vandev

i got 3 and thats the funniest referee kids thing i ever saw...it's going on the fridge tonight.... Thanks....Chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I dont know if anyone saw...but tonight i saw a new base jump commercial. It was Dave Barlia jumping a cliff in Mohab i suspect as it was Mohab as it was very orange.... and then he opens his canopy and flies down and get's in a SUV.....and drives off. I cant rember the car cause i was out side BBQ'ing and running around. ...Someone will see it and know what car, cliff and the rest of the details.... Just thought i would put it out there.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

i am confused...whaw wha..mommy mommy...6969.......sounds like a issue problem... who's burning here....hard to tell from the information given.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

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

Your frikin halarious Nick..... My first laugh of the day..... Thanks.. In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

Well finally a good anoligy.... As for compairing to dirtbike racing or dirt bike ariels....a bit of a difference... assume that a fall from over 20 ft has a good chance of killing you ...that could include your own house for that matter.... Lets just say 100 ft for instance...you fall you die..... So whats the big deal ....You know skydiving, base jumping, climbing ,cleaning your 3rd story roof....paddeling out to Maverics in a winter swell...if you fall there is a good chance you will die.... thats it...get over it and get on with living your life ... just my 1 cent as this post is getting a little to away from its start and getting to far into how we should parent....and what sort of ethics are acceptable... I am a parent and its none of anyones business how and what i teach my children ......i do try to guide them on good decision making and acceptable risks.. They all wakeboard and ...yes people die wakeboarding...they surf...and yes people die surfing.. they do have have socialist countries that can tell you how to run your life and your families..... I prefer freedom of choice weather good or bad....you cant save everyone.....just live it one day at a time.. Uggg, looks like i got sucked in to this discussion .... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

This is pretty cool news.... i would be currious to see Nick G's take on this as it seems he has a pretty good pulse on this... So Nick...... whats your take? chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

i was going to say something but i will go with Tom on this one.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I think this is a good platform .... There is a risk in everything we do ... Its like when people who never base jumped think that kjreg is a 3000 ft skydive.... Well it is in a sense....until things go wrong....then it is a full fledged base jump that you had better be prepaired ...... i try to look at it as ...Fear ...is being aware...terrifying...is when you should say no... So the more aware ...the more focused....the more focused...the better the comfort zone... after that ...it's to much information....just flow..... just my 6 cents... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

excellent recovery....great job....gotta love thoes vents.....and that Fox Stay safe.....chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I didnt say i wanted everything given to me upfront. I only made a idea about continued learning .... I will seek all that i need to make myself comfortable and at my own pace ... for my first step....i am doing it for me and know body else...I could after that continue with my goals of to make big Euro E's or say this is not for me and walk away with no regrets.. But i will seek the best and nesessary tools, people and information to help me with this... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

As Tom says maybe it could. Maybe a mentor making a student do hop and pops with a base canopy while watching all his buddies swoop and freefly might just filter the ones who dont have the dedication ..... Ans who's to say you cant make a 3day class worth people wanting to attend. i dont really think that this is the case. Most students that are deticated to a principle and will do whatever it takes can shine...I've seen guys in Ranger school who i never expected to make it a day shine in the end .... Sometimes a student is only as good as his training...and yes...there is the complete moron...but they usally filter all the way out.... I have heard some great points so far.... i still think a day of low track heli jumps and balloon jumps could be allot of fun and allot learned... I mean you figured out that jumping off a building could be fun so you must have a great sense of imagination.... Why not use that to make the "Poor Rich Guy " that everyone speaks of jumping kjreg after 20 bridge jumps and make him relize 20 or so balloon jumps and 20 or so heli jumps might prepair him better for the task at hand. With of course is mentors decision that he is prepaired..... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

This is a spin off of "What do do , who to trust?" There was allot of good information comming out of there that i thought it diserved its own post... Ok Nick, Tom and everyone here. Lets pool thoughts like the Rand Corporation, and come up with solid ideas how to prepair new base jumpers better than we already do. There is always new way to teach and old ideas with a new spin on them that can benifit everyone. For instance, Why not take the FJC and have it evolve into FJC2...Lets say you do a 3 day camp with Helicopter jumps, balloon jumps, tracking dives, rigging tought by not just one person but a few who excell in these areas. This could also evolve to say Dougs teaching a 3 day E class. There is so much talent out there that could be put to such a great use. I would like to here about what anyone else has to say ...good or bad as this is over a few Coronas.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

This is something that also mistifies me as well....I would think that anyone wanting to do gainers, flips or whatever is not flat and stable would go to a pool first. Just because you have 6 or 700 base jumps doesnt mean you can do a flip. Thats like saying the guy who has 6000 belly dives can fly on his head on the first jump. I think it would be wise to work it out in the pool and then when you have it nailed...take it to the bridge and go from there..... Oh yea...i would think it is a "very good idea' to use a old beat container when you are in the pool..... Its one thing to dive...it's another to dive with something strapped to you ...It will restrick you a bit so be carefull... Tucking and grabbing your ankels will help you from stalling on your back......i saw the diving board jumps from Bridge Day....Most of them scared me just watching... later , chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

