KIDS and BASE

[Faber 0]

copy paste from skydivingmovies.com

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Short Description: My 16-year-old son preps for and does his first BASE jumps

Description: Started skydiving when he was 15 so he could learn to BASE jump, Matthew uses a Pendulator to polish his zero airspeed exits, then makes his first six BASE jumps from TF. He'll continue to make PCAs until both he and I think he's ready to go handheld.

Creator: BASE841

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=4718

my comment:
BASE841,i hope your son dosnt die.. its only you to blame..
Im a father aswell and yes i sure would allow the kids to skydive as they turn 16(limit here) but BASE jumping surdenly wasnt a thing i would bring my kids into,and deafently if they wanted to i would make sure they got the BEST education by THE BEST BASE jumpers out there(not saying your bad).
Faber/BASE 850

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[recovercrachead 0]

So what are you saying?????????????????????????????????????????????

Track high, Pull LOW!!!

[leroydb 0]

His comment/ He was "saying" :

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my comment:
BASE841,i hope your son dosnt die.. its only you to blame..
Im a father aswell and yes i sure would allow the kids to skydive as they turn 16(limit here) but BASE jumping surdenly wasnt a thing i would bring my kids into,and deafently if they wanted to i would make sure they got the BEST education by THE BEST BASE jumpers out there(not saying your bad).
Faber/BASE 850

edit to add: it is pretty easy to read between the lines recovercrachead. Then again?

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[Scoop 0]

I hope his health insurance covers funeral arrangements

[Lonnie 0]

Hey Faber,

I too am struggling with this one. My son is 16 as well, and has recently been bugging me to let him continue Skydiving, with the intent to start BASE jumping. I'm still on the fence with this one. He knows full well, first hand, the dangers of BASE, yet he still wants to jump. At 16, he's at the crossroad of life, not quite an adult, but not a kid anymore either. What to do?
To say if his son dies it's his fault, is a bit harsh I think.
By that process if anyone dies that you have taken under your wing, it your fault. Do you think that everyone one "the list" has someone (mentor)to blame for their death?
Just trying to invoke some thought on it. Sometimes the hardest thing about being a parent is letting them grow up. I know your kids are still young, so it's tough

I don't know where I stand on this one

So far my answer to him has been "we'll see"

NEVER GIVE UP!

[tfelber 0]

I think a lot of it has to do with how dangerous you think BASE really is and why you think that. I think, if you trust your son to make descent decisions under close supervision then learning to BASE at 16 isn't a real issue. My biggest concern would be that they go off on their own, showing off for friends, and do something they wouldn't do otherwise...

If my son was into roadracing, as I was, I would have the same concerns. On a closed course, managed event it's one thing, but in the mountains with his friends on a two lane road is entirely different. Yet, that is how I started roadracing.

I would not encourage my son to BASE jump, but if it's something he wants to do and his head is on straight, I would be right there beside him holding his PC myself.

BTW, 841 is a skydiving instructor and experienced BASE jumper. I think he would have a pretty good idea of his own level of competence...

[jonege 0]

He may know full well and first hand the dangers, but 16 year-olds still tend to believe, consciously or subconsciously, that they are bullet-proof. They may say they don't, and on an intellectual level they may understand they really aren't and they really can die, but most of the time, there is still some part of them that has not yet accepted their own mortality. And until that happens, I am not sure a person is really capable of appreciating the risks of an activity like BASE well enough to make a mature determination as to whether or not they want to go down that path. Not saying that applies with your kid (or 841's either), but I think that does apply to the overwhelming majority of 16-year olds. Just think back to when you were 16, and think about the perspective you had then as compared to the perspective you have now. I am 40, and I remember that when I was 16, I was pretty damn sure I was an "adult" capable of making my own life decisions, despite my parents' views to the contrary. I look back now and am glad my parents stuck to their guns and didn't just turn me loose.

[Lonnie 0]

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BTW, 841 is a skydiving instructor and experienced BASE jumper. I think he would have a pretty good idea of his own level of competence...

Being a skydiving instructor is for sure an asset, however, his profile says he only has 100 BASE jumps. I hope that # needs to be updated. To teach anyone, you should have more than that

NEVER GIVE UP!

[Lonnie 0]

All true, I'm 41, and I thought the same thing, at each decade, 20,30 40. Each time thinking OK now I've matured. I'm sure that will continue, and when and if I make 60, I'll look back and think I knew shit when I was 41, but each person is individual 16 or 66
I've met 17 yr olds who were far more heads up than guys at 40 or even 50

Edit to add: I taught a 17 yr old a few years ago, and he was just crowned new World Champ in Swooping!

NEVER GIVE UP!

[huckalingus 0]

You know if the kid has a good amount of skydives and gets some proper training for base, then alright kid get after it. It does seem like a young age, but at that age you are really athletic and can react faster than most. There are a number of sports where the young kids are dominating the scene and taking it to the next level. Who knows this kid could end up being one of the best Base jumpers of our time. Like i said, proper training is important.

[avenfoto 0]

the closest thing i had to a mentor started base at 16, and came out fairly unscathed..

his mentor was mcglynn tho..

[crwper 7]

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And until that happens, I am not sure a person is really capable of appreciating the risks of an activity like BASE well enough to make a mature determination as to whether or not they want to go down that path.

I'm 29 years old. I would say I've thought about my own mortality more than most people my age. Three months ago I probably would have argued that few people have a clearer picture of their own mortality than I did. Then I watched my brother go in at the Potato Bridge (and, incredibly, survive). Today, I would say, Show me a man who has accepted his own mortality, and I'll show you a man who will accept it more if the right events transpire.

