Call for Applications: Spring Death Camp 2006

[TomAiello 25]

The Snake River BASE Academy will host Spring Death Camp 2006 from May 20-26, 2006, in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Death Camp is offered twice each year, at Memorial Day (the 3rd week of May) and Labor Day (the first week of September). Death Camp is free, and admission is highly competitive. Typically, we receive approximately 30 applications for 5 places. Admission is offered based on evaluation of student applications, reference checks, student preparation and class composition.

Death Camp is the most comprehensive introduction to BASE available today. The course will focus on basic BASE skills, with an additional emphasis on the history and ethics of BASE, and the teamwork necessary to many BASE jumps. In addition to standard First Jump training, the course will cover appropriate brake settings, advanced packing techniques, object avoidance techniques, object evaluation, and landing skills. Time and jumper aptitude permitting, we will also cover unpacked jumps, particularly as used for emergency situations, and multi-way jumps.

The Death Camp curriculum assumes that students begin with no previous BASE jumps. However, applications will be accepted from anyone having fewer than 20 BASE jumps.

To Apply for Death Camp, please fill out the following information, or submit the answers to these questions via email to [email protected] or submit the answers to these questions via mail to us at Post Office Box 2493, Twin Falls, Idaho, 83303, USA. Please do not send private messages via the forums. All answers are optional, but providing more information will improve your chances of admission.

(1) Name:
(2) Age:
(3) Place of Residence:
(4) Number of BASE Jumps:
(5) Primary Skydiving Disciplines:
(6) Home Dropzone:
(7) Number of Skydives:
(a) Number of CRW jumps:
(b) Number of Accuracy jumps:
(c) Number of Demo jumps:
(8) Any rigging certifications:
(9) Other relevant experience (paragliding, climbing, rescue, etc):

(10) Name and telephone number of any BASE jumpers who know you:
(11) Name and telephone number of a BASE jumper who has agreed to mentor you:
(12) Name and telephone number of any instructors from other related disciplines who know you:
(13) Name and telephone number of your home dropzone S&TA, Chief Instructor, or both:

(14) Mailing Address:
(15) Telephone Number (mobile preferred):

(16) Emergency Contact Name:
(17) Emergency Contact Telephone (mobile preferred):
(18) Emergency Contact Address:
(19) Emergency Contact's relation to you:

(20) Explain why you want to BASE jump:
(21) Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to parachuting:
(22) Are you married?
(23) Do you have children?
(24) Have you discussed BASE jumping with your family?


Admissions decisions will be made with many criteria, but be aware that a recommendation from a BASE mentor whose judgment I trust will be weighed heavily in favor of applicants able to provide it.

There is no charge for this instruction, however, accepted applicants will be asked to make a $100 donation to a local charity.

Applications will be accepted from now until April 15th. Admissions decisions will begin on April 1st, with the last decisions made shortly after the 15th. It is to your advantage to apply before April 1st.

More information, including a course syllabus, can be obtained by emailing [email protected].

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[tfelber 0]

This seems a lot harder to get in than it was for me way back when. Has the demand risen that much? I also don't see a jump # requirement, are you really letting anybody do your course now Tom? Is that the reason for the increased demand?

Feel free to PM me on this.

[TomAiello 25]

Quote

Has the demand risen that much?

Yes. And it continues to do so. I got about 30 applications for the camp at labor day last year.

Quote

I also don't see a jump # requirement, are you really letting anybody do your course now Tom?

Since I'm screening out approximately 85% of applicants, and only accepting about 15%, I'd say that I'm far from letting anybody in. Although I do not have a stated minimum number of skydives, the competitive nature of the admissions means that applicants with more previous experience are more likely to be admitted, and the size of the applicant pool means that successful applicants tend to have significant previous experience.

I don't have the numbers handy, but for my last camp, I'd say the average number of skydives of the accepted applicants was running somewhere around 1000 (although Kate's huge number of skydives might skew the actual statistical number).


If I had to guess at the reason for relatively increased demand, I'd say that it is (a) more people are hearing about these offerings, and (b) when you took my class, I was offering shorter (long weekend) courses every month or two, whereas now I'm offering only 2 free courses per year, each a week long, at Labor Day and Memorial Day. This means that instead of 25 or 30 spots each year, I've got 8 or 10.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Faber 0]

i think you have a bad name for your camp Tom.. sorry to day..

I however would which that more people would put as much into BASE as you have done..

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[BASE813 0]

How many Non-USers take up your course?

[tfelber 0]

I know your not letting ANYBODY into your program, but are you considering candidates with zero skydives?

No criticism intended just wondering... I will always be a advocate of your course. I think you offer a thorough course and touch on several aspects about BASE other than the jump itself. The approach is methodical and allows the student to get to the edge gradually rather than being overwhelmed standing at the exit point.

My first jump off the bridge, I was confident in my actions and the fear was in the back of my head rather than staring me in the face. I was more unsure of that first jump out of the tree than I was of the first jump off the bridge.

[TomAiello 25]

Quote

How many Non-USers take up your course?

Quite a few, actually.

In my last camp, of 4 students, 2 were from the US, 1 from the UK, and the fourth was a Swiss national living in Mexico.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[tfelber 0]

When I took Tom's course there was a guy from the UK and a girl from Israel, myself and two others from the US.

[TomAiello 25]

Quote

I know your not letting ANYBODY into your program, but are you considering candidates with zero skydives?

No.

In theory, I guess you could say that I am, because I won't disqualify anyone before seeing their application. So, someone with zero skydives is, like everyone else, welcome to apply. But it's unlikely in the extreme that they'd get selected in a competitive process with other candidates possessing skydiving experience.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[freeatlast 0]

So I guess you'll be wanting more T-shirts then ....

[TomAiello 25]

Just a reminder that I will begin selecting applicants tomorrow.

Both the quality and quantity of applications has been greater than in for previous courses, so it's definitely to your advantage to apply by the end of the day tomorrow if you want to come.

I will notify all applicants directly, and will not post admissions decisions in this thread.

Thanks!

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[magot 0]

Tom
its not a death camp if they have skydived before
your disapionting me.

TOSS MY SALAD
I'm an invincible re-tarded ninja
derka derka bakala bakala muhammad jihad
1072

[GreenMachine 0]

There are only 40 days till the course...probably quite a few eager candidates out there.

This post is basically only meant to bump the thread back up in the forum.

Take It Light,
~Tom

[TomAiello 25]

I'm screening applications now. I will hold at least one spot until the deadline on the 15th, but have already begun sending out some invitations, as well as notifying some folks that I won't be able to take.

As of right now, I have 36 applications spread across my living room table. The typical applicant has somewhere between 1000 and 1500 skydives, but I have applications from folks with both many more and many less skydives than that.

In a few very exceptional (and impressive, to me) cases, local jumpers actually contacted me in advance of the application screening, recommending an applicant. Where those were jumpers I knew and respected, this counted heavily in favor of the applicant.

The applicant pool this time around has been of very high quality.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[GreenMachine 0]

Happy Easter guys!