How you find this stuff Nick ...I'l never no.... very entertaining with my morning coffee... I would say also written by people who dont base jump... keep it comming.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I dont think you are as i have been surrounded by old time base jumpers and it never sucked me in in any way shape or form.... I think that's a more personal choice.... I dont think i am qualified to answer this but i will give you my opinion... and to make it short and sweet...wingsuits.....tracking suits....the passion to fly further...... longest track.....we have upgraded our technoligy from propellers to jet engines... It happed in avaition and it it will happen here....You dont see a big upsurge in Potato bridge fatalities but you do in terminal jumps... This one i never understood...."come jump off a bridge with no experience" Well i can land my crossfire in a LZ the size of about 10 football fields...so i should have no problem landing a completly unfamilure canopy in a Lz the size of a living room in a "boggie" with no pressure.... thats something .... I saw the carnage video of Bridge day and it was quite the spectical..... as for training....thats something all experienced jumpers should agree on and impelment... Look at barnstorming skydiving in the days way back. All sport progress and evolve.. You can't say that someone should learn like you had to back in the day. We are suppose to evolve into something better and more knowlegeable so that we dont repete first time mistakes... Has anyone done a study on fatalities as ...americans, europiens, Austrailians...etc....to see if these are site specific or regional and then compair training methods..?? again, comments thrown in the mix over a few Corona's..... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

Nick i will agree in principle but not about the money... Didnt you say that it was the wallstreet rich kids who you where talking about getting in to easy... These people have money and it is not a problem.. Dont forget that the person without $5000.00 will take his $3000.00 and go to Norway and do his FJC there... What better... the potato bridge of kjreg for the first base jump.... Thats a tough call..... I think Tom could interject here.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I will have to agree with Nick on this one....There is no other answer further from the truth.... To me skydiving has become as passive as say wake boarding.... simple ...predictable...and somewhat safe..... "safe" as a good friend who comes from the hay day of skydiving experience...." who are you trying to fool" when you leave the plane you are dead......you have 45 seconds to save yourself....." So please....not so much for the dramatics..... "you are pushing numbers"... Today, learning to BASE jump is more convoluted and can become an exercise in frustration. In earlier days people who began BASE tended to be not only more experienced parachutists, they were also more self reliant. Sometimes I wonder if I were twenty years old today, if I would start BASE jumping? Knowing what I know now when I see a photo of twenty or thirty people standing on Kjerag, you may say how cool that is, while I think, oh boy, probably half of them shouldn’t be there. I didn't start BASE jumping when I did for any of the more noble reasons like furthering mankind's knowledge and celebrating its spirit, no, I started because of the X factor, I started because it was new and wild and it's neither of those things today. With the increase in participants and the corresponding rise in injuries and deaths I believe we need to re-think some things.*** I agree fully... i will say that from me ....being 46 and have seen the carnage , triumphs and failures...that i have a different approch to my goals.... one...i am in no hurry ....but i wont be doing this when i am 56..... two...i will accomplish my goals only by following the steps of the people i trust and are qualified to help me achieve my goals... three... have accepted the fact that no matter how hard you train.. no matter who i surround my self with talent wise....my first jump can go completly wrong and i will die.... four...i have accepted three...that this is a higher risk than driving to work...."well...i live in Miami and driving to work is scarry shit.....trust me.... five....i can only think about all that have gone before me and assimalate that information to make the best choice for what ever i am going to attempt... Thats it...there is no perfect answer...or choice....or way to do that... It's your choice and your ass... Think about what you are going to do on a real level of is it for you...or something else.... "would you do it if there where no pictures or video and would you feel the same if you could not tell a soul what you did...... I think there... is the answer Nick is trying to convey.... All the best to you Nick...stay well.......Chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

Thoes are great pictures. Let me know how i could purchase a couple of them. I have a empty wall that needs these.... Thanks Chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

Congratulations Chuck....awsome job..... owe you a beer..... chris In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

Thank god someone much smarter then myself comes to bat with what really is..... My hat off to you G. Money... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

So when are you and the denver crew going to make continuim 3...? Your first 2 dvd's are awsome..... didn't dwain do 20 something secounds at ITTW without pants or a suit?? I saw that somewhere... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

none.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

great article Nick...Thanks for the read... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"

I dont think there will be any simularities between your heli jumps verses a base jump... Unless they where from under 1500 ft and and you had to fly a unfamilar canopy and land within say 10 seconds on a LZ the size of a master bedroom surrounded by trees and water. I have around 40 or so heli jumps and the only difference is that it is"dead air" but i dove for years so to me it really doesnt make a difference.I am comfortable in dead air but dead air over a pool and dead air over ground rushing up at you are two totaly different things I would listen to Tom , Japp, Chuck, who all have extensive base experience and a do a FJC at the bridge at perrine. You will get the best instruction and be surrounded by experienced people who will be able to help you in a relaxed comfortable setting....not a boggie... You cant go wrong with there advice.... In the end...the universe has a way of working itself out.... "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle"