Maybe its me but it drives me CRAZY to see people jumping with sliders on a, solid object, slider off jump. This has nothing to do with the cause of the incident but it is unnecessary and could cause problems in panic situations just like this. If you so choose to leave your slider on(I can't find one benefit to on slider off jumps), one should control it with front riser bumpers!

Next time you're there, look at how much lower The Crown is than Tombstone. It's a big difference.

The biggest thing I see from the video, it appears that you just walk off the edge with a very minimal push. A standing double foot launch like you really mean it does wonders. So does a short sprint. Pushing off with one foot is often kinda goofy if you're not running.

If you have never run off an edge. Dirt dive it a bunch. If you've never done a solid double foot plant, jump like a kangaroo. Then start doing it. It doesn't take that many steps either, a few steps and a good centered push .... then square up and throw and poof, an extra 15 feet away from the object.

It usually starts from not bothering to practice when there's a bridge at your back. If you're on a bridge, practice pushing out hard rather than just stepping off.

I've personally had legit 180's from a 1/2 second delay and was remarkably far away from the object.

Here's another trick, that's not much of a trick. Don't grab the risers low. Reach out and then turn the hands palm backwards when it's time let the riser slap you in the hands up near the toggles. If the risers are offset, you'll feel it before it spins you around giving you a slight advantage to what happens next. Oh... thumbs out. As funny as it is to be laughed at for bloody thumbs, it doesn't appear to actually be fun.

Good luck. Thanks for showing the vid.

looks like he has his tied down to me. to each his own I switch back and forth from slider up and down a lot leave mine on always and nevery had a problem of the slider getting in the way.

Reduces the chance of a rigging error while removing\attaching the slider when switching modes. Not saying it is a good reason but it is a benefit.

+1


44

Oh oh... I'll get in on this too.

I'm not worried about a rigging error, I just really don't care to take my slider off when it works fine where it is. Also I'm just worried about forgetting or losing the damn thing.

That said, I don't mind taking it off in Moab because it gets really dirty.

I I do like how the canopy swoops with no slider when doing unpacked jumps though... for a big ass 7 cell.

 

Off-headings against the wind is normal because the cells of the canopy will tend to inflate against the wind.


i thought it was the other way around

I can find one benefit, in the odd scenario of a 3 ring failure the slider will prevent the riser from which the 3 ring failed blowing completely away and keep the canopy somehow flying and inflated. I' ve sen footage from a 3 ring failure (on a slider up jump) and the slider keeps the failed side somewhat in order and the canopy actually flies riser surprisingly well. At least it "flies" so that it looks survivable (what the person did). Which might not be the case without the slider where the failed side would be blown of completely.

On the general topic of slider off/down, I always leave it on and just tie it down and never felt that it would be on the way or would interfere my jumping in any manner. But for each of their own of course.

Since I own 2+ rigs I usually just keep a Slider-UP rig
packed and a Slider-OFF rig packed - ready for either.
The only time I jump Slider-Down (versus OFF) is on
a trip where both rigs are configured for Slider-UP like
grabbing a quick jump coming home from Bridge Day.
Or if a buddy loans me a packed rig to make a load.
Being OCD and Nerdy I researched this thoroughly,
basically here is MY Summary of Pros and Cons:

Slider-Down - Positives
-slider acts as a cross support if riser/3ring fails
-less chance of making a rigging error
-faster changing back and forth
-can't lose the damn thing

Slider-Down - Negatives
-canopy will not flatten out as much
-slider can hinder riser corrections
-slider can possibly obstruct vision
-slider will wear faster due to dirt

Back to this lucky incident…

In my experience, Short delay + Crosswinds
equals VERY high chance of off-heading with
the opening being right along the wind line,
either into the wind or down-wind based on
body position and a PC's dance of chance.

As for object separation, I agree, the two
best ways are 1) run like your on fire or
2) poise, bend knees, and leap-frog off.

I have attached 4 photos grabbed from video.
They are reduced in size to allow upload but
the important time range is 20 to 23 seconds.

