Don't Give up the Ship, Boys . . .

[NickDG 23]

Don't Give up the Ship, Boys . . .

It's coming up on four decades since the NPS went ballistic after Pelkey and Shubert first jumped El Capitan in 1966. When Andy Calistrate stopped issuing El Cap numbers in the early 90s the count is passing 700. Later in 1999 Chief Ranger Bob Andrews said BASE jumps in Yosemite Valley stood at 6,000. And I think its way more than that. The only reason we are on their radar screen is we keep on doing it . . .

While Jan's accident may have set the clock back to zero in the minds of younger Rangers, it should be remembered the real issue we are dealing with are human prejudices. On a basic level Rangers have the same mental block most humans have, a natural and genetic repulsion to falling now further reinforced by Jan's death. We are not only up against stubborn bureaucrats; we are fighting human nature itself. A quarter of a million spectators sometimes show up at Bridge Day not to buy funnel cakes, and not to celebrate our conquest of the air, it's because what we do is so unbelievable to them, so against their own ways, they simply have to see it with their own eyes. The day we finally win, will be a day something like Bridge Day 2050, the day nobody showed up to watch . . .

I can't find the page now, but I was looking at a NPS official website with facts and figures concerning El Capitan. In addition to the usual height and girth figures they included when it was first climbed and who did it. I stared at that for quite a while not understanding why, when it was first jumped, isn't there too.

I've been fortunate, and frustrated, to have had the privilege to be around long enough to see most of the changes that have effected BASE jumping. I see the sport at a crossroads now. We are standing at a fork in the road and which one we take is going to mightily effect our future for generations to come. Slowly, but surely we are starting to abandon a long held stance that we'd do what we wanted, where we wanted, whenever we wanted. Now, we are starting to slip into playing someone else's game and I just want to make sure we all realize it.

A case in point is the current posts concerning the big wall in Mexico and to a lesser extent the cave. Basically we've gotten away from a basic tenet of BASE that dictated it is always better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. While I run hot and cold on the value of legal sites in BASE, I must admit when I read Jay's pleadings to follow the rules, my first reaction is a basic BASE one. Fuck the Mexican Government. That once held by all sentiment, is now in danger of becoming a minority point of view. If I spend the money and organize my own clandestine trip to the cave right now, I not only risk the wrath of the Mexican government, I risk being ostracized by my brothers and sisters in the BASE community. And that is wrong on so many levels.

No one can stop us from jumping except ourselves, and too me it seems we are backing ourselves into that very corner. We worked hard in the 80s ridding BASE of skydiving ways and skydiving attitudes, but now they are creeping back in. While it may prolong the fight, we must decide something. Do we want BASE jumping accepted on their terms, or ours . . . Carl Boenish was fond of saying, "Happy are those who dream dreams, and are willing to pay the price to see them come true," not, "Happy are those who follow the rules . . ."

Rules and regulations are being accepted in BASE jumping nowadays as "normal" by jumpers when in reality following rules stifles our progress. We are giving up the freedom to "dream" in favor of temporary access. Think back to the early days of BASE gear development. The very thing that allows today's jumper a certain degree of safety wouldn't be available had there been rules. I watched Todd labor all day on something new in his loft and then later that night try it off some downtown building. Once satisfied he made it available to other BASE jumpers. Had he to convince some government agency it was viable first it may never have happened.

Look at skydiving itself. The modern version of that sport began when board out their minds WW II veterans just started showing up at small duster strips with surplus parachutes and jumped of their own volition. Now the sport is a big over-regulated commercial game of, "may I." The FAA has made new gear development so difficult and expensive nobody bothers anymore. The last major change in basic gear configuration occurred with Bill's Three-Ring and throw-out pilot chute, and that was in 1975. We went, in fairly short period of time, from "Masters of the Sky," to, "Sheep of the Dropzone." There is among us right now the new Todd Shoebotham, the new Mark Hewitt, and if we are really lucky a young BASE version of Bill Booth. Rules and regulations will only hinder them . . .

