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Hello all! I’m a skydiver with around 400 jumps. I’ll be in Europe this August and September, and by then I should have well over 500. I’m wondering if there’s a place where I can get mentored on a first jump(s). I know there are places that do beginner courses—but they entail many weeks, travel, many jumps, yes? And are out of my budget. I suppose I’m looking for somewhere to do just a few, or one, or whatever I can afford! Anyone know if this is possible and where I might look? Thanks y’all!!

If you have 400 skydives and this little knowledge of BASE then I suggest you do a lot more research

BASE is not for you. If you can't dedicate time and money for the required training then you don't deserve to experience it. If you're out to cut corners expect plenty of trouble and little sympathy. And prepare for many of the same responses. Check the BASE fatality list to see the outcomes. It's good reading for someone like you.

Sounds like you're looking for a PCA off a bridge -
Maybe these guys can help
http://www.learntobasejump.com
http://www.milesdaisher.com

Honestly, if you just want someone to PCA you off a bridge, it's easy to find that for free in many places during the busy seasons.

It's a silly way to go about this, though.

Do you want to do any more BASE than that? Because you're going to be handicapping yourself by not learning the basics first, and then you're likely to rush forward and do more jumping without really picking up any of the knowledge that will be critical as you progress.


It seems really odd that you plan to make 100 skydives this summer (rough cost at $20 per skydive, which is on the low end these days, would be $20 x 100 = $2000) and you can't figure out a way to spend half that much on instruction for a sport you currently have zero knowledge about. What's going on there? Is it just that you figure you can get someone to give you free help in BASE, but you know you can't get free skydives?

My apologies for the lack of clarity. I'm not looking to "cut corners." On the contrary; I seek knowledge, safety, ethics and community/camaraderie. I'm waiting until I've DOUBLED the conventional 200/250 skydive minimum to pursue BASE training. I was just curious about options, who's reputable, who's sketchy etc. Maybe someone offers a course that entails classroom/ground training and a few supervised jumps from a bridge? So one could get one's feet wet? Sure I can google all this and get some info. But I wanted to reach out to the community, so I'm asking here in the beginners forum on base jumpers.com. Which brings me to another point...

BigfcknG, you are representing your community here. You and Dadsy are the first people I've ever heard from on this forum. You were responsible for a newbie's first impression:

"BASE is not for you...expect plenty of trouble...Check the BASE fatality list to see the outcomes. Its good reading for someone like you."

That's quite a welcome, mate. Check the fatality list? Really? And what, exactly, does 'someone like you' mean? If my lack of experience bothers you just remember where we are: I'm reaching out to the BASE community 7 MONTHS before my trip in an effort to learn and to meet people. I'll take some heat for my original post being a bit vague and making me sound cheap, but I see nothing in there which should provoke this kind of $hit-talking--not even close.

I'm inclined to assume that these responses are atypical, that your average BASE jumper is a wise, kind, solid human--I know all the ones I've met have been.

Hope I'm not out-of-line here. End of rant.

Get yourself a copy of great book of base, then you'll see where Dadsy etc are coming from

You're welcome to audit our Fundamentals Course (for free) to see the classroom material and decide if you want to pay for the full (jumping) instruction:

http://snakeriverbase.com/...fundamentals-of-base

'I know there are places that do beginner courses—but they entail many weeks, travel, many jumps, yes? And are out of my budget. I suppose I’m looking for somewhere to do just a few, or one, or whatever I can afford'

Statements like these set off alarm bells. Try doing some more serious research because when it comes to aerial sports, it doesn't get more seriously dangerous than BASE.

Edit: I delete my useless troll

To get back to the original question if you do not already have a friend to help you by being your mentor I doubt you will find one during your trip in Europe.
To mentor somebody usually you have to know the guy pretty well, and not on internet.

So:
- you take your time and maybe find a mentor before coming
- you get into a course before coming into Europe
- you get into a course in Europe

Good luck !

I forgot in my previous post:
don't do the 100 skydives and use the money to get into a course ?
Budget problems solved !

Forgive my cynicism.

Have you spoken to these jumpers you mentioned about starting out? Have they pointed you in the right direction for furthering your interest? Do you know how to pack?

People who come to the internet to find the easiest way instead of the best way are usually trying to find a way to bypass the proper advise that they don't wish to take. It's been seen before, as recently as last year, which was why I mentioned the BFL. Check number 357.

that's pretty standard (good) advice to anyone starting BASE, whether they have 100 skydives or 10,000.

some people are surprised/shocked by that kind of advice. you take it as saying something about the person who gave you that advice, but you should take it as saying something about the sport instead.

Dont send me mouthy personal messages champ.

I need to do more research? Like reaching out for help on basejumper.com--which is filled with wise, experienced, helpful jumpers--7 MONTHS before my trip? Thanks for the kind response, mate. Way to represent your community. See ya out there...

Your first post doesn't say anything about pursuing base training, it comes across as a skydiver that thinks because he has a few hundred jumps he can easily have a crack.

If you had tried at all you would have found Tom and the courses he offers

Saying you know about courses but they are too long and you cant afford them just screams corner cutting

Maybe have a think about the first impression you gave

All the BASE jumpers you have met are wise, kind and solid guys? And their advice was to go online and ask if there is anywhere in Europe you can go and do 1 jump with no training?

The forums are getting soft, you shoulda been flamed harder. I blame the millennials.

My bad, champ. I thought the P in PM stood for private. I thought the thread here was where we learned and shared knowledge, and that it wasn't for bickering, irrelevant personal crap. I had something to say to you--and only you--so I PM'd you. Seemed like the honorable thing to do.

I assume you mean Tom at SRBA. Some of my buddies have done courses there and loved it. I hear only great things. I'm not sure what the "if you had tried at all..." comment implies. Should I have mentioned SRBA with my inquiries about Europe? Or listed every website, course, person I've talk to about BASE training over the years?

Can't afford = corner cutting. Just trying to save some loot. Maybe some courses are cheaper than others, maybe there are clever ways to keep costs down, and do people camp, share rooms, eat cheap? etc etc I'm new at this, so I was asking, here--in the beginner's forum. Seemed like a decent place to broach the subject. Yes I know I can google and compare prices etc. But I thought I might learn stuff here too, maybe make some friends, glean some wisdom from the community itself.

I'll think about the first impression I gave. You're right. I should've been more PREcise, I went for CONcise. And I guess I was just too damn goofy, plain and simple. Being a skydiver I thought maybe it was clear that I wasn't looking for free training, that I knew about the risks involved and that I understood the gravity of the commitment to BASE training. I thought the fast and loose, ignorant skydiver looking to avoid training was a rarity, not the norm. Sorry for that, maybe I should've known.

Yes the BASE jumpers I've met, and that I know, are wise, solid guys and gals. They are kind, and eager to answer questions--they are keen to pass down what others have taught them. No, they don't say "go to Europe and jump once with no training" not sure where you get that. I'm sure you know what they say; "learn all you can, get the GBOB and read it--a lot, skydive a lot and focus on your canopy skills and when you're ready--be damn sure you're ready--get solid, professional, thorough training" etc etc etc. Everything we'd expect.

Now, here's what they've never said:

me: Hey, you're a BASE jumper?

BJ: Yes

me: Kick-ass! Oh man BASE jumping fascinates me, I've been wanting to get into it for years! Say, are you busy? Can I buy you a beer and maybe we can shoot the sh*t? Man, I'd love to pick your brain, ya know, learn some sh!t--if that's cool?

BJ: Make it a beer and a shot.

me: Done!

BJ: What would you like to know?

Both: glug glug glug, aaahhh

me: I don't know, let's see... How was your first jump? Were you sh!tting your pants?

BJ: No. What else. And can I get another shot?

me: Sure. UUhhh.... What's the best way to get trained? Did you train somewhere you might recommend? Are there ways to keep costs down? Do people generally rent gear or....?

