Basejumper.com - archive

I know you mean good but if someone needs a reminder to stay safe they are without hope.

I know you mean good but if someone needs a reminder to stay safe they are without hope.

Good post, Charley.

Stacy Spacy, you are like a walking don't do drugs campaign. Go outside and yell at some trees. If one person takes the advice, then it was worth it.

respectfully disagree!

I have told this story several times before:

Super Bowl 39, Hall of Fame QB John Elway, his last game after a 16-year career, going out on the field for a decisive series. Says head coach Mike Shanahan to him as he leaves the sideline:

"Remember to set your feet."

Setting your feet is as fundamental to throwing a football as staying safe is during a base jump, yet the guy coaching one of the greatest QBs ever to play the game thought it was important to remind him of that basic, fundamental thing that John learned when he was 3 or 4 years old.

So no, hjumper33 is absolutely right on to say what he did, and we ALL need reminders to stay safe no matter what kind of stud BASE jumper we may (or may not!) be...

Heck, look at the prop strike fatal in Ohio the other day: Girl was office manager for three years, constantly around running airplanes, at a by-the-book, almost military-type DZ... she sure coulda used a last-second reminder as she went out of the office toward the Twin Otter (instead of the DZ's usual Caravan - side motors v front motor):

"Hey, watch out for the props!"

And she may have gotten that reminder except that the DZO was off-site and arrived ten minutes after she walked into the prop.

Getting into the madness of the moment killed several awesome jumpers in the past year... jumpers who were by most accounts not only highly skilled, heads up jumpers, but jumpers who usually planned carefully and didn't take wild risks, relatively speaking... yet all of them apparently coulda used a reminder to stay safe.


44

Hey everyone. Just wanted to put out the reminder to stay safe and conservative as the euro season starts picking up. I think we can all agree that last year was horrendous, and there have already been quite a few incidents this year. Remember that its not worth being the coolest guy with the most youtube/vimeo/epic TV views if your crushed cold body is getting helied off the side of a mountain. BASE is more popular than ever, and there will be more than a few people that are going to the big mountains for the first time to live their dreams. Im not saying dont jump, im not saying dont fly close to things, just know your flight, know your conditions, and know your abilities. Ive been plenty guilty of these in the past, but after having lost count of the amount of friends ive seen die in wingsuits over the last several years, its just not worth it. If you see someone doing something really dumb, say something. Lets make this the year that the fatalities are less than the year before instead on continuing the trend. Have fun, live your dreams, but try not to die doing it.

Charley