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TruePMs - wish I was kidding, but I'm not...

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so I got this PM today (I'm thinking some other people must have gotten ones very similar at some point):

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how can I get into Base Jumping...I have 60 jumps IM 18 and want to make a nice entry into BASE...alsoe a I have a bridge on my road 200 Feet. high...people base it....could I get my reserve in my skydiivng RIG....and have fellow base jumping hold it and i jump....Or dangle it below me? and jump over it...I am not going to try this anytime soon. but I heard Skydiving reserves are perfect for Base. what are these different exits called...thanx bro...also I am looking at the Apex jump course...altough i need about 100 more jumps...see ya!

(sic)

first, I have no idea why this person picked me to PM, I'm not from the area in their profile, maybe they just spammed a whole bunch of jumpers who post here?

second, that PM is just packed with the sort of attitude goodness that will make me look past my own low level of experience and take this person on as a student :S - NOT!

it really concerns me to to see the attitudes a lot of people have to starting base these days

to the person who sent me that PM:

How can I get into BASE jumping?
- There are many ways, ranging from buying gear with no experience or training, finding a site on the internet or by rumour and hucking yourself off unsupervised (this generally results in injury) to tailoring all your skydives and a lot of time and money to learn all you can about BASE before ever stepping up to the exit point.

I would recommend the latter. Start by reading the following articles:

Before you Post!

Getting into BASE

My First BASE Rig

funnily enough, you could have found them all through the links at the top of this page, check the attachment for more clues...

Then read all the posts in the threads, found by using the search option, below:

starting base

start base

getting started

FJC

first jump course

course

learning

THEN find your local BASE jumpers and find your nearest experienced (250+ jumps and 5+ years in the sport IMHO, opinions vary) BASE jumpers and talk to them

offer to groundcrew and be so nice and helpful that they will LET you groundcrew for a few months

the longer you groundcrew the more you will see and learn and the better you will be informed to make good decisions

at this point you will have a good idea of your options to start

I also recommend getting way more than the required minimum number of skydives.

Get your PRO rating. Do stadium demos. Compete in accuracy. Learn to be rigger.

oh yeah, 200 feet is low

skydiving reserves DO NOT make good (or even acceptable) BASE canopies

the way you described those exits, they would more likely be called INCIDENTS

do some more research guy, you have plenty of time

cya
sam

PS - I almost forgot, you also want to check out OUR BASE WIKI

edited to remove apparent sabotage of dutch BASE knowledge providers

B|

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And as general advice to any aspiring BASE jumper who ever considers sending me an email or PM; the quality and speed of my reply is inversily related to the amount of spelling and grammar errors in your message.

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My bet is you received that PM from airfury17. If I am wrong I apologize to airfury17. However, after reading his 18 posts he has made so far I bet I am right on with my prediction.

And do I give a shit for calling him out if it is him, actually...No.

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Yes.
Wow good call. I was the one who asked that. Simply because I have no clue about this site.About BASE. About basically anything. I do only have 60 jumps.So thank you for understanding. Also thank you very much for helping me out. I guess I should check out the info and look on Dropzone.com, also I was not aware this site needs perfect spelling. I have been raised in the AIM world. So I do appologize for this. I am also glad to see that the skydive world is full of fun and Nice people willing to help out younger people. (newbies). I had no intentions of jumping today. My plan was to talk to people who know their shit. Then skydive alot more so i can make a smooth (safe) entrance to BASE.

Thank you

-jeff-

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I have been raised in the AIM world.



This aint AIM and you aint in Kansas anymore.

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I am also glad to see that the skydive world is full of fun and Nice people willing to help out younger people. (newbies).



You will find that people are willing to help those that are willing to help themselves.

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Thank you



Your Welcome.

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Bridge day would be a good option if you are etching to make a BASE jump. http://www.bridgeday.info/firsttimers.php
all they ask for is 50 skydives + some gear requirements, you can sit through a free FJC (an abridged version) you can have your gear checked or rent a rig from the manufacturers.
take care

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And as general advice to any aspiring BASE jumper who ever considers sending me an email or PM; the quality and speed of my reply is inversily related to the amount of spelling and grammar errors in your message.



Don't tempt me. :|




:D


(You spelled "inversely" wrong.)
If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

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(You spelled "inversely" wrong.)



so did you!

obviously he meant: inversilly

I'd hate for this thread to degenerate into something less than entirely useful, so if you have received any entertaining PMs from people regarding BASE, do share if appropriate!

Funks - There's no point in ragging on people for asking questions.

Airfury17 - at least you are asking, don't take this thread personally, see it as a pointer on what kind of response you get based on the format and presentation of your communications.

cya

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And as general advice to any aspiring BASE jumper who ever considers sending me an email or PM; the quality and speed of my reply is inversily related to the amount of spelling and grammar errors in your message.



the quality and speed of my reply "are"...
---------------------------------------
Luck beef four Yule heap !

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mount of spelling and grammar errors in your message.


amount of spelling and grammatical errors... B|


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I'd hate for this thread to degenerate into something less than entirely useful, so if you have received any entertaining PMs from people regarding BASE, do share if appropriate!