Thanks again for sharing the video and
glad you are here to type about it

my bad, i thought you meant against as away from the wind

I know of 3 cases in which one riser disconnected and the slider cross connected to the intact riser, turning the malfunction into a spiral that was survived by the jumper, rather than a streamer which almost certainly would not have been.

I agree that when left on, the slider should be locked below the front bumpers.

Cross pull from the PC is very common.

It often happens because of a crosswind, but can also happen because the PC is either constructed or attached asymmetrically. There are a shockingly high number of asymmetric pilot chutes in the BASE world, and every BASE jumper should know how to identify them.

Tom,

I am talking about something else. Your big pilot chute is heavy enough that when you toss it to the right (assuming you are right handed), it inflates off axis simply because your toss takes it 6 feet to the right.

This used to be much worse when we were using the heavy PI 52 inch pilot chutes. That sucker was so heavy that it inflated WAY out to the right. I remember most of my off heading openings were to the right.

If you watch these cliff strikes in slow motion, you can see that most off heading openings don't turn at line stretch. They are already turned when they leave the container.

Just watch all of those cliff strike videos one at a time and you will see it.

That's true with all PCs, to a greater or lesser extent. ZP PC's will almost always inflate on the side they are thrown to, and begin an oscillation which lessens over time. Vented PC's seem to dampen the oscillation faster, making the swings smaller and stabilizing above the jumper earlier.

Whenever it's possible to throw the PC up (at the sky) you should, because that pitch direction both orients the PC for more consistent inflation and reduces oscillation. On a short delay handheld jump (when you are often close to the object) this is a very useful technique.

I hit that same wall about 15 years ago. Sure got my adrenaline pumping. Mine was a bad pack job, it felt lumpy but I was too lazy or tired to repack so I jumped it anyways.

Now if I am too tired to repack I just quit for the day!

Wow didn't expect so many replies on this. I like the safety discussions.

Just to answer some questions because it may help someone (I hope)

Q: Why not a running exit?

I am very comfortable with running exits and as I mentioned previously all my other exits I did running. However several small things contributed to not running this time. 1) Hand held makes running a bit more awkward. 2) Gravel on the exit behind me looked slippery. 3) My BASE partner, who went first, didn't run this time (this guy has won gold medal in sprint and hurdles and he ALWAYS runs if possible - I have to ask him why he didn't this time).

Q: Why slider down instead of off?

Because I jump slider up with this rig once in a while, and I've never had a problem with the slider being in the way. I have a few BASE rigs but I didn't want to bring two rigs to the US (I already had 2 wingsuits and a skydiving rig which is kinda bulky...) so I only brought my general purpose rig.

Q: Nice save!

Thanks. No injuries. :)

Q: Wow, you fucked up!

Perhaps. No injuries :)

Q: Twisted riser?

Slider attachment makes it look that way.

Q: Back camera?

I will upload this when I get the time.

...

How many skydives do you have?

It's definitely possible that this isn't a factor especially since I don't really know the experience level involved, but I've seen a few videos of people grabbing both front and rear risers close to the three ring assembly in response to a 180 and I can't help but wander if a bit more muscle memory developed in the relative safety of the skydiving environment could help reduce this trend.

I'm pretty sure that my muscle memory/instincts would have a decent chance of faltering in response to the shock of a big rock face coming at me back when I only had a few hundred repetitions.

The crazy thing about skydiving/base is that you can be considered "experienced" but only have like a few hours worth of physical practice...

Not sure, 600-700 perhaps.

Of course, when I jump with WS which is pretty much the only type of skydive I do nowadays I only reach up to the bottom of the risers until I've unzipped my armwings. But I think that is irrelevant.

Why do you think it's irrelevant?

Because you are constrained in a wingsuit, you are not constrained in a slider down jump (unless something have gone really really bad).

That changes the dynamics of the jumps quite a lot.

I am not really sure where you are getting at?

I'm just getting at the general point that building the instincts to correctly grab toggles or risers under pressure might take more than a few hundred successful repetitions.

If you're spending all your time wing suiting and habitually grabbing the bottom of your risers (and maybe even correcting heading from that configuration) when you feel a canopy lift off your back and hit line stretch, then that doesn't count towards your tally of successful repetitions.

