Basejumper.com - archive

Hi

Excuse the newbienuss of this post (if there is such a word) I live in the UK and have 34 jumps and have my A license. I was just wondering what I need to be able to do a base jump. I am dead keen!!! Is there X amount of jumps you need & a certain license that you need or a course that you need to go on etc etc.. Any info appreciated,, thanks.



M.J

There's already a couple of threads talking about whether it's better to have skydiving experience or whether it's better to be (as some would say) not tainted with skydiving before you take up likely the most dangerous thing you will ever do in your life and could very seriously hurt or kill yourself while doing it.

Here's the pro-skydiving view.
Here's the anti-skydiving view.

Wow, I think this could really open up a can of worms but I would defintely think that you would need a good few jumps before you could do a base jump. This is just my oppinion though.. But as you have pointed out, this has already been discussed.

Hi Mark --

Check out the "Getting into BASE" link at the top of this forum. It has very useful information and a ton of links where you can educate yourself on this sport.

C-ya,

Bryan

Cool, thanks. Will have a read through..

M.J

I strongly recommend you look up some UK BASE jumpers to chat with in person. Try looking at the UK BASE Board.

I'm going to be a little predictable here...

Skydiving is a really valuable tool, it gives you a grounding in basics (canopy control, picking winds, dealing with openings etc) with a little more time and height. ie a potential for being a little more friendly/forgiving on a beginner.
(Aussie perspective here!)

That said, we've all seen/heard of great skydivers go and do stupid things off cliffs and objects....and we've all seen/heard of great BASE jumpers get on aircraft and do relatively dumb things also....

Having seen non-skydivers being taught BASE, skydivers becoming BASE jumpers and a complete whuffo being thrown off a bridge....I'd say go and get the jumps in an environment that's a little more forgiving, then find a tutor and go out and play!!

But that's just my $0.02 worth!!

That anti skydiving viewpoint cracks me up!

I don't know why anybody would base jump without a few skydives. To me, thats suicidal!

You answered a question you didn't ask. I'm referring to the statement in the other thread,

Think about it. Explanation is not necessarry. I'm not picking on you or anything I'm just pointing it out. If that same thought was in my head, I'd like it pointed out.

The first time you stand on an edge, it will become crystal clear that BASE is more dangerous.

And now we return you to the regular broadcast

I'm probably going to learn to Base Jump this year.

I'm going to take the BR first jump course. It looks like they have a pretty safe way of teaching the sport. The bridge looks like it has plenty of margin for error. Spanways seem pretty forgiving compared to Earth or Building since you can get away with an off heading opening.

Student jumps definitely ought to be done off a span.

That said, I believe that _all_ the major FJC's in the U.S. are held off the same bridge. So, the choice of object is not a reason to choose BR over Vertigo, Morpheus, CR, or the Johnny Utah course--they are all held at the same place.

When I did the course last year, the student jumping before me got disoriented on opening and flew to the wrong side of the river. He tried to land on the rocks but only succeeded in breaking both his feet on a rock and falling back into the river. One foot only needed plaster, the other needed surgery. He had almost 2 000 skydives and 10 BASE jumps before attending the FJC.

Just because the bridge is safer than most other objects doesn't mean it is safe (ask the guy who overdelayed and got such a big enema it turned him green ).

Thanks for the info, I guess Basic Research comes to mind because I jump at Perris most of the time and BR is down the street.

Wow, why do you think he go disoriented from opening shock? This guy had 2000 jumps? seems odd.

Are the opening shocks pretty severe?

I also did my FJC a couple years ago at that span and saw 1 broken foot (VERY experienced jumper) and also a fractured spine on a guy who was jumping with me after I finished the FJC.........

It maybe a span but its still a BASE jump with things to think about.

Opening shock on a freefall slider down deployment is much harder than on any skydive.

Anyone can get disoriented. Having 2000 skydives is good preparation, but there are no guarantees. Especially with an off heading, things can get pretty confusing to a student in a hurry.

he may have had 2000 jumps opening at 2000+ ft but opening at 200ft with a slammer slider off for the first few times may make your brain race a little.......