I guess what I'm saying is, I doubt any of us is ever really over the "bullet-proof" thing. So it seems a bit odd to look at a 16-year-old and say, "There is still some part of them that has not yet accepted their own mortality."

Michael

[BASE841 3]

I'm at work right now and don't have time for an in-depth reply, but quickly:

Faber and all, thanks for your views. Letting my son skydive and BASE jump was done with a LOT of thought and discussion, and not done lightly. I have taken some steps to keep it in control... only PCA from TF, and I hold onto the gear so he only jumps under my supervision. And I wouldn't even consider doing this unless Matthew impressed me with his maturity. (He's looking forward to doing the cliffs in Utah, but knows they are many jumps in the future.) As for judging maturity, I would never consider letting/helping his older brother (19) skydive, much less BASE jump. The two young men are VERY different.

Helping Matthew skydive and BASE jump has been terrifying for me, but like one poster said, at some point your children will grow up and start their own lives. Instead of shielding my children from the world, I try to prepare them for it, based on their abilities and aptitudes.

Matthew has impressed me with having the desire and aptitude for jumping. Is it too early? I don't think so; not for him, and not for TF PCA. For others? That depends on the individuals involved.

I think rules of thumb (200 skydives, for example) are good guidelines. But despite (or maybe because of) my military experience, I don't think they should be followed blindly. For my oldest son (for example) I'd recommend more like 500 skydives under a variety of canopies with no injuries. I don't think he could do it.

[gus 1]

...and so the degradation of BASE continues.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[HydroGuy 0]

Last week an experienced skydiver with several thousand jumps and 20+ years was PCA'd off the Potato. He had a tailgate hangup. He grab his toggles and pumped the shit out of them and got a canopy ~75 feet off the water.

Would anyone with 7 skydives be prepared to deal with this?

It was just a PCA off the Potato.

(and if anyone wants to know it was a small black band larksheaded to the tailgate and triple wrapped...and no that's not my method)

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[NickDG 23]

Being a good BASE Jumpmaster means knowing you can't sling, especially PCA, a light load on a big canopy because everything is set for the middle. When the load goes down or the canopy goes up the reefing must slide to compensate . . .

Whose bright idea was that anyway?

NickD BASE 194

[JaapSuter 0]

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...and so the degradation of BASE continues.

Mweh, this is nothing new. Some of the earliest BASE jumpers started at a very young age and some even with zero skydives. I don't think it should be taken as a growing trend. How many people have parents that understand BASE jumping well enough to let their minor kid get into it?

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As for judging maturity, I would never consider letting/helping his older brother (19) skydive, much less BASE jump. The two young men are VERY different.

Fascinating. Does he have an interest in it and did you actively deny him (that would be impressive) or was he not really interested anyway (thereby somewhat weakening your point)?

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(and if anyone wants to know it was a small black band larksheaded to the tailgate and triple wrapped...and no that's not my method)

WTF? I thought we had seen the last of the black rubber bands. And for those that still decide to use them, at least I thought they knew to avoid the larkhead. BASE736 can tell you a great story about black band hangups that aren't over water...

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All true, I'm 41, and I thought the same thing, at each decade, 20,30 40. Each time thinking OK now I've matured. I'm sure that will continue, and when and if I make 60, I'll look back and think I knew shit when I was 41, but each person is individual 16 or 66

Perhaps so, but more important than the maturity is the point of no regret. At what age can you start in BASE and look back ten years later and not say: "I regret starting then, I should have waited a little longer." That point doesn't move much as you get older. However, the point is at a different age for every person.

With the focus on the dangers of BASE, we may be overlooking the pace-of-life factor. If you're BASE jumping when you're 16, what will you have to do at 46 to keep life interesting? For some this could be an issue, ultimately leading to early disaster. For others, it can work great and they ultimately become the ones climbing Mount Everest wearing just a speedo, doing triple gainer BASE jumps of every 120 foot crevasse they fall into on their way back (or any similarly impressive feats).

[tr027 0]

Not directed at you but,
Maybe that's the reason why we dont use black rubber bands or larkshead the tailgate closing band. It's been done before, and some of us have learned from that. Apparently that guy needs several more skydives on top of his thousands to learn proper preparation of base gear. just my 2 cents. sorry for the rant.

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[HydroGuy 0]

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Being a good BASE Jumpmaster means knowing you can't sling, especially PCA, a light load on a big canopy because everything is set for the middle. When the load goes down or the canopy goes up the reefing must slide to compensate . . .
Whose bright idea was that anyway?

DL last weekend. I wasn't there, but I'm trying to get a copy of the video.

Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

[Mac 1]

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...and so the degradation of BASE continues.

Gus

.........too true

[JaapSuter 0]

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...and so the degradation of BASE continues.

.........too true

Can you elaborate? One man's degradation can be another man's improvement.

[yuri_base 1]

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One man's degradation can be another man's improvement.

What a gay nugget!

Android+Wear/iOS/Windows apps:
L/D Vario, Smart Altimeter, Rockdrop Pro, Wingsuit FAP
iOS only: L/D Magic
Windows only: WS Studio

[JaapSuter 0]

, what an astute observation. That's some funny shit (even though I say so myself). Nice one Yuri!

[Andy_Copland 0]

*sigh* non BASE jumper opinion.

Its not about the age. Its about the experience. 7 skydives is not experienced.

1338

People aint made of nothin' but water and shit.

Until morale improves, the beatings will continue.

[leroydb 0]

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One man's degradation can be another man's improvement.

What a gay nugget!

Is that like a dingle berry?

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...