Our toughest times still remain ahead of us. And it will take BASE jumpers with the guts and foresight to give up the comfort of regulated short term access in favor of our future generations enjoying unfettered and unconditional access. I realize jumping the Flatiron Building downtown will never reach that stage, but cliff jumping anywhere in the world can, and it will, as long as we don't throw in the towel too soon. And more and more I see the towels flying more than we are . . .

"At once, struck by surprise that such freedom could be,
We leapt from our perch of security,
We fell and then glided back down to the ground,
The moment was brief and we made not a sound,
The landing was hard, but our spirits unbroken,
We remembered the freedom of which we heard spoken."

-------------- "Flight to Freedom" by Jean Boenish, BASE 3, 1981

We are, and always have been in a guerilla war for our birth right to fly.

Don’t give up the ship, boys . . .

NickD BASE 194

[BASE813 0]

nice.........

[vandev 0]

Very Nice Nick....I feel the same way... It's like someone telling you how and where to hike.....I completly understand... I think that to jump El Cap again will take alot of effort by alot of people and most of all.."some kind of bowing to rules" I know Nick ,that it is against principle, but there has to be a medium ground. After 9-11, things that we normaly took for granted will never be the same today. After Jan Davis, and i dont know the complete story....They surely would have said no. It's hard to blame them when you are trying to show something in one light and then you screw the pooch. It happened with the space shuttle,9-11, high rise construction the list goes on. It only take one tragedy to bring everything to a halt. My friend got stopped the other day cruising to slow and to close on government cut which is where the cruise ships dock in miami. They had a 50 cal mounted on the deck loaded and a guy actually standing behind it.... Things changed allot down here from something that happened over 2000 miles away and over 3 years ago. It goes to show you that we need to be aware of things far from home as well, as they will effect us also....

Nice post though Nick...... Sounds like you are feeling Good!....I'm glad.......

Chris

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[JaapSuter 0]

Fact: for any activity our society has an acceptable risk threshold. If the scope of accidents increases beyond this threshold, society stops perceiving it as a sport and starts considering it suicide.

Fact: the perceived risk of base jumping puts us in the suicide camp.

Fact: whenever an accident happens, somebody has to clean up the mess, tax-money is spend, and people are saddened.

Ergo: Society would rather prohibit us from jumping.

Not-a-fact and open for debate: the actual risk of base jumping is not determined, but undeniably higher than that of most other outdoor sports.

What I used to think: the fastest way to convince society that the actual risk is not as high as the perceived risk is through legal jumping and full exposure. This will certainly be faster than remaining clandestine and underground. The latter will just put us on a ticking time-bomb given the explosive growth of the sport.

My current opinion: the actual risk is not quite as far from the perceived risk as I originally hoped for. If climbing were as dangerous as base jumping, maybe the NPS would ban them too.

Here's a question to everybody; do you think society should protect people from themselves to a certain extend, by for example mandating seatbelts and wearing helmets on motorcycles?

I don't know what my answer to this question is, but I'm hoping somebody has thought about this and has good arguments either way.

[vandev 0]

Quote

My current opinion: the actual risk is not quite as far from the perceived risk as I originally hoped for. If climbing were as dangerous as base jumping, maybe the NPS would ban them too.

So...What is the fatality rate of climbing? What is the fatality rate of Everest??? Thats got to be super high....compaired to the amount of people who try...

El Cap....How many base jumpers died there or where hurt badly verses climbers.....I would bet they have had more climbing incidents.....and again i could be totally wrong.


Its true...society calls climbers on Everest Adventures...And they call base jumpers leaping from Kjreag..completly nuts.....

Well you wouldnt get me climbing Everest....they are nuts if you ask me....

Just my opinion of the moment....

Nice post Japp......Chris

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[base736 0]

Quote

Not-a-fact and open for debate: the actual risk of base jumping is not determined, but undeniably higher than that of most other outdoor sports.

Every time somebody brings up the old "driving to the object is more dangerous than the jump" things erupt into a melee of "well, per hour..." vs. "well, per kilometer..." vs. "well, per outing...". If you're going to use the word "higher" or "greater" then you'd best quantify the things you're putting on either side of it.

If I might ask, though... I think you'll find the excercise neither entertaining nor productive. What are you hoping to get out of determining whether BASE is more risky than gardening, or climbing, or bull riding?

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

What is the fatality rate of Everest?

That's an interesting but very ironic point you bring up.

Climbing the Everest requires a government permit that can cost up to 70.000 US dollars (albeit up to seven people can share one permit).

So don't think that base jumping is the only thing being regulated. Climbers, mountaineers, skydivers, stockcar racers, and even your neighbour's hiking trips; they're all regulated in some way or another.

The fact is that we're living on a small planet with six billion people. We need ways to coexist in peace and sometimes regulation helps us and sometimes it works against us. Never stop trying to fix the deficiencies! I'm just not sure if a continued underground and clandestine movement is the best way to do it.

It sucks the cave is closed. It's because of the hard work that people like Basehoundsam and the Stavanger Base club put in that other sites in Mexico and Norway aren't closed yet. Thanks guys!

I'll take one month of legal jumping over year round illegal jumping. I take legal jumps between six and nine AM over year round illegal jumping. Your mileage may vary!

The argument that limiting legal dates or times will make some people jump in sub optimal conditions is moot. It is each jumpers responsibility to jump in perfect conditions and those not only include the weather but also the politics, the legalities, the bust-factor, the nesting periods of local birds and what the hell not. The trade-offs are yours and yours only.

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

Every time somebody brings up the old "driving to the object is more dangerous than the jump" things erupt into a melee of "well, per hour..." vs. "well, per kilometer..." vs. "well, per outing...". If you're going to use the word "higher" or "greater" then you'd best quantify the things you're putting on either side of it.

If I might ask, though... I think you'll find the excercise neither entertaining nor productive. What are you hoping to get out of determining whether BASE is more risky than gardening, or climbing, or bull riding?

That's exactly why I didn't state it as fact and said it was open for debate.

I do believe the exercise is productive though, if only because it is the question asked by the very people who will try to stop us from base jumping.

Surely you have thought about how dangerous base really is? Maybe not in comparison to other sports, but certainly in relation to some sort of safety point that you consider your absolute zero. Maybe lying in bed all day? It's a risk-reward thing.

Do you think mandatory seatbelt and helmet laws are a good thing or not? Any answer to this question will be strongly related to your opinions on base regulation.

[vandev 0]

$70,000 to go and kill yourself....see.......they are nuts....

As you say Japp, The more we fight the harder it becomes. I have a idea Nick, what if some people in base get togather and come up with a list of ideas or operating guidlines that we feel are accetable to the base community. We then write these up and submit them to the NPS and we instead call them rules , as this word they understand..

In every part of this planet, weather it be in the animal kingdom , gangland South Central, prison, or just our own lives, there are unwritten rules we abide by to survive. I think thats what japp is saying...Is it better to risk loosing everything the ones pioneered and died before us or do we do whatever it takes to preserve it and let it continue as i think they would....

Again , I have been known to be complety wrong...

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

Again , I have been known to be complety wrong...

Yeah, me too! On many occasions.

[cornishe 0]

Quote

I'll take one month of legal jumping over year round illegal jumping. I take legal jumps between six and nine AM over year round illegal jumping. Your mileage may vary!

F dat boooolshit. I'm 180 deg opposite on that one mate. It'd be great to have this stuff legal, but we have a pretty low bust/consequence rate overall. I'd rather jump when I wanna jump, where i wanna jump, and take the 1% bust chance.


-

Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

It'd be great to have this stuff legal, but we have a pretty low bust/consequence rate overall. I'd rather jump when I wanna jump, where i wanna jump, and take the 1% bust chance.

I wonder if Dexterbase, KMonster or anybody else that has ever been busted or hurt there agrees with you.

Besides, even if it's legal one month a year, that doesn't stop you making illegal jumps the rest of the year. Just try not to ruin it for the rest of the people.

Considering you were my partner in crime for a week, you should know that we're not 180 degrees at all.

[Sean621 0]

nice thoughts nick and as ever they have an air of the total answer....well mate....now we have a crossroads that internally we have to llook at.....does the ethics culture turn us into these nanny state products you are talking about or is there a line in between....im pretty wasted now but that was the only thing that stuck out...another quick one...do you really care that much mate...in 40 years time we will be dead and BASE 1776 will be saying....look guys its really uncool to wingsuit the freedom tower in rush hour on memorial day.

http://www.extreme-on-demand.com

[sabre210 0]

There are basejumps and there are basejumps!

I've done the legal bridges, the legal cliffs and I love them like little brothers. Great stuff! A lot of fun. Legal jumps will always have a bed to kip on at my house should they be passing through the vacinity.

BUT, and this is no small but, they pale into insignificance against the full-on night-time ninja assaults. They weep at the feet of the stealth mission.

They're that funny hair-lipped bloke in gladiator, compared to the Russell Crowe Warrior - cowering and ashamed and without stature.

They're like a semi-lob-on, compared to the rigid; rampant; proud; masterful morning-wood. (girls might want to use their own analogy here).

In short, they're only half a basejump, a baaaa jump if you will; and like sheep they follow in the footsteps of others. They blaze no trails, they break no new ground.

Nick, fret ye not oh little one. There may be jumpers out there, bleating on about legal this and legal that, and ethics, and advanced ethics, and extended advanced ethics, and 'i want everyone to accept me for what i do and love me' , but as long as day turns to night (fade up heroic music); as long as things poke out the ground; as long as there are fools who do stooooopid things; the illegal jump, the 'up yours fella' sneaky one, won't be going anywhere fast.

To slightly alter Bob Hoskins' immortal line in The Long Good Friday:

"legal jumps......i shit em"

Let the FLAMES commence.

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

the illegal jump, the 'up yours fella' sneaky one, won't be going anywhere fast.

Amen!

[sabre210 0]

oh one other thing...

FACT: if you're successful in campaigning for legal access (and i truly hope you are) it won't be achieved on YOUR terms. There will be rules and restrictions and provisos.

FACT: The authorities who agree to give you access will be just waiting for the first sign of a fuck-up, a rule break, a low pull, an injury, or even worse a fatality, to justify ceasing the access you worked hard to secure.

FACT: no matter how much you try, or how persuasive your arguements, you will never get 100% of all worldwide BASE jumpers to abide by your rules. Some people are in this to enjoy themselves, how they want, when they want, on their terms. The more you try to reel them in, the harder they will fight.


FACT: someone WILL break the rules and someone WILL get hurt. How many of either will the authorities tolerate, having arrived at this tender agreement with no shortage of animosity and prejudice.


The chances are you'll be back to page one before you know it.


I'm not against the battle for legal access to certain sites, but like Nick i wonder if the freedoms you waive will be worth the freedom you gain.

[Mikki_ZH 0]

Quote

A case in point is the current posts concerning the big wall in Mexico and to a lesser extent the cave. Basically we've gotten away from a basic tenet of BASE that dictated it is always better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. While I run hot and cold on the value of legal sites in BASE, I must admit when I read Jay's pleadings to follow the rules, my first reaction is a basic BASE one. Fuck the Mexican Government. That once held by all sentiment, is now in danger of becoming a minority point of view. If I spend the money and organize my own clandestine trip to the cave right now, I not only risk the wrath of the Mexican government, I risk being ostracized by my brothers and sisters in the BASE community. And that is wrong on so many levels.

I agree with you that no one should be stopped jumping an illegal object.
But I also think that objects which can be jumped legally by following some rules should be jumped this way. People are making a lot of efforts to jump El Gigante or Kjareag legally. To do so, they have to set up some guidelines in order to calm down local authorities. If some one decides to give a f%ck about this and jump the site to his own liking, he risk’s to close down the site for a the jumpers who would like to jump it legally which goes into the same league (in my opinion) as day blazing a illegal object...

My 2 centavos

Michi (#1068)
hsbc/gba/sba
www.swissbaseassociation.ch
www.michibase.ch

[Zenister 0]

not having made a single BASE jump yet..... soon soon.. dreaming of canopies it is posts and attitudes like this that lead me to believe i have more fundamentally in common with BASE jumpers than 'modern' skydivers...

rule, regulate, stifle and choke... make every aspect 'safe' for the masses... and so lose the freedoms that make life worth living...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[vandev 0]

Quote

rule, regulate, stifle and choke... make every aspect 'safe' for the masses... and so lose the freedoms that make life worth living...

I will take a few of my freedoms away in exchange for keeping a mojority of really stupid people either away from me or at least instill that just because they are morons doesnt mean they can try to screw my life up....It only take a short trip to a unregulated country to make glad your freedoms come at a price. The price is rules...I am sorry, but without rules there is chaos...It's a fact. Weather unwritten or writen....there needs to be a natural balance...Freedoms are usally paid for at price ...


And then again, i have been know to be completly wrong...

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[ryoder 1,398]

(The origin of this is left as an exercise for the reader.)

George:
You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it.

Billy:
Huh. Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened, man. Hey, we can't even get into like, uh, second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel. You dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or something, man. They're scared, man.

George:
Oh, they're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.

Billy:
Hey man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody needs a haircut.

George:
Oh no. What you represent to them is freedom.

Billy:
What the hell's wrong with freedom, man? That's what it's all about.

George:
Oh yeah, that's right, that's what it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it - that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. 'Course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em.

Billy:
Mmmm, well, that don't make 'em runnin' scared.

George:
No, it makes 'em dangerous.
~

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[RhondaLea 3]

Quote

(The origin of this is left as an exercise for the reader.)

George: Nik, nik, nik, nik, nik, nik, nik...swamp.

Your age is showin', dude. :)

But I guess that means mine is too.

The river flows, it flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes, that's where I want to be
Flow river flow, let your waters wash down
Take me from this road to some other town
All I wanted was to be free
And that's the way it turned out to be...

[vandev 0]

I found it....Here is the stat...

Quote

A total of 1,583 people from 65 countries have climbed Mount Everest from either Nepal or Tibet since it was first scaled by New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Around 185 climbers have died on its slopes. O'Brien, a member of a team of seven foreign climbers, is the eighth American to die on Everest

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

[TVPB 0]

RISK: you CAN rate the risk of a series of individual acts. You need to develop a system of ratings and use a calibrated pool of people to make that rating realistic and fair when considering a range of acts. Compare the rock climbing difficulty rating system.

I believe that it is extremely difficult and unjust to give an overall rating of risk for an activity such as BASE jumping because there are too many variables to compare and the spread amongst individual members of the community is far too great. What do I mean by this?

Easiest to explain with examples.

Consider a highly skilled, yet conservative jumper who has a list of criteria that MUST be met at all times prior to a jump being executed.

Consider a very inexperienced, athletically challenged individual, who does not even know that lists of criteria exist, who has no concept of safety or learning or progression, who believes in immortality, who has a firm belief that "it can't happen to me", who emulates the actions of other people without thought, etc.

The risk factor between these individuals is immense. Both of these types of individuals DO exist within our beloved sport. And there are many people that exist between.

Consider the general public. They think that BASE jumping is dangerous. Why? Quite simply because they have no idea, they have not and will never try the sport, because the act of flight and falling scares them. Their "risk rating" is borne from fear and lack of knowledge.

