First experience

[Sonic 0]

At what time in your skydiving career did you start base? What training if any did you get, and what equipment did you use?

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It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone

[3fLiEr 0]

450 skydives in total
A load of 7-cell jumps
Practiced CR's Canopy Drills
2 years of reading, learning, talking, and reading some more
Took a FJC with CR
Used BASE specific Gear
Alot of time, money, effort spent.
Alot of grief from Family members, Bosses and Girlfriend.

[FLsurfer 0]

194 skydives when I did my first.
I was lucky that one of my AFF instructors was also a BASEer, so he was able to watch my skydiving progression and then we both decided when I was ready to make my first leap.
I did ground crew every chance I got and read everything I could get my hands on.
My first 5 jumps were with a Mojo 260 in a Perigee Classic container. After that I was hooked and purchased a Mojo 240 and a Warlock 2-pin container.

Problems just be opportunities in der workin' clothes.

[skypuppy 1]

When I started BASEing in '84 I had over a thousand skydives with a lot of experience at both CRW and accuracy jumping, a rigging rating, and an instructor rating... It still scared the s##t out of me... I had lots of friends that started around the same time, but none had less than at least 500 jumps.

With the increased visibility of BASE jumping in media today, I think one of the problems is that too many people are starting to BASE jump with too little parachuting experience. Sure, you can get away with some stuff, but you really need to be aware of everything if you expect to come back again and again.

I think people should still be taking tiny steps towards the goal of becoming BASE jumpers, rather than trying to take giant leaps to get there faster...

Skypuppy BASE92

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[Zennie 0]

Just getting into it with around 450 skydives. Read as much as I could online (grabbed and printed out all of the articles on Blinc), lurked the BASE board, exchanged emails with some more experienced BASE jumpers.

I recently hooked up with a mentor and have ground crewed a couple of jumps.

I also began apprenticing under our local Master rigger. BASE jumpers are, sort of by necessity, very gear-conscious. Much more so than skydivers. If you lurk the BASE board for any period of time you'll see how incredibly technical some of the discussions become.

If you can't do one of the first jump courses put on by Vertigo (Jimmy & Marta are great!), CR or BR, definitely try and do Bridge Day. I learned more in those couple days than just about anything else I have done. I met tons of extremely experienced BASE jumpers and got to pick their brains on just about everything. And they were all really cool and willing to help out. Plus you get to do a jump in a safe, as far as BASE jumps go, environment.

That one jump & I was hooked. Hrm. Where have I seen that before?

Oh, and equipment-wise, I jumped a Vertigo Warlock (2-pin rig) with a Dagger 220. I just ordered a Warlock and a CR Ace 220 (the consensus of people I talked to was thatthe Dagger is alittle too high performance for a first BASE canopy).

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[weegegirl 2]

My first BASE jump was at Bridge Day this year. I had 87 skydives, but all this year, nearly everyday of the week.

My S&TA and DZO talked it over with me a lot - and all the experienced jumpers showed me the ropes - how to pack a BASE rig, how to hold the PC, what to do/not to do, etc.

They insisted that I land in the water at the bridge - which was also my live water training.

I borrowed a rig that was a modified skydiving rig. It was basically a big piece of crap, but it did the job.

[superstu 0]

would a safer way to train for base jumps be doing balloon jumps?

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[TomAiello 25]

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would a safer way to train for base jumps be doing balloon jumps?

Basic Research used to use balloon jumps as a part of their First Jump Course (to practice zero airspeed exits). At various times, Balloon jumps, bungee jumps, the "pendulumator" (a set of ropes hanging out of a tree somewhere in Norway) and swimming pools have all been used to practice dead air exits.

The bottom line is to practice your exit over and over until you know that it will go well on your first real BASE jump. My favorite way to do this is into a swimming pool, because you get repeated jumps very quickly, to hone the muscle memory. The "pendulumator" is also a good method for doing this. Balloons and bungee both have the downside that you really only get a few practice exits at a time, and it can take a very long time to rack up sufficient practice to (practically--nothing is for certain) guarantee a stable exit on your first jump.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[TomAiello 25]

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At what time in your skydiving career did you start base?

I made my first BASE jump three months, and 250 skydives, after my first solo skydive (about eight months after my tandem). I had been a climber in a previous life, and my only goal in skydiving was to accumulate experience for BASE. I often wish I had done more skydiving (particularly CRW and Accuracy) before starting BASE. My first jump was made from a forgiving 700 ft span with a nice, big road to land on.

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What training if any did you get?

I made quite a few accuracy jumps on my first BASE canopy, and received packing and exit instruction from a mangy, 20 year old Australian who had around 250 BASE jumps (thanks Pete!).

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what equipment did you use?

My first jump was made on a borrowed Perigee Pro and Mojo 260. My next 25 or so jumps were made on a rigger-built velcro rig (basically a Vision copy) with a clapped out old PD235 in it. After that my gear arrived (I'd ordered it before my first jump, but didn't get it for a while), and I jumped a FOX 265, with multi bridle attachment (no Vtec then, but I had it retrofitted 250 jumps later) in a Prism (BR single pin rig).

That said, I wish that I had done the following differently:

1) Waited until I had my own real BASE specific gear before diving in (some of those PD235 openings were downright scary).

2) Made more CRW jumps before starting BASE (CRW is the best way I've seen to learn close canopy control without the risk of an object strike).

3) Practiced more accuracy with odd (cross and down-wind) approaches.

4) Gotten more live exit practice into a pool (I never blew an exit in the early days, but I know that was pretty much just dumb luck). I went back when I had around 100 jumps and made around 400 practice exits from 12 feet into a foam pit, with video so I could check out what I was doing.

5) Spent about five hours getting diving lessons so that I would have developed enough low airspeed body control to save myself if I did blow an exit.

One thing I'm very glad I did was to sit down with my family and explain BASE to them, and what the risks were, and that I understood the risks. This saved me all kinds of grief later (when I put myself in the hospital).

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[skreamer 1]

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I borrowed a rig that was a modified skydiving rig. It was basically a big piece of crap, but it did the job.

Only 87 skydives and you were happy doing your first BASE jump with a modified skydiving rig that was "basically a big piece of crap"???

I'm not knocking you or Bridge Day here, but that just seems wrong.

Will

[Geronimo509 0]

Made my 1st at BD 2000 with about 300 skydives. Definitely agree with a lot of the points Tom brought up. Base gear is the way to go, sure a skydiving reserve works but after you use base specific you want go back. We helped a bro get his B last weekend and he was jumping a PD 253 and as we watched his canopy flutter almost all the way to the ground I said and that's why we use base specific gear. Also CREW is very helpful I wish I had done some. Knowledge and being confident with you gear is extremely important. I always tell people you should be willing to take your gear totally apart (to include lines off links) tangle it up then untangle it, hook it up and feel comfortable jumping it. Read everything you can the Base Board is an excellent place to go. I had a job on a ski mountain that involved hours of sitting around by yourself and I literally read every post in the archives, despite the frequent bickering there is a huge amount of good info. Like Tom said diving training, or just going to the pool and playing, helps but also, as me and a buddy have discussed, freeflying. It gets you used to not being on your belly and seeing the world in other positions. Of course, as I learned in Norway this summer, work on your tracking or you'll find out that you really can't track as you see everyone fying away and your just hanging around near the wall. As for the courses I'm sure they're good , I've heard Jimmy and Marta's is very good and covers everything from doing PCA's and S/L's to site selection, but I'm a firm believer in finding a mentor and doing it the old way. Again like Tom said talk with your family and let them know your motives and wishes. This sport will lead you to some of the most beatiful places in the world and to meeting some really great people. Oh yeah be ready to get hasseled some about it by those who know you do it, some people will never understand but you don't do it for them you do it for yourself. Well maybe a bit more than you asked but there you go. Take Care
Later
Gabe
BASE 697

[base689 0]

> At what time in your skydiving career did you start base?
128 skydives, of which latest 30 made using a Fox 245 Multi BASE packed (learned through BR video) into my Javelin

> What training if any did you get
I read and studied ANYTHING was possible to find on Internet (BASE Board included), got in touch with an extremely experienced Italian BASE jumper (BASE #657), +350 BASE jumps at the time, grond crew for him so many times, he taught me everything is possible to teach. I was at the end of the above 30 skydives with Fox, I was about to be ready for my first BASE jump because I knew nearly everything is possible to know by a BASE student, but, I must admit it, I was very scared about the site we WOULD have used for my (supposed) 1st BASE (our very scaring terminal wall...), so I took a FBJ Course with Vertigo (without saying anything to BASE #657), I was sent off an S in Southern Idaho, sent a postcard to BASE #657 with the picture of that S, came back home, waited to get a phone call by #657 saying that he got my postcard from US, and finally I told him I did my first (four) BASE jump(s) in the States. Then I hooked with him for BASE jumping with him, and I still jump with #657. We are very, very good friends. Along the way, they joined the team very, very few other guys. In the end, I did my first BASE jump about 1 year 6 months after I met personally #657 and started studying from Internet and being taught by #657. By the way, before my first BASE jump, among many other things, I did hundreds of simulated BASE exits launching off a 1 m high cliff into sea water (with a wet suit, jolly cold water in April at my place...), 4 bungee jumps off a 60 m crane and 3 skydives off a balloon.

> and what equipment did you use?
For my first (three) BASE jump(s) I used Vertigo's Wizard+Dagger 222, but I was already a happy owner of a Prism+Fox 245 Multi (later upgraded to Vtec). Never considered for BASE jump anything different from a proper BASE rig. After that, I completed BASE at 13th jump, completed NIGHT BASE at 31st jump and completed NAKED BASE at 60th jump

Stay safe out there
Blue Skies and Soft Walls
BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

[bps 0]

I had 580 skydives before I made my first BASE jump. However, my training began well before that first BASE jump.

I lurked around on the BASE Board for almost 2 years reading every word that was posted, literally soaking in things like a sponge. At that point and time, I had a fascination with BASE, but was unsure if it was right for me.

And then one day, I saw this guy at the drop zone with an actual BASE rig. I dropped everything I was doing and stood off to the side watching and listening to everything this guy did and said. Before he left, I introduced myself and my expressed my interest in BASE. After I gave him my phone number, I walked away not realizing that as a BASE jumper, you will be hounded time and time again to "teach" people. And most people have no idea what a tremendous responsibility this can be.

A month or two later, I ran into "Mick" again at the DZ. Without being overbearing, I hung by his side and gave him my number again as he was leaving. Lucky for me, Mick contacted me a week later to ground crew for him off a local span. I'll never forget seeing my first live BASE jump. I'm convinced that the adrenalin was coarsing through my veins at the same rate as the jumper himself.

For the next 6 months, I drove for Mick, I ground crewed for Mick, I did site-surveys with Mick, and I practiced canopy drills like there was no tomorrow. The entire time, I continually analyzed things and made sure that this was absolutely something that I wanted to do. BASE has given me the greatest rewards in life, but it is also a deadly serious pursuit. I wanted to make darn sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

Knowing that I was ready for that first jump, Mick took me to a 700ft span that is ripe for first-timers. (for those of you following all the posts on this thread, yes, it was the same place where Tom made his first jump)

That night changed my life forever. I was waiting on CR's (Consolidated Rigging) doorstep the next day and ordered my first rig.

My approach was more of a traditional way to get into BASE. Find a mentor, and sponge information for months on end until you felt you were ready. It's hard to do this, because as I mentioned before, it's a huge responsibility for the mentor -- more than you know.

Nowadays, I feel there is a better way. Take your time and really think about whether or not you want to do this. In the meantime, soak up all you can on the internet, or better yet, from BASE jumpers in your area. Take the bad with the good (you can learn a great deal from other's mistakes/ignorance). And practice all the accuracy and CRW you can get your hands on! Then spend the money on a first jump course with a reputable company. There are many out there -- Consolidated Rigging, Basic Research, and Vertigo are just to name a few -- there are others out there too. Take your time and decide which course suits your taste as each one has a different style of teaching.

After your first jump course, and after you own BASE-specific gear, seek out an experienced group of jumpers to mentor you. There are increasing opportunities every day to meet other jumpers, you just have to know where to look.

Whatever you do, take your time and only move forward in difficulty when you are ready. I'm of the personal opinion that too many people are going too hard, too fast -- and the increasing numbers of injuries and fatalities may be a result of this.

And if you're still following my lengthy post (sorry!), I jumped a Vision container and a Mojo 260 on my first BASE jump. (BASE-specific gear)

Blue Skies,

Bryan

[Lolie 0]

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And if you're still following my lengthy post (sorry!)

Of course we're still reading; didn't you just tell us to soak up everything we could?
btw- I'm not planning on base jumping until I get another 200 or so skydives, but I'm already saving money for a FJC!

-Miranda
you shall above all things be glad and young / For if you're young,whatever life you wear
it will become you;and if you are glad / whatever's living will yourself become.

[LjuboM 0]

I did for 7 years acrobatic ski jump (hotdog), acrobatic training, first skydive jump in 1979, I'am free climber, about 2 years of reading and listening from experienced jumpers, buy my new BASE rig, 2-3 moths did packing, ... then the first jump.

B.A.S.E. is not a crime, it's way of life.
C-YA
Ljubo M.

[weegegirl 2]

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I borrowed a rig that was a modified skydiving rig. It was basically a big piece of crap, but it did the job.

Only 87 skydives and you were happy doing your first BASE jump with a modified skydiving rig that was "basically a big piece of crap"???

I'm not knocking you or Bridge Day here, but that just seems wrong.

Will

I saw it jumped several times. I packed it myself. And I trust the guy I borrowed it from with my life. Plus, our DZO, S&TA, and many more experienced jumpers were there over my shoulder the entire time okaying everything I did and explaining everything to me in detail. So, in my book, it was okay.

I am one of the most conservative jumpers at our dropzone. The things that most people would do without question, I'd think about for hours before hand. Seriously. I had enough confidence in the rig to jump it.

And one more thing, I honestly don't see the need in having hundreds of jumps before trying a BASE jump. People were confident enough in my skills to let me jump and so was I.

So, thanks for your concern, but I think I'm doing just fine.

Blue skies.

[skypuppy 1]

Well, after a few years we closed down the whole dz and took everyone to Bridge Day and put them all off... At the time I figured I could teach a chimpanzee to jump off the bridge pretty easy... and we were all using modified (just barely) skydiving gear... but we're not just talking jumping the bridge, we're talking about learning to BASE jump... Probably anyone can be taught to jump the bridge relatively safely once, but can they go on their own and decide what objects to jump next and how to do it?
A first BASE jump at bridge day is, while a worthy achievement, basically a carnival ride similar to a tandem... If a person doesn't mind having everything done for them, and the person doing the stuff doesn't mind doing it for them it can be done with little experience, but if you want to do it on your own you need to start with a certain level of knowledge and experience...

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[skypuppy 1]

BTW - I was a little concerned the chimpanzee might try to climb up the lines as he was floating down, thereby collapsing the parachute, but it was something I never had to figure out a hundred percent...

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[skymedic 0]

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basically a carnival ride similar to a tandem...

that's a pretty strong statement dont you think?

