base428

I think most us tried to forget Robin's past when we agreed to join the ABP, but he's just the same old Robin (the one that was chased into hiding from the forums many years ago). He does occasionally make an appearance as "TheAlliance" or "[email protected]" (if you haven't heard THAT story yet). Robin terminated the ABP because several BOD members wanted immediate elections - elections that would have removed him from the ABP. I will never again support any venture that includes Robin Heid. After a year of hard work designing 98% of the website myself, assisting with the code for the letter writing system, hosting the website for free on my server, and countless hours of research and communication, many of us are left scratching our heads. Regardless of this setback, I will continue to work to open our National Parks to BASE jumping until I'm too old to jump. In closing, the following are the written words from a park ranger: We arrested him in Yosemite for jumping in the late 1970's before it was even called BASE. He poses as a writer for Skydiving, and has written frequent articles for the magazine in the past, but he is the enemy. He is extremely contentious in the BASE world; many of them hate him. In the past he was highly critical of other BASE jumpers, being outright rude in his bulletin board postings. He frequently tried to post anonymously, but his style was usually recognized right away and he was usually ostracized by the other posters. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Yep, I got very sick and came down with bronchitis immediately after jumping a 1300' stack. Winds from a nearby cooling tower were blowing into the top of our stack. We were gagging and throwing up near the top. I think I shaved about 5 years off my life that day. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I've thought long and hard over a BD protest for years. Unfortunately, I don't think the Bridge Day Commission (BDC) or the citizens of WV would offer any sympathy. -If we refused to organize the event early on, then the BDC would find another organizer or simply cancel the jumping portion of the event. This would be the least effective protest method and we could potentially lose the event altogether. -If we all chose to not show up, then you've now pissed off hundreds of thousands of spectators and a live TV audience is left hanging. This would be fairly effective as a protest, but nobody would be here to protest. -If we showed up at the exit point but didn't jump, then you've also cost the jumpers a lot of travel money. This would be the most effective protest method, but realistically, VERY FEW people are going to NOT jump and you've still pissed off the spectators and viewers at home. The 100+ newbies that jump at BD each year may not be educated enough on NPS policies to join your protest. You would have to rely on the media to tell the proper story and the viewers to sympathize with you. Most viewers could really give a rat's ass about us, to be honest. They just want to watch a bunch of "crazies" jump off the bridge. I really think that a Bridge Day protest would backfire and cause much more harm than good. The NPS is one very small part of the event. If you watched the live TV broadcast or OLN airing, you may have noticed that I frequently mentioned additional jumping days at Bridge Day as well as our fight with the NPS. Also, the banner that hung at the end of our exit ramp asking for more jumping time was shown on TV several times. In my opinion, utilizing the live TV broadcast and the exit point banners is a very effective method we use in order to get the word out. This year, I told the producers of the live TV broadcast that I will only talk about two things: -Opening the NRGB to more jumping -Allowing jumpers access to NPS cliffs So, I would suggest that all jumpers consider this if they find themselves on camera. Rather than talking about yourself, tell them that the NPS discriminates against you and this is the ONLY place in the USA that they permit you to jump for 6 short hours. Tell them that the NPS has the tallest, safest cliffs in the USA and you can't enjoy your sport there without the risk of being imprisoned for a year, getting a $5000 fine and gear confiscation, and getting strip searched by rangers after being arrested. We will have banners up at the exit point this year protesting NPS policies. Also, a NPS petition will be circulated. Other ideas are in the works such as a vendor booth at the end of the bridge. If anyone has suggestions on how to peacefully protest NPS discrimination against jumpers, please let me know. PS. Gary and Calvin, please don't raise my NPS Bridge Day Special Use Permit fees after reading this! (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Kinda hard to crack down further on something that is already 100% illegal in all National Parks without a permit. You must also understand that a park superintendant cannot simply issue you a permit, even if he's cool with you jumping. He first has to obtain a waiver to the 2001 NPS Management Policy (8.2.2.7) that states "BASE is not an appropriate activity in a National Park". The waiver must come from Washington, as was done for Bridge Day back in 2002. And when they issued the Bridge Day 10-year waiver, they were very careful in writing that this is a special one day a year event. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

FIRST GROUP - Jumpers 1-113. Estimated jump time from 9:00am to 9:45am. SECOND GROUP - Jumpers 114-226. Estimated jump time from 9:45am to 10:30am. THIRD GROUP - Jumpers 227-339. Estimated jump time from 10:30am to 11:15am. FOURTH GROUP - Jumpers 340-450. Estimated jump time from 11:15am to 12:00pm. After all jumpers are off the bridge for their first jump (usually around noon), then it's first come, first served. Many jumpers only jump once, so the lines aren't as long from 12-3pm. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Nick is right - we shouldn't be in a hurry to implement any of these ideas. Further discussion will lead to the best approach. We may also find that several ideas can be mixed for the most powerful punch. Don't forget, there are other big walls in that valley. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

See the attached PDF for 29 pages of NPS discrimination from 1966-2005. As if you really need to read it to figure out that the NPS is discriminatory..... EDIT: Had to re-attach this document after someone complained (Robin?) and Sangiro emailed me about it. It's nothing but PUBLIC info that's freely available online!!!!! I simply compiled it all into one. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

My thoughts on the subject: 1) MASS PERMIT REQUESTS - At this point in time, requesting permits and overburdening the NPS will do us no good. The NPS has been discriminating against us for almost 40 years, so I don't see them changing their mind anytime soon. I've already sent a letter to Yosemite requesting to jump many years ago and was quickly denied. I'm not sure if anyone has filed for an "official" special use permit and sent in their $50. Anyone? Anybody care to guess which National Park has arrested the most jumpers over the last 20 years? One clue - it's also the one that offers the only special use permit each year in October. Yep, New River. Some may think that New River is the most sympathetic National Park, when it is really the one that arrests the most jumpers (according to my thorough analysis of NPS Morning Reports dating back into the 80's and other recorded data). The NPS is not our friend and they never will be. We are wasting our time trying to negotiate with them in my opinion. For example, even if Bridge Day were extended to three days, as per my recent attempts, I was told by the NERI NPS that an extension of the special use permit would probably never happen. And the rangers in Yosemite and New River continue to waste taxpayer dollars dressing as fisherman near the bottom of our 700' WV bridge, waiting in popular LZ's on full moons, arresting jumpers who were never in a National Park and then threatening us with further laws if we challenged them, shining spot lights on canopies, and even chasing jumpers using nightvision goggles. They probably even have YOU on their BASE Jumper Suspect List. Anyone ever landed at Bridge Day only to find a ranger poking a video camera in your face? They probably have a screen grab of your face in their database. 2) CONGRESSIONAL HELP - Forcing the NPS to change their discriminatory ways appears to be one of the better approaches. Writing letters to Senators/Congressman has proven to do some good, but the progress is slow. It is very much possible that with enough Congressional support and pressure, the NPS would open their doors to us. 3) MASS PROTEST JUMPS - The mass protest jump concept is not new. If I remember correctly, people were talking about it more than 10 years ago. This concept could go either way - if you have a serious injury or fatality, then we might as well forget ever jumping there legally. If it works well, then we're still faced with convincing the public that we should have the right to jump. Just as Zennie pointed out, the public often thinks we're crazy and it'll be VERY hard to make them sympathize with us. What if the 1999 El Cap protest jumps had a happy ending? Would we have seen it on TV or read about it the papers? Probably not. The media loves it when a jumper goes in, not when one makes a tip-toe landing in El Cap Meadow. I'm still willing to participate in a mass protest jump, but I'm starting to like the next idea listed below.... 4) PEACEFUL PACKING IN EL CAP MEADOW - Perhaps the best approach would be for us to have a mass parachute packing session in El Cap meadow? We'd be highly visible, unarrestable as far as I know, and we'd get our point across. We could invite the media and even obtain a protest permit if required. Just make sure you don't allow your canopy to inflate over your head because you could be arrested and charged with aerial delivery. Either way, ANY arrest during this type of protest would be damaging to the NPS and would gain support for our side. Better yet, bring your kids and let them kite a few canopies in the meadow. I'd love to see the rangers try to cuff and stuff MY kid for that. Now that might be all we need to get some public sympathy. Thoughts? (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Will I get a T-shirt if I participate? Either way, I'm in. Just don't throw me off FIRST. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Actually, writing from Australia would be the MOST beneficial because it would show them that people from all over the world would financially support legal jumping. Many thanks. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I dunno why I selected 30 years. I'll be 54 years old then, and I figured that I'd be at my BASE retirement age. Maybe I would go out with a bang....at least the bang of the jail doors shutting on me. It would be a great way to end my BASE career. If you guys wanna do this sooner, you're more than welcome to organize it. I'm just giving myself the next 20 years to recruit my accomplices. But perhaps Nick is right. Dating back to the 1966 El Cap jump, the rangers have been sticking it to us. That's nearly 40 years of discrimination. Maybe it's time to stop being nice and show them how we really feel? (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Just like Tom said, check out my signature line. That will be the 30th anniversary of my El Cap jump where I received my BASE number and I plan to celebrate it with another jump. And that's a promise. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Don't worry guys, they also put the heat on us here in WV every July 4th. A few years ago, I spent 4-5 hours scampering through the forest after a July 4th leap. Those dedicated rangers.....gotta love 'em. Good luck to Jeremiah, Mike, and the other two. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Double echo on vid666's comment regarding the Cameye. Just attach the Cameye to your fanny pack or leave the switch/LED hanging out to fully control your cam. It also doesn't hurt to have easy access to the camcorder flip-out screen to make sure all is well before you leap. Cya. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

