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slackercruster

Ever try BASE?

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I haven't. It's part of the agreement I have with my wife - I tell her that everything I do, I can say with high confidence say that I'll land safely every time, and she lets me do whatever I want. This agreement has let me do a lot of things - Demo jumps into very tight landing areas, 100-way+ formation skydives, Tandem and AFF instruction, even jumping a highly loaded canopy - the works, even a bit of CRW.

But, there is simply no way that I can keep this agreement with my wife while BASE jumping. There are simply too many risks that I can not control. In short, it is far too dangerous for me to keep this agreement with my wife.

I would consider one of the 'bridge day' events - but haven't yet made this happen.

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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The fact that you are jumping / deploying so low that you only have time for one parachute is a lot more important than the fact that you only have one parachute in terms of why BASE is more dangerous than skydiving.



Well, kind of. The fact that you can often hit what you jump off and must have very quick and correct reactions is one of the biggest factors. base jumpers often jump into areas that make most skydivers pee their pants is another real reason.

Jumping with one parachute concerns me very little, it's where I jump and how technical of a jump I choose to do that concerns me the most.
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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The fact that you are jumping / deploying so low that you only have time for one parachute is a lot more important than the fact that you only have one parachute in terms of why BASE is more dangerous than skydiving.



Well, kind of. The fact that you can often hit what you jump off and must have very quick and correct reactions is one of the biggest factors. base jumpers often jump into areas that make most skydivers pee their pants is another real reason.

Jumping with one parachute concerns me very little, it's where I jump and how technical of a jump I choose to do that concerns me the most.



That was kinda what I was getting at. I think people get too hung up on the one parachute thing. Looking at the list, people are generally not getting killed by malfunctions that a second canopy and the altitude/airspace to use it would help any more than just that same extra altitude/airspace.

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I think people get too hung up on the one parachute thing.



Actually skydivers need to come to grip that they too are only jumping with one parachute (their reserves). Once they accept this, then they can understand why BASE is not overly concerned about jumping one canopy (we know the gear is remarkable reliable when used properly), and concentrate more on whether good judgement is made concerning a specific jump. Skydiving is as dangerous as it can be when people use poor judgment just as BASE can be as dangerous as it can be with poor judgment. If people stopped using poor judgment on some of their jumps, there would be less injuries and fatalities. Now that the gear has evolved, it is the human who is the weak link. I have no problem jumping a one canopy BASE rig.


Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

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BASE IMO is far safer than skydiving when done the right way.



Stats do not back your opinion.

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What's the most dangerous part of a skydive? besides the drive there and back. Getting into that possible coffin called an airplane



Stats do not back your claim. Currently, it is open canopy accidents.

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It can be done as safe or safer than a jump from a plane.



Having done both, I have to disagree.

The "safest" in both worlds would be a static line into the middle of an open field.

skydiving would not have an object you have to avoid (that you just jumped off of).

skydiving would give you TWO parachutes.

skydiving would give you much more time to figure out a problem.

skydiving would give you much more time flying a canopy.

skydiving would not be a few second canopy ride into a congested landing area.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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[REPLY] There are simply too many risks that I can not control.[/REPLY]

Actually BASE is the one activity where you are in control of everything.



Everything except the widely accepted "shit happens" factor, which should never be ignored.
Fiend

I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. - Thomas Hobbes.

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BASE IMO is far safer than skydiving when done the right way. What's the most dangerous part of a skydive? besides the drive there and back. Getting into that possible coffin called an airplane. bridges and towers rarely fall down. buildings and cliffs present their own challenges and need to be treated as such. I've taken quite a few newbies on their 1st jump and it's been very rewarding for them. Don't listen to the naysayers. It can be done as safe or safer than a jump from a plane.



I assume this is an attempt at some form of sarcasm?

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[REPLY] There are simply too many risks that I can not control.[/REPLY]

Actually BASE is the one activity where you are in control of everything.



Everything except the widely accepted "shit happens" factor, which should never be ignored.



While widely accepted, the "shit happens" factor has never been implicated in a single fatality.

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I think people get too hung up on the one parachute thing.



Actually skydivers need to come to grip that they too are only jumping with one parachute (their reserves).



100%. I try to explain this, as I think it helps skydivers appreciate that "having 2" doesnt mean they are immortal, and that the one you are 100% relying on saving you, requires some altitude to work.

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[REPLY] There are simply too many risks that I can not control.[/REPLY]

Actually BASE is the one activity where you are in control of everything.



Everything except the widely accepted "shit happens" factor, which should never be ignored.


While widely accepted, the "shit happens" factor has never been implicated in a single fatality.


Drowning upon landing, tangled pilot chute, slipping at an exit point, jumping a frozen solid canopy, off headings into the object and on and on. These aren't under the "Shit happens" category?:S

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[REPLY] There are simply too many risks that I can not control.[/REPLY]

Actually BASE is the one activity where you are in control of everything.



Everything except the widely accepted "shit happens" factor, which should never be ignored.


While widely accepted, the "shit happens" factor has never been implicated in a single fatality.


Drowning upon landing, tangled pilot chute, slipping at an exit point, jumping a frozen solid canopy, off headings into the object and on and on. These aren't under the "Shit happens" category?:S


I guess maybe we have a different understanding of what "shit happens" means. To me, it sounds like you just listed off a bunch of mistakes made by humans, pilot error.

"shit happens" is an unavoidable catastrophe, a concept completely absent from BASE jumping

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"shit happens" is an unavoidable catastrophe, a concept completely absent from BASE jumping



Jump long enough and you will change your mind. "Shit happens" means just that. It's recognizing you CANT control every factor. If you could then yes, BASE would be safer, but it wouldnt be the same sport.
Fiend

I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. - Thomas Hobbes.

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I refuse to believe that my dead friends have nothing to teach. If "shit happens" is the cause of a fatility then how can we avoid it in the future? Everyone wants to think their crew is safe and that some outside force, "shit happens", just swooped in and took away their friend. I know this feeling from experience. If we use the "shit happens" excuse then we can go on making the same mistakes and never having to shift our world view to see that we are fallible. If we learn from the people who paid the ultimate price for their mistakes then we will be honoring their passing.

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I think we are having a communication issue. When I say "shit happens" i basically mean expect the unexpected, or the chaos factor. If something can go wrong it eventually will. If you look back at my posts my "shit happens" factor was in response to another base jumper that claims you can control every factor in base. I disagree with that statement.

Just because "shit happens" doesnt mean there wasnt error involved. I had a 180 last night on a low freefall. The pack job was immaculate, body position was great, solid 1.5 sec delay from 270. So what caused it? Who knows. The jumper before me had the exact same 180. Maybe it was the wind coming off the trees, maybe it was rotoring off the pillars, maybe we both had PC hesitations, maybe we both messed up our packjobs, maybe we both dropped a shoulder. Who knows, but despite looking at multiple camera angles many times we cant figure it out. This is the "shit happens" factor i am talking about. Obviously something caused it, due to human error or external factors, but we'll never know at this point.
Fiend

I am about to take my last voyage, a great leap in the dark. - Thomas Hobbes.

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