base428

Ian, Have fun toying with him. Let me know when you're done. Cya. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

His first four pics were swiped from my website. Anyone know this chump? (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Only a non-jumper would be dumb enough to do this. BASE 729 has a stalker! Full image is here: http://www.vertical-visions.com/gallery/favorites/basejumping/108-15.php (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Yep, that's base729 (Joe) from Philly. I took that picture in 2002 at the LB waterfall (this is the center photo slice from my website). (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I can't say that I would take the same comical approach to a cliff strike as you. If I were the one hanging from a cliff after performing a TARD, I would probably not continue to bring it up in the future. I traveled across the USA with my entire family and got to jump for one day only at the Turkey Boogie. Most of that day was spent watching and helping you and Marty after your cliff strikes. I got to make one jump all day, right after you were hauled away to the hospital. I've been part of multiple rescues at Moab and I'll happily drop everything to help a fellow jumper who's in a sticky situation. But please consider the fact that many of us sacrificed a lot to help you and Marty off that wall. It's not really something that I would continue to joke about. Otherwise, I hope both you and Marty have healed well and are back in the air. Cya. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Man, if I had a dollar for every "low budget" yahoo that wanted me to give them free video, I'd be rich. The normal offers of..... 1) Photo or video credit 2) A bunch of copies of the final product 3) Free stickers and T-shirts ....are insulting to my hard work. Why would anyone GIVE AWAY free video to someone after they've spent YEARS training to be a BASE jumper, spent TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars in gear and travel, and then they risk their lives just to capture amazing images? Never give away photos or video unless it's to your BASE friends. Cya. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

The "Bridge Day" design was determined to be unmintable. This probably means that the folks at the US Mint probably didn't like all those parachute lines. Or perhaps the NPS had something to do with it? Hmmm.... Oh well, that bridge is mainly known for BRIDGE DAY anyway. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I'm glad you're healing well, Marty. I'm sure we'll see you at the Perrine or Bridge Day. Take care. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Tagging BASE sites, whether they are "yours" or mine, is wrong. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

BASE jumping is not illegal in California. I have made plenty of legal jumps in California. Otherwise, good luck with your search for jumpers..... (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

My neighbor's wife allegedly was hit in the head by 2-liter bottles of Coke that were pushed on the top shelves from one aisle to the next. Nobody saw her get hit, but apparently the 2-liters did fall into the next aisle where she was. She complains of arm/neck pain, but that hasn't stopped her from working in the yard and carrying heavy things around. I wish Walmart would set up surveillance outside her house - it might change the outcome of the trial...... I also photographed the same neighbor stealing gravel from another neighbor who was building his house. Plus, I heard that my neighbor moved next to me because they sued the city they used to live in. And my wife thinks I'm crazy for wanting to put up some "No Trespassing" signs in fancy cursive around the property line. Gotta love it. Oh, the vacant lot on the other side of me is owned by some wacko who hates dogs. He put up a sign that cites the city leash law. Plus, on his house further down the street, he has a "Speed Limit 7" and more "dog waste transmits diseases" signs. The guy is a fruitcake. My front door camera busted him picking up all the dog crap in his vacant lot and placing it on my walkway (even though many dogs crapped there). I think I'm gonna put up a "Speed Limit 8" sign on my property. Man, I love outdoor cameras on my house..... (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Man, thanks for all the cool tips so far. I have seen the water sprinker concept and that sounds like an option. Even if my neighbors stop feeding the deer, they'll still invade my yard each night. I already have a dog, but since he stays inside most of the time, he only chases them when he's outside relieving himself. Perhaps a good start is to just tell my neighbors to stop feeding them. That'll thin the herd a bit. The only problem with this is that my neighbors are currently suing Walmart. If I bitch and moan to them about feeding the deer, I bet they'll send one of their kids over for a slip and fall in my icy driveway. Then again, I've got 24 hour video surveillance on the property, so I'm covered. Again, thanks for the options everyone. Keep 'em coming. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

My next door neighbors have recently been feeding a LARGE pack of deer in the area. I live in West Virginia, so there's no shortage of Bambi's in the area. Unfortunately, deer have been eating my small trees, bushes, and my lawn is littered with deer turds. Every other night, another deer jumps out in front of my car as I approach my house. Short of taking a piss around the perimeter of my neighbor's house, do you have any recommendations on removing the deer from the neighborhood? Thanks. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Just watch any Bridge Day video and you can see the effect of dipping a shoulder. In most cases, dipping your right shoulder will cause your canopy to open to the right. But let's not forget about how important wind direction is, which may provide some influence in 460's openings to the opposite side. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Read this (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I think we're not giving whuffos enough credit. Even if our National Parks were completely legal, most people in this world are smart enough to follow normal training methods before jumping. The average person is too scared to even think about BASE jumping. Sure, there have been and always will be exceptions. But realistically, your average Joe is not going to buy a rig on Ebay and find his way to the top of El Cap. BASE jumping is an exclusive sport with a small number of participants. It's definately not the right sport for about 99.999% of the population. But some people act like God must approve your application before you can participate. I can only hope that many more legal sites are opened around the world. If we continue to worry about a few things that can go wrong with legal jumps, we'll lose out on the tens of thousands of things that can go right. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I wrote more about it Here. Currently, it's a political nightmare. I met with the new land owner several times and as long as the NPS doesn't object, he'll clear the land for us at no cost. I'm currently asking for help from the Bridge Day Commission, Governor Manchin, and Congressman Rahall in obtaining the green light to cut down some trees. This is a sensitive issue because the NPS and other eco people think cutting down trees in the gorge is bad, regardless of whether it's private property or not. The new land owner has already been hassled by the NPS for building developments near the park, so he doesn't want to cut any trees down until some higher ups OK it. I know the new LZ would make BD safer and maybe even save a life, but jumpers are not very well respected in Fayetteville. Here is some text from a recent letter to my Governor and the Bridge Day Commission: We are actively working with the new land owner on clearing a larger and safer privately-owned jumper landing zone below the New River Gorge Bridge. This new landing area was recently purchased by Mr. XXXXX and is next to the current NPS landing area. Mr. XXXXX is willing to clear the land as per our specifications in order to offer a safer alternative to the NPS landing area. Many jumper injuries each year are caused by tall trees that will not be removed by the NPS. Even though the property is privately owned, Mr. XXXXX fears that clearing a suitable ¾ acre landing zone will cause concern for some people. Mr. XXXXX and Vertical Visions would like your support in this venture in order to make Bridge Day safer and more enjoyable for both jumpers and spectators. I do have a backup plan if I cannot get the big wigs to support me. I have requested meetings with the Governor and Congressman, so hopefully they'll give me 10 minutes to present the plan. Unfortunately, these things take time. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Rarely do I answer these type of posts, but you may find my comments to be thought provoking. Keep in mind that we didn't have pin rigs, lineover toggles, tailgates, etc when I began base jumping..... 1) Linever toggles are good. If you're uncomfortable using them for a lineover, then don't. They still work just fine to steer and flare. 2) Dynamic corners are a pain in the ass to pack if you aren't flying a wingsuit. You can always modify your rig later. 3) Purchase both large and small hole mesh, especially if you're going to do terminal jumps. You might find that your large hole mesh provides hard openings that can be softened with small hole mesh. 4) Wingloadings of .70-.75 are normal (from what I'm reading), but I load mine around .80. If you find yourself in between two loadings, it's probably best to choose the bigger canopy. 5) Vented canopies have proven themselves over time. I wouldn't hesitate on purchasing one for my next canopy, regardless of the type of jumps I'd be doing. But you may want to scrutinize the differences between the various vented canopies on the market. 6) Either Velcro or pins work fine. When I began base jumping, we laughed at the thought of pin rigs. I currently use both velcro and pin rigs and I'm comfortable with either one at any altitude. If I'm doing wingsuit jumps, I'll opt for the pin rig. Velcro rigs are probably easier to pack and have been around far longer than pin rigs. We all have different opinions, preferences, and jump sites, so be sure to gather as much data as you can before your purchase. Good luck. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Felix, If it was a legal jump, then why is it being broadcast as a bandit jump with you escaping police in a Hummer? If the media got the story wrong, what is being done to correct things? Have you or Red Bull issued a press release stating that it was a legal jump? Congratulations on the jump, but you and Red Bull have some explaining to do regarding the negative press. When we met in 1999, you were a friendly, honest, and caring jumper who went out of his way to show us some local sites. But you appear to be compromising our sport for your own personal gain. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Let's not forget that Blinc's demise was partially the result of splitting "the baseboard" into numerous subsections. There are not a whole lot of posts here at the base zone, so filtering the fluff shouldn't be that hard. I think this forum is fine exactly as is. The real solution is to reprimand the people who post one-liners and smiley face replies. For example, if you want to thank someone for helping you get your "A", then please do it via private email. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

To all the skydivers and whuffos who've ventured over to this forum to complain about BASE jumpers leaving their dead, feel free to remove your foot from your mouth. It helps to wait until all the facts are in. Many of us thought this was a hoax for several days now. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Colin, When Tom Aiello, myself, and a few others were "removed" from the ABP in July 2005, I pretty much told the ABP that they can do their thing and I'll do mine. I simply asked that they stay out of my way and I'll stay out of theirs. Over the last six months, I even sent them information that was helpful in our fight to open up our parks. But, they obviously can't refrain from unprovoked attacks on other jumpers in order to build themselves up. Robin Heid is the leader in that group, and his history is well known to anyone who's been around awhile. For several months now, I've remained quiet about the Skydiving Mag attacks. I wasn't even going to bring it up. However, since it's been brought up by others, should I just sit back and let the misinformed ABP attempt to smear the names of NickDG and I so they can get noticed and attract unsuspecting members? I bust my ass organizing Bridge Day and fighting for jumper rights. I do what is right for JUMPERS in support of maintaining and expanding access. It's hard to believe that the ABP complained about my NPS LZ fee increase protest when the ABP themselves attempted to help me with a customized letter writing system! And the ABP knows absolutely nothing about what really happened regarding the last minute NPS million dollar liability policy, yet they found time to complain about it in Skydiving Mag. Does the ABP even know that Congressman Rahall got involved due to all the media hype, which resulted from a public BDC meeting. No, the ABP doesn't know the facts because I never told anyone every detail. We all have the same goals of gaining more access to our National Parks. Heck, as a member of the ABP Board of Directors from 2004-2005, I put hundreds of hours of my free time into developing their website and even that fancy letter writing system that has been so helpful. I fully support the efforts of the ABP to open up our parks, but if they are going to attack other jumpers in the process, then there will be problems. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

The ABP is now contradicting themselves again, since they suggested we send in our comments in an October 19, 2005 Forum post: a) send in comments supporting the deletion of the policy prohibiting backcountry parachuting AND THANKING NPS for ending its institutionalized access discrimination against backcountry parachutists.... The ABP's recent attack against NickDG and I in Skydiving Magazine clearly shows their true colors. Every BASE jumper is at risk of becoming their next victim in their attempt to become the saviours of our sport. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I think that was from "Discoveries This Week"? Is that correct? I do a lot of interviews at BD, so I'm not sure. Thanks for posting the link, as this is the first time I got to view it. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I have about 3-4 hours of footage from 1983 and 1984. If you were there and you'd like a copy, just email me. It was transferred from VHS to DVD last year. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.