Apparently there are no such PMs, but plenty of frustrated English majors. :D

Sorry I hijacked your thread, Sam, but I think it was doomed as soon as poor Jaap made that post.

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Funks - There's no point in ragging on people for asking questions.



Yes, but it's darn good entertainment...and it's also what he does best. He just forgot he's not in the Bonfire anymore.

I'll see that he's properly punished... :|

rl
If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

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Get your PRO rating. Do stadium demos. Compete in accuracy. Learn to be rigger.



How many of these did you do before you started BASE jumping?

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How many of these did you do before you started BASE jumping?



one

but I soon wished I had done all four

besides, you don't want to end up with my limited skillset

Don't do as I do, do as I say.

I've learned from what I did and don't see why that experience should not help others make BETTER decisions than I did

I've been unbelievably lucky to make it through the way I started basically unscathed (I had a guy-wire strike around 80 jumps which could have been entirely avoided by being better prepared).

Why would I recommend anyone else to take those same odds if they can get better odds?

I know you are implying that I, the pot, am calling the kettle black, but really all I'm doing is saying:

don't be dumb like me, be smart, because:
A - it's smart
B - you might not be as lucky

oh yeah, I'm up to 3 of those four things completed now and the fourth should be done this year..

;)

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Don't do as I do, do as I say.



Why do so many BASE jumpers who are still alive say that?

Maybe because having tons of experience amounts to very little when it comes down to it. Intelligence and humility are the only requirements to be a safe BASE jumper. The rest is just bonus.

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compete in accuracy

but it was hardly highly useful, as I did a total of 30 jumps on a 252 Parafoil and ended up using a borrowed Sabre 150, that I was jumping and loving at the time, for the actual competition

but then with all of about 100 skydives that seemed like a good idea to me at the time :S

ah, the happy days of jumping in England, mud, sheep and sheepshit all over the LZ, wind, clouds and rain all over the sky and whining all over the whole island

I'm almost looking forward to jumping with you damn foreigners again!

oh yeah, almost forgot - I have actually jumped an A in higher winds now than that night with you and Glamourboy! The trick is leave facing the antenna and pull silly low. :S:o:D

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Get your PRO rating. Do stadium demos. Compete in accuracy. Learn to be rigger.



I know that there are alot of different opinions for and against this. As a new jumper I think that doing these things, though not nessisary is a very very very good idea. At the very least, doing this kind of homework shows that a person is serious about BASE and wants to do everything that they can in order to make their career a long and safe one. Personally, I think that these things have helped me the most by making me feel more mentally ready for the jump. Standing at the exit point is no time to doubt your accuracy or packing/rigging skills.
Egad, A BASE life defiles a bad age.

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I would have told him to use the main with one riser unhooked and tied to his buddy's shirt. Then I would go on to say, if you have a video camera duct tape it to your right hand pointing back at you and tell your soon to be shirtless buddy to mail the tape to me no matter what happens.

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A lot of views and discussions on this forum are very conservative. The are very good views on how to get into base and what to do as well as not to do. We all can learn from them. I did about one year of research and learning before I did my first jump.

Now I will be the Devils Advocat. I think there plenty of jumpers out there who learn to BASE in an environment with no FJC and help from a high number jumper. As I heard before Mentors are hard to find. And if you find one you are lucky if they live with in a reasonable distance. I hardly talk about my first few jumps just because I know it would bring on the coals.

I think JappSutter is very correct when he says

"Intelligence and humility are the only requirements to be a safe BASE jumper. The rest is just bonus."

Dont get complacent, be humble and never think you know everything, it will help you live longer.

Adios
D

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Leonardo da Vinci

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I think JappSutter is very correct when he says

"Intelligence and humility are the only requirements to be a safe BASE jumper. The rest is just bonus."



I really agree with this! Problem is that most wannbes I meet tend not to even have these two basic requirements...:S
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most wannbes I meet tend not to even have these two basic requirements...:S

are you talking about me ?? :| :D
scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote
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Get your PRO rating. Do stadium demos. Compete in accuracy. Learn to be rigger.
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How many of these did you do before you started BASE jumping?



You have a few choices in life:

1 - be open minded and try to learn a bit from everyone you meet. It does not matter if they are right or wrong, more or less experienced, better looking or uglier, faster or slower, practiced what they preach or preach what they should have practiced, etc. Absorb, assess, assimilate, discard information as it is presented.

2 - be narrow minded, bitter and twisted, question everything, always look on the negative side, and try to discredit any information as it is presented.

My suggestion, look at the advice and see what positives YOU can get from it. Don't worry about where it came from or from whom. Your objective should be to improve yourself. If you open your mind you will be surprised where help can come from.

Confucious say: "Man who can't learn from fool is a bigger fool himself".
Stay Safe - Have Fun - Good Luck

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

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Confucious say: "Man who can't learn from fool is a bigger fool himself".



The difference between a wise man and a fool is that when they meet, the wise man learns something.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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