BJ: Rent gear?! Ptuah!! No, I have six custom rigs with glow in the dark snakes and lions embroidered on the... Wait, are you asking me questions because you don't already know everything about it?

me: Yeah. Is that...not...usually the case?

BJ: Then BASE is not for you. You are not worthy! Go do more research, you pathetic, lowly, skydiving, wanna-be-BASE jumper!! GRRR!! Go read The Big Booty Book of BASE 86 times and then come back to me with a dragon's head still dripping with blood, and maybe I'll answer your questions!!

me: Dude, put down the flaming sword, put your clothes back on, sit down, chill. I'm just curious. Interested.

BJ: This isn't even a micro-brew is it--pffft.

That has never happened. Pretty much every interaction I've had has been pleasant, enlightening and otherwise totally agreeable.

I also keep hearing and reading about ethics, responsibility and accountability when you're part of such a small, tight community; that you become an ambassador for the sport--and I take that sort of thing seriously, hence this long-ass post. I'm not trying to get over on anyone, I'm not trying to invade or debase (see that?) your sport. I would never tarnish or dishonor it in any way--quite the opposite.

And, finally, I realize that there are gate-keepers, people who--deservedly or not--assume the role of filtering out irresponsible undesirables trying to sneak past convention and prudence. I submit that you put me in this 'undesirable' category way too fast and with way too little information. Perhaps people with cooler heads and a little more insightfulness and thoroughness ought to stand guard? Also, I realize that it is possible that my initial post was indeed terribly worded and grossly misleading; if so, I take full responsibility and I apologize to everyone. I pledge to be more careful with what I say.

I'd be curious to hear what some of the elder statesman have to say. If you wanna chime in, I'll stand at attention, all ears. I realize I'm Mr. Nobody not-even-new-guy-yet so maybe I should just STFU. Anyways, when's the last time anyone saw Big Trouble in Little China?

Just trying to safe loot is fine, but you said the courses were out of your budget so that isn't a question, so that only leaves corner cutting?

Not looking for free training, but you said you wanted someone to mentor you on a first jump, mentoring is the free (other than kick backs) option

You arent sure where I got go to Europe and jump once with no training? but you said, I suppose I’m looking for somewhere to do just a few, or one

Your follow up posts are worlds apart, I am in no way a gate keeper or a representative of a crazily diverse community but if people come on here and say things they need to be addressed, trust me you are hardly getting hassled at all.

Sounds like a chapter for the new Harry Potter book with your talk of gate keepers, the old guard and whatever else I skipped over.

We get it. You didn't like the reply you got to your plans to be a tight cunt. Book a course. Find a mentor. If you'd had a proper conversation with a current BASE jumper you wouldn't be here asking around. People get touchy because people with half an idea and a rig usually go home and fuck up the local scene.

Gear use is included with our courses. You don't have to rent gear, and you don't have to own gear.

We also let students who complete the course borrow gear (for free, as long as they like) to jump the bridge.

If you really want to do this as inexpensively as possible, I'd recommend really adding up all the expenses and asking yourself if flying to europe and looking for someone to chuck you off a bridge is going to be cheaper than coming to Idaho (since your IP address is in the USA, I assume that domestic travel will be cheaper for you) and taking an actual course.

At least once a year. One of my favorite movies ever. So, you can't be that bad, since you at least like 1 cool movie. I wouldn't keep digging a hole for yourself by arguing semantics with people here. It is obvious you screwed up a bit(own it). You already found some knowledge here that you did not have before, now just follow it.

Seriously, if you actually have any interest in BASE jumping, do what Tom says. Buy and read a copy of the Great Book of Base. I reread sections of it regularly. It is a good and fruitful read. Then sign up for his course. They are excellent courses.

I was like you once. I listened to Tom and read the book. Then I ended up waiting another 5 years to jump into BASE, armed with an additional 1750 skydives of experience. Take it slow, and swallow your pride. Good luck.

Haha!