Lets consider an inexperienced jumper. They also have limited knowledge. Their experience is tempered by all the recent additions to The List, especially of experienced jumpers. Contemporary jumpers are attempting much more diificult jumps much earlier in their jumping careers. They are more prone to accidents and injuries because of the wider range of skills that they are attempting in shorter time periods. All this leads them to beleive that it is dangerous. Perhaps danger and risk (perceived or real?) is what attracted them to the sport in the first place. They think it is dangerous.

Then you have people who are skilled and experienced at assessing risk. They are vary capable and systematic about saying yes or NO. They find a potential jump location and run it through certain criteria. It either meets the criteria or not. If it does not meet the criteria, its not a BASE jump, hence it does add to the overall risk of the sport. If it does meet the criteria, then it exists within the acceptable risk quotient of the jumper concerned. For that person, the risk of the sport has been defined.

If you choose to freefall a hill that has a 45 degree slope, guess what? If you choose to static line a bridge into water, guess what the outcome will be.

Finally, if someone tries a jump that is incredibly risky with minimal chance of survival, then you can't really call that a BASE jump and include it into the risk profile. It is just plain suicidal stupidity. Otherwise we'll have to start adding general suicides to that stats. After all they did jump from a bridge or building.

Regarding rules.

Although I have enjoyed sneaking around on BASE jumps in the past, nowadays, it is a much less palatable option. However, one of the main attractions of BASE jumping for me is the fact that I am totally responsible for my behaviours and actions. WIth the exception of a few public BASE events, once I stand on the exit point, I am the rule maker. I am totally responsible for my actions. And I take pride in the fact that I am capable and able to do this.

But we DO need rules. And unless we are striving for inclusion in the Darwin awards, each one of us probably does and should have a set of rules that we should abide by. I have been arguing this point for a long time and have been trying to push it in a former role as A BASE Association safety Officer. What do I mean by this?

The rules are simple. Self preservation, respect of self/sport/environment/other jumpers/society.

They are the BASE ethics!!!!

You can break these down a lot further into more detail. Self preservation can be broken down into: using appropriate equipment, undertaking the right/structured training program, building your skills & progressing sequentially, being realistic about your self assessment, combining the word AND ACTION of "NO" in your repertoire, etc.

Not following BASE ethics is not about freedom. Everytime someone does not follow the ethics, they are potentially robbing another person of their freedom. This is selfish.

Most people think of the laws of society when they think of freedom. Given that their are laws that range from extremely fair and reasonable all the way down to downright stupid, I don't care either way what people do in terms of laws. However, you must not adversely affect another persons life, their property, or the environment. You SHOULD consider the affect that your actions will have on other people and the environment. Imagine of sometime robs YOU of the opportunity of jumping a site or undertaking an acitivity that you truly love. They would be robbing you of your freedom. Don't do this to others.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT RESPECT. If you don't have a basic modicum of respect and ethics. you DO NOT have the right to exericise your right to freedom.

If a site is legal within certain time frames. Respect that. Do not blatantly thumb your nose up to the authorities by blazing away in their faces. Use more appropriate timings and behaviours. If you don't have the time to be ethical in this sport r.e. jump sites, the sport should not have the time for you!!!!

Stay Safe
Have Fun
Good Luck

Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck

The above could be crap, thought provoking, useful, or . . But not personal. You decide.

[base311 0]

Wow. There they are, my sentiments exactly - all wrapped up in one perfect post.

Gardner

[vandev 0]

Quote

I will take a few of my freedoms away in exchange for keeping a mojority of really stupid people either away from me or at least instill that just because they are morons doesnt mean they can try to screw my life up....

Quote

Most people think of the laws of society when they think of freedom. Given that their are laws that range from extremely fair and reasonable all the way down to downright stupid, I don't care either way what people do in terms of laws. However, you must not adversely affect another persons life, their property, or the environment.

I am glad that this train of thought exists....

What a great post.....Hit the Nail right on the head..it doent get any clearer than that....

In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"