Basejumper.com - archive

I just watched it now - damn what a great video. However, there are 2 separate jumps that show jumpers who pull low and have like a 1/4 second parachute ride then hit the water - 1 seems like an intentional low off a cliff, the other seems unintentional off a bridge. Does anyone know if they were ok? I hope so - i really dont like the idea that perhaps im watching people die in a video that has been made to go on sale.
Also, wtf is going on with that one clip where the guy seems to cut away while under canopy in the gorge? He seems to be at 90 degrees to the cliff face at first, then it shows him heading straight for it, then he seems to cut away and fall, but it fades away into the next scene - wtf is going on there?

There are no fatalities on Beyond Extreme.

 

And, as we all know, the prime instigators in BE have matured into safe, cautious, conservative jumpers. Yes, they're feeling much better now!

As Tom says, there's no fatality footage therein. I don't know of any BASE jumper - anywhere in the world - who would include such footage in a commercial video. We may be a little unstable, but BASE folks do have ethics. . .

Peace,

D-d0g
ddog@wrinko.com
www.wrinko.com

Funny you mention this.

At the very beginning of Continuum there's a very brief clip that shows a guy running off a cliff handheld. You see him pitch and he drops out of view. The guys that are with him are looking over watching and almost immediately turn away with that look that says something really bad happened.

So you don't see what happened to the guy going off, just the reaction of his fellow jumpers. I have no idea whether the guy died or not.

The kicker is that the video is dedicated to Earl Redfern & Clint Ford... both of whom died in a plane crash. So I have no idea who is in that first video clip.

This almost *NEVER* happens in BASE jumping.

no-one died in Continuum--or even *actually* hit an object--close, but ass-hairs don't count.

yeah i figured as much. But not really knowing much about BASE and seeing those really low openings i just wanted to make sure they were at least ok.

In BASE, the Aussies have a well-earned reputation of being hardcore as jumpers. They have pushed the sport in several important areas (low freefalls, aerials) and several Aussie jumpers are at the top of the sport in their respective field of specialty.

Equally importantly, though the Aussies get a rap for being next-door neighbors to reckless, the fatality statistics tell a different story: despite their hard-jumping ethos, Austrailans have also brought along enough discipline and talent to play the game and not end in a string of fatalities.

Plus, they are always bloody fun to jump with! Never a dull moment. . .

Peace,

D-d0g
ddog@wrinko.com
www.wrinko.com

Hey,
The other day when you posted this I couldn't recall who it was in the first jump on the tape - turns out that was Earl Redfern, who was killed along with Clint Ford (both of whom to which the tape was dedicated) in a plane accident in moab.

They were laughing at Earl because of his 'doink' exit. The 'doink' is where one runs at the cliff edge as if to do a running launch, then one stops at the edge, firmly plants both feet on the lip of the cliff and then launches with both feet simultaneously. Hilarious to watch - hence their snickers. Believe it or not, there are a few of us who, until the advent of the moab scene, had never done a running exit. Rather, a poised exit mainly because there's no room to back up. Earl believed, and I agree, that the 'doink' (as it came to be known) was a product of too many poised exits and the jumper trying to retrain the muscle motor to launch in a running exit. I still do it from time to time. It's a good habit to break because the physics are just all wrong. Plus it has a tendancy to put unnecessary strain on the edge of the cliff which could lead to destruction and possible bad circumstances for the jumper. nevertheless, no... he didn't die (doing that jump or any jump)... he more or less flailed. But that's half the fun: flailing in front of your buddies and becoming the subject of snickers, jeers and ribbings. YMMV

Gardner

Ah, thanks for the clarification. It's sort of ambiguous if you aren't in on the joke, and I took it in the "bad" sense. So the reaction was basically a "DOH!" rather than them seeing something bad happen.

I also rewatched it and noticed he was stowed, not handheld. Funny how one "remembers" things totally differently from what actually happens.