Good. Base jumping isn't a business and they're not trawling for customers. Not being funny but no-one really cares about making your first impression of Base a warm and fuzzy one. If theirs is the kind of blunt (and really, it wasn't even that blunt) response that's going to put your nose out of joint then great! I'd suggest you respond by taking your sense of entitlement and fucking off to the nearest lawn bowling centre

I hadn't got a clue what you were talking about but I get it now...


URBAN DICTIONARY

Millennial: A term used by insecure idiots to dismiss somebody aged 10-35.

Cunt: "You millennials are entitled and selfish for playing video games, because we had to play outside. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend/boyfriend."

Kid: "Whatever. Enjoy your mid-life crisis, dickweed."

I am a back to back corporate lawn bowls winning captain if that helps

 

Good. Base jumping isn't a business and they're not trawling for customers. Not being funny but no-one really cares about making your first impression of Base a warm and fuzzy one. If theirs is the kind of blunt (and really, it wasn't even that blunt) response that's going to put your nose out of joint then great! I'd suggest you respond by taking your sense of entitlement and fucking off to the nearest lawn bowling centre


Not bad, not bad. But, y’all can do better than ‘lawn bowling.”

BigfknG broke out “tight cunt.” I like that.

Let's try to keep things civil here, guys.

Telling people to "fuck off" is really a very silly way to respond in this situation.

Yeah, but he's Australian, so that doesn't even count as profanity for him.

hahahaha, well done.

7 months is really not a long time. You should know all the answers you're asking way before actually laying down dates to do a course.

You're getting the right advice here, read the fatality list, read the Big Book of Base, keep skydiving, learn about rigging and canopy control, read up about course options, then you'll be a bit more ready.

And stop being a bitch when you don't like what you hear. That's gonna help a lot in this game. Best of luck.

Oh I can take those little love taps all day long.

But; entitled, millennial? Man, that's just mean.

you get it.

Disclaimer: I'm not a statesman and not even a BASE jumper anymore, but I do qualify as "elder", so here goes.

Your first post came off like you were wanting to shortcut and that is obviously a trigger for many here. Maybe be more clear about what you want to do. If you simply want to make a PCA to check it off your bucket list, then that is an entirely different scenario than if you are looking at taking up BASE as a sport that you engage in regularly. Nothing wrong with either one, but I suggest being more clear about what you want out of the sport.

As far as gatekeepers go, there really aren't any true gatekeepers. Nobody can stop you from making a BASE jump if you are truly driven to do it but they can refuse to help you, and that does happen. Occasionally I see a post from someone who obviously wants to shortcut the process and helping someone like that is basically assisting a suicide. Don't be surprised at hostile reactions if someone thinks you want to shortcut.

The good news is that there are more good resources for learning BASE than there have ever been before. There were no real courses when I started but things have changed enough that if I ever decide to get back into BASE I will almost certainly take a course. Your first post seemed to have an almost dismissive attitude toward BASE courses because of cost and schedule considerations. If you want to get into BASE and do it on a regular basis, my suggestion is to find a way to take a course. Doing it "old school", i.e., with a mentor is possible but will probably not give you as good an education as a course.

So please post again but be specific about what you are looking to get out of your experience. Do you just want to try BASE to see if you like it? If so, maybe ground crew and see what it looks like in person a few times. It's not for everyone.

Do you want to just do one or two and call it quits? PCA is probably not a bad way to go in that case.

Do you want to do it for your ego? There are far safer ways to boost your ego.

Whatever you decide to do, best of luck.

Walt

I totally disagree on that.
I do think mentoring is usually at least as good as courses if not better, specially because mentoring is not for 1 or 2 weeks but for month or years.
A mentor will probably not have the same knowledge as an instructor but will know who can teach the missing parts, all for free so the money can be used to jump more and get more experience without rushing.

This is my own opinion based on what I saw along these years, there is not any serious study to prove I'm right or wrong.

The best mentors are far better than taking a course.

Unfortunately, roughly 90% of the "mentors" I've seen in the past ten years have just been middle experience jumpers PCAing someone from their DZ off a bridge, and then leaving them to their own devices.

