Calvin19 0 #26 March 17, 2005 HA! funny story: "my "first" BASE jump" I was 14 years old, 2 years before my first skydive, and 3 years before my first base jump, and i was very into climbing. Me and a freind of mine had a highline set up over a valley (about 150' off the deck) just zipping back and forth. We had been building simple parachutes out of tarps, with the 4 corners tied to long lines, orignaly to slow us down on a bike (cut me a break, i was 14). and we got the great idea to tie one to our climbing harness and cut away from the line. We put a bit more thought into it (5 or 10 minutes) and decided we neede more than a 15 by 18 foot tarp. so we went to ACE hardware and bought a 30 by 20 foot super duty polyurethane tarp. and tied -6- lines, each 40 feet long to the corners and middle of longer sides. that evening, I slid out to the center of the highline tyrolean, duct taped to apex of my 'canopy' to the high line,(read:static line TARD or Direct bag), slid another 20 feet out away from the 'canopy' and tied into the lines. Wind was about 15 MPH, right down the valley (a 4 to 1 slope downhill). I waved at my freind, on the ground 150 feet below, looked at my parachute waving 45 degrees in the wind and pulled myself up to unhook from the line. (to this day on a base jump i still wait 5 minutes at an Exit, 'I was 14') Now, the scary thing about this is how well it worked the first time. My freefall was about 70 feet, and the tarp opened beautifuly, off to the downwind side, and i swung underneath it. Canopy ride must have been 5 or 6 seconds, and i tumbled through the grass, and into a creek. Got up and screamed! Next day, wind was about 35mph, my freind got out on the line with our parachute. and set it up the same way, as he was unhooking from the highline, the Duct tape broke on the apex of the parachute, and the thing opened takeing him with it. He ended up about 300 yards away in a tree with a broken arm and a torn parachute. oh yeah, dont try it. I have a picture of the VAlley and a trampoline hanging from one side of the highline, but i dont know how to compress it so i can upload it. any help? CALVIN-#987 -SPACE- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tyrion 0 #27 March 17, 2005 If you don't have any image resizing software, use mspaint to resize it (Start > Programs > Accessories) or you could email it to me and i'll photoshop it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cesslon 0 #28 March 17, 2005 Calvin that story was awesome. you say you slid down the hill and into a creek. directly below where ya dropped was there water ? 150 feet with a home made parachute as a kid is Awesomely crazily stupidly awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TVPB 0 #29 March 17, 2005 Ha ha Reminds me too much of myself and an old jumping buddy. Kids are immortal . . . . .Until they have their first injury. Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Calvin19 0 #30 March 17, 2005 I wish i could say it was the stupidest thing i have ever done, but I cant. I think it is the 3rd (Taking a homemade hangglider off a 1300' launch is the first, but i have Video of that one, the 2nd i keep to myself) but those are stories for other colums. I realized only after starting BASE how lucky we really were that day. shit that was low. I want to go set up that highline again and do a PCA with my Dagger/warlock for old times sake. well, i guess it only was 5 years ago. still trying to get the pic compressed... -SPACE- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cesslon 0 #31 March 18, 2005 no no do it again with the old parachute, the 1 you made that day and take a video of it this would be classic probably move to the number 1 spot of all my base videos I have collected Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