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[skypuppy 1]

Maybe a little strong - but it's like riding white water - do you just want to go rafting in a group with a guide and someone to prepare dinner for you while you relax over a few drinks, or do you want to run the river in your own kayak, maybe with a few friends in their own boats - choosing your own routes and playing where you want. I like to paddle my own boat.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[TomAiello 25]

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And one more thing, I honestly don't see the need in having hundreds of jumps before trying a BASE jump.

It may not be strictly necessary to have hundreds of jumps to survive a Bridge Day jump.

However, it is necessary to have the skills and awareness developed in those jumps to survive the beginnings of a BASE career (tens of jumps from multiple different objects). Not every jump you will make in your early BASE career will be as easy, or as forgiving of error, as Bridge Day.

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People were confident enough in my skills to let me jump and so was I.

I am curious what the BASE (not skydiving) experience of those people is.

I'm not knocking your decision to jump at Bridge Day. But please, please be careful making jumps from other objects.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[3fLiEr 0]

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I am one of the most conservative jumpers at our dropzone. The things that most people would do without question, I'd think about for hours before hand. Seriously. I had enough confidence in the rig to jump it.

You aint conservative in my book taking off a crapy bit of skydiving kit on a BASE jump - even if it is a >800ft bridge.

Use specific gear - it is developed for the job. Dont cut corners in BASE......... Life is lethal!

Be Safe Be Low

M

[weegegirl 2]

To Skreamer, Skypuppy, TomAiello, and 3fLiEr;

I got home from a busy weekend packed full of tasty skydives last night, and found all of your wonderful replies to my post on my first BASE experience. What joy I felt reading about how you guys could teach Chimpanzees to jump off of the bridge, and the wonderful comparison you made between a bridge day jump and a tandem. What a bunch of lovely BASE gods you all are.

I was only trying to share MY experience with the forum, which is what had been asked. I was not looking to be insulted or ripped apart. Apparently, if I follow a different learning path than the rest of you, I am dead wrong. Well, I’ll tell you what…. IF I go in, which God help me I don’t, but if I do… all of you please come back to this board and give me one big I TOLD YOU SO.

I guess I shouldn’t trust my instincts or my S&TA or my DZO or all the other experienced jumpers I’ve been jumping with since day one. Nope. That would be bad. Instead, I should follow some formula of exactly how many jumps somebody should have before making a BASE jump, etc etc. This is such a formulated sport with all sorts of rules and regulations. How could I be so dead wrong?

Basically, I’m just asking that you all give me just a BIT of a break. This is not an impulsive reply. I thought about this all night last night and all morning this morning. I’m still just totally bent out of shape that I would be so attacked. Some of you were lighter than others; Skypuppy was just plain rude.

You all can have your BASE forum. Enjoy. I apologize for answering the post honestly.

Sincerely,
Liz Bowman, A41327, waiting for my C number, bad-bad-bad BASE jumper

NOW, bring on the ridicule for writing this reply. Come on, let's hear it!

[skreamer 1]

You addressed that to myself (amongst others), yet I haven't posted to this thread since your last reply.

Why are you so over-sensitive? Do you not appreciate that maybe people have your best interests at heart with the advice they give?

Will

PS BTW I have zero BASE jumps so please refer to me as a 'BASE wannabe' rather than a 'BASE god'.

[weegegirl 2]

Listen, I wanted to reply to everyone who had judged me so quickly. I love constructive criticism. That's what helps us all to learn in this sport. I welcome it with open arms. But so many people "attacked" me for my posting. I am not over-sensitive - at least I don't feel like I'm being so. But you have to admit that some of the comments made were completly out of line. (chimpanzees doing BASE jumps and comparisons to tandems).

I applogize if you feel you didn't deserve to be included in that statement. I just felt that some people were outright rude to me. This is a rare happening, so maybe I didn't handle it quite well.

Again, I appologize if you feel like you didn't deserve that. Some people did.

Be nice. Life is short.