Old school mentoring would be the best system--if there were really enough qualified, conscientious mentors out there. Unfortunately, as it is, you have to be both very lucky and very persistent to really find a quality mentor.

At this point, my best advice is to find a quality mentor, if you can, and then take a course from someone else. If possible, have your mentor attend the course as well, so that you can discuss things with your mentor as you learn (and so the mentor knows what your knowledge and skills are like). Then return home and jump with your mentor as often as possible.

In one case, I know a new jumper who's mentor made the next 200 jumps (over a period of about 18 months) with them. In another case, I know a guy who lived in a van with his mentor for two months of BASE road trip, and made nearly 200 jumps in those two months. Those are really the kind of situations you should be aiming for with a real mentor.

Unfortunately, I also know people who's "mentor" was someone who lived several hours away, and who they occasionally talked to on the phone--but who never made a jump with them.


In the same way that all courses are not the same (even more so, actually), all mentors are not the same.

Hahaha everyone was so mean to me the first time I did this that I created a new account!

This has been an amusing and interesting thread.

Like Tom said, in Strayan speak, cunt isn't a profanity. Never mess with Strayans. They'll tell you exactly what they think. I have some really good friends on the other island off the coast of NZ. Good buggers, they all are.

Typical Strayan BASE jumpers' greeting: "G'day cunt".

Good luck and have fun with your BASE journey. If you ever get to NZ there is a small team that would be happy to show you some exits in the central North Island, as long as you've had some experience first. We are not mentors, nor instructors. We don't qualify, sorry.

Morlock you crazy.


(1) Sorry, but, he's accurate... 10 to 15 years ago on this forum, it would've been far, far worse.

(2) Forget about BASE this summer. And certainly don't do another 100 skydives just to have more numbers; unless you still need the canopy skills. But you should obviously stay current; and be having fun.

Go to Bridge Day... what you are asking for (in not the best way), you can do at NRGB. Take one of the Intro FJC's like I did at BD 2004 (structured a bit different now, last time I inquired), despite the FACT that I already knew every single thing spoken to. Rent gear from Apex and if you enjoy it, the rental cost goes towards a new rig. You get gear checks, rescue boats, EMS is present, and you can meet a whole slew of people. It's an absolute blast. I've never gone to BD, and not gotten a jump in; never less than two, actually.

Story: About a year into skydiving, I had a freefly buddy who also became interested in BASE around the same time myself and jvair had. (Neither of us felt we were ready, so we waited till 2004.) This guy borrowed a velcro rig from an AFF instructor (and Atair Test Pilot -- some twin, good chunk of A's [mostly 600ft - lazy climber], but primarily a BD jumper), and went to BD 2003. He landed in the water, packed up himself, and headed back up to make a second jump. He later stated that his first jump terrified him... and so he made the second jump, to confirm that terror, and that he never, ever, wanted to do it again.

Point Being: Nationals Competitor. Very Experienced Skydiver and Canopy Pilot (I honed much of my head down offering to video him and his teammate). BASE wasn't for him. But he learned how to pack, obtained the knowledge he needed, and did want he wanted safely.

So before you spend money on any full course, go to Bridge Day.

(3) If you had been reading this forum with the intensity to which myself and others had before starting, there is no way you would've worded your post(s) in the way you did; you would've known exactly what to expect.

(4) No Worries; as long as you don't turn into one of these damn Teaching Assistant of Adventure jackasses.

(5) Am I still in the Great Book of BASE...? Rapoza! Fuck Yeah!
.
.

That's not how it works.

http://www.basejumper.com/articles/

That Is So Rad.

Amusing that this guy, the riddler, and bigmthbillybass haven't even logged back in... lol.

Good Stuff.

...Yes...

<-- Rapoza

 
Best Beginner Thread Ever! -- Change My Mind!

P.S. I'm working with Meso, offered my help; for anything.

So far, it looks like I'll be transferring the articles to the dorkzone.

P.P.S. Fuck You, Facebook! -- And I said/wrote it before the announcement.