Don't know, he wasn't sure himself. The delay was definitely not more than 2 seconds. Opening was almost 90 left so maybe he instinctively just flew to the first shore he saw, I'm not sure and neither was he.

last saturday i made a 3,5sec delay from 400ft,slider down on my fox 265vtec.I CANT REMBER I LANDED THE CANOPY,and i got 2 bruised ribs from that one..(got slammed by the walkie).

I can rember that i let go of the pc,and next thing im in the car and were on our way from the object.In the time i CANT rember this happened(from video).I scream as the canopy opens(aargh)i then make a fast 180turn nice flare,soon as im landed i fall to my knees.(now from groundcrew).I have trouble breathing,they take off the gear from me,raise me to get to the car. i get unconcius(fall)Peter C. then carry me to the car,and off we go.
I can rember were drivinmg through a city not far away(max 2-3 mins) from the object),but i still miss a couple of mins,but you can see i fly and land the canopy nice.YES you can be disorintated,im just happy it were the only time i tryed that so far...

I blame my bad choise of possision of the walkie of this(inside a pocket in my jacket,at the same place my chest strap goes over)acsident.

they are breathless

For you it makes sense to take your FJC with BR because you likely want to build a relationship with them for future training and trips. I have decided to go with Vertigo for this reason. Once I've paid my dues at the Perrine, I can see myself spending a fair amount of time in Moab (where Vertigo is located). Now I only wish I knew about Johnny Utah first. Ah it's all good. I'm confident that Jimmy or Marta will give me the appropriate training that I'll need.

Dunno if you can pay your dues there (IMHO), I got 12 in off the bridge but reckon I only started paying my dues when I got back from the FJC (and still will be for some time). As a very experienced jumper said to me : "You are now in the trenches, be very careful!"

When I say pay my dues, I don't mean just on the FJC. I'm talking about repeat trips to the Perrine (I'm thinking of taking a week off of work this summer and go there instead of doing a summer boogie).

So I would assume that a Base opening (slider down) feels like an extreamly hard opening on a skydiving rig?

I dont think skreamer meant that. I think what he meant (and I certainly agree) is that banging a load of jumps off that span does not prepare you for the "dark side of BASE" - certainly not for jumping in the UK any how.

I have heard of at least one UKer that after the FJC at that span got back to the UK and after his first "raid" gave up.

That span prepares you for exiting and low altitude canopy flight - but thats all.

Since we've started a separate thread on opening shock, you might want to redirect this question into that thread.

Yes, that is what I meant. And another aspect of the bridge is the easy altitude (if you choose to use the boat and car shuttle). This was a good thing on the FJC for me - I could concentrate on getting as many jumps in as possible (especially given my 'peak' physical condition ).

Before I started BASE I only thought about the fear aspect about leaving the exit point, now I appreciate more the physical effort it takes to get there in the first place. And then throw sleep deprivation into the mix and things can get really sketchy if you don't keep your shit together.

Will

I am old enough and wise enough to know that I am not invincible and could very be killed while jumping. But I see BASE jumping at a place like Moab (or certain cliffs in Europe) as a total extension of the rock climbing and mountaineering I have done in the past. In fact I tried (unsuccessfully) to explain this to one of my former climbing mates (I don't seem to climb much any more since I took up skydiving). He still thinks that jumping is dangerous (which it is), but I tried to tell him about all those sketchy exposed Class IV-V routes we were on without ropes. But he just didn't see it that way.

For sure the Perrine is a great place to learn to BASE and to train. But it's only one aspect of the sport and to be a truly rounded jumper, one would need to jump as many objects as possible (keeping safety in mind). But you wouldn't want to see me on top of a cliff, building or antena before I spent sometime on the slightly more safer confines of a bridge now would you.

PS: It was cool meeting you at the Holiday Boogie. When we met, I wasn't ready to BASE, but times have changed. I think I'll be doing my FJC in late May.