It might even tip the scales so the bulk of your experience dictates that you grab at the base of the risers when shit hits the fan.

I was the third jumper in this group.

The wind was borderline in the parking area when we arrived. the lulls were low enough i felt comfortable to hike to the exit and take a look. after arriving at the exit i found it to be calm or slightly left to right. spitting off the exit resulted in a mostly down, little right all the way to the talus result. I do not feel the wind was a factor in this strike.

it seems like this has been pretty well picked over so i'll just post my video and agree that push could've been stronger.

https://vimeo.com/91558805

That definitely looks like the offheading was caused by the PC oscillation.

Am I seriously smoking crack, or does no one see the jumper rotating left ever slightly a second after exit ??? You can definitely see an extended right leg and a tucked left one.

IMHO reaching after pitching is terrible body position. Wider is more stable... I changed same and noticed a big difference.

"Hug the earth bro" the beav

Also in a Left to right wind, the PC is heavily dragged to left....

I disagree about grabbage. When your risers are crossed and you reach and grab, then untwist, then with the lengths of the untwisted risers and twisted arms it adds up.
He wasnt flailing much on grabbage.
I have been in a similar situation but with a 180 and had to hang on to the low part to turn after I untwisted.
Maybe different colored risers could help fro those that look up at postdeployment instead where they are going.
Take care,
space

That is also a positive exit. It also should have been an extended left leg to compensate for the right hand throw. But that for me is reaction. not theory. I will upload a video maybe later if it shows enough.
Take care,
space

He is def turning left as he drops

I don't know man, according to the guy's description his grabbage was pretty half-hazard and not having anything to do with getting out of crossed risers - that was more a momentum thing.

"Per information from the last guy, my canopy initially opened 120 degrees left but I got thrown around as can be seen in the movie around 160-170 degrees. I initially got my right hand on both risers and pulled down both of them then got my other hand on the rear riser. By then the canopy was already turned away from the wall."

Being thrown around definitely made grabbing risers more difficult. I it was just 120 degrees off and straight down I am pretty sure I would have grabbed just the rear.

And I was not turning in free fall. That is very easy to see on the video from the front camera, the ground is not moving in any direction.

After seeing the second video I would say this:
1) PC oscillation - What is the PC you used for this jump? Looks unvented.
2) It doesn't seem like you turned in FF but it does look like you are right side low
3) Reaching for the risers where you do(and so many more do as well) is unproductive in my opinion and could cause issues. It's been discussed on this forum before but why do people feel the need to grab their riser covers/risers just above the shoulders? Your hands, in my opinion, should be open and ready to receive the risers/toggles where they will be after the canopy opens and where your hands will do the most good immediately after opening. People will open their riser covers to get a cleaner deployment but then cover the same spot with their hands... If people are that concerned about missing or not knowing where their risers will be then maybe more practice may be smart in order to get more comfortable with the optimal hand distance in order to get the most beneficial and immediate response from the canopy after opening without having to move/fumble around from low on the riser to a spot that can actually turn the canopy.

I don't think body position or cross winds caused this.

If you jump enough, you are going to have these things just happen. So be ready.

I would add that the jumper did a nice job on the save. Great heads up.

Magic?

Not magic. It is very easy to turn the canopy during the early stage of deployment. It is being pulled by one axis: the bridle.

Attach a bridle to a brick. Pick it up and watch it spin. We do what we can to prevent this, but it can and will happen to you if you jump enough.

That is why you always have a 180 off in the back of your mind at the exit point.

That's an over simplification--it's being pulled in all three by a single point, which is more the problem. In this case the horizontal vector and angular momentum transferred to the canopy as it was lifting to line stretch.

Reaching for your risers effectively thins your plane of axis. A thinner plane is easier to rotate than a wise one and is probably why he was so twisted. It also gives the impression of being very tense. It's hard to "relax" during a BASE jump but if you can do it, it will alleviate the reaction from an equal yet positive action.

Thanks for sticking your neck on the line bjrn. I will gather some of my off headings to see if anyone can learn anything.

And as SKR used to say, you're not really relaxed unless you can fart after you exit. Try it sometime...


44

+1

What if you routinely shit your pants? I mean everybody does that, right?