The most common configuration is to output an analog signal from the bullet cam to a camcorder that can record ANALOG IN. Most newer camcorders can record analog in via an RCA or SVIDEO port. This is the same setup used to transfer some older VHS stuff to miniDV. I started using bullet cams for BASE in 1999. I've got about 9 bullet cams lying around my house with two of them mounted ON my house for home surveillance. My freefall system includes the following: 1) Bullet cams from www.supercircuits.com or www.polarisusa.com. 450 lines resolution minimum. I also prefer at least a 3.6mm lense (2.8mm is best for freefall). I've messed with variable focus and CS lenses, but they are a pain. I prefer the fixed lenses that screw into place. 2) Bullet cam is powered by a small 12 VDC battery that is about the size of two packs of cigarettes. Alternately, you can use 8xAA batteries, but that'll cost you in the long run. I simply recharge my 12 VDC battery every now and then. Battery is stored next to the camcorder and is connected to the remote bullet cam using the same wire assembly. 3) Bullet cams typically come with either RCA or BNC cable connections for the video signal. Since I use Sony camcorders, I use their standard 1/8" stereo to 3xRCA cable to connect the bullet cam, although I had to buy a 10' version of this cable for some of my special setups (I have a source for longer cables if anyone needs it). Anyway, connect the bullet cam to the Sony cable and plug it into your camcorder. You will more than likely prefer to bundle the video/power cables into one assembly so that it's clean. 4) Power up the bullet cam and turn your camcorder on the VTR mode. Push the two REC buttons to begin recording your footage. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: ------------------------- 1) I built a special mount that would protect my ON/OFF switch on my Sony TRV-900, because during canopy opening I found that my camcorder shut off occasionally. Make sure the switch is protected. 2) If you're shooting with a bullet cam on your head and camcorder in a fanny pack, you cannot cut your helmet away unless you have quick release connectors or a rugged hook knife. 3) Most bullet cams don't come with audio. You'll have to mount and wire up a mic if you want audio. Feel free to email me if you have other questions. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I'm glad to see other jumpers getting involved in this. Thanks. Yes, the DOH has turned me down. They think there will be rubbernecking ON the bridge when we are jumping UNDER the bridge. They didn't even take the time to read my proposal in full because I've attempted to address all their potential concerns. We're implementing an automated letter writing system later this month that is similar to the one the ABP is using. And the live TV broadcast at Bridge Day this year should feature my attempts to expand jumping here. Hopefully that'll wake some people up. It's too bad my state (West Virginia) focuses more on legalizing gambling than making NRGB jumps legal. My next step is to request one hour of legal jumps. How can they say no to that? Rubbernecking won't be a problem and I can at least prove to them that it's a win-win for all involved. Then we can progress to additional days, weekends, and possibly more. Fortunately, more and more local businesses and even the Chamber of Commerce are backing my plan. So, I'll continue the fight until somebody gets smart and opens the catwalk to us. Feel free to post your tips and comments here. Thanks. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

A guy from France already has this system and it was supposed to be tested this summer. I have some photos of the contraption (2 large cranes, slingshot style). It's WAY scary, but I'm sure they'll pull it off. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I got the following email a few days ago and thought that everyone should be aware of this incident. -------- I wanted to give you a quick line because I know you are busy with the upcoming bridge day event. I'm from South Carolina. I want to let you know about a local to you from [WV] who was tragically killed in a Chinook helicopter crash Tuesday in Afghanistan. Jeff Taylor has been hucking for the last three years and missed the last two bridge day events due to deployments with the Navy Seals. Jeff was a Seal Team leader and was married just days before he left for Afghanistan. Jeff loved the [Fayetteville] area, and was loyal to the sport. He thought highly of you, and looked forward to his first Bridge Day this year. Unfortunately that won't happen, and I ask you keep him and his family in your thoughts. Jeff and his team were responding to reinforce a group under fire and was shot down by an unguided rocket. It took over a day to get to the area due to the insurgents fighting in the area and would not leave for the recovery effort to begin. He was identified today. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

With Moab becoming popular in the late 90's, I can see why jumping *may* have declined there. But saying that we all got scared away from a fatality there is total BS. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Most jumpers fly into Charleston (CRW). Nick is right - we will be providing some shuttle buses from this airport to Fayetteville on Thursday and Friday at various times and returning on Sunday AM. It's only an hour drive. If Charleston isn't available, Charlotte and Pittsburgh (PIT) are two others you could try. Forget Morgantown, because they'll simply route you thru Pittsburgh or DC and charge you out the arse. As for DZ's, I would recommend Skydive Orange. I'll cya at the Bridge!!!!!!! (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

I'll offer free Bridge Day jump slots to anyone on that 1966 El Cap load. It's the least I can do to say thanks. I'd love for you guys to say a few words to the crowd on Saturday night. Email me jbell(at)vertical-visions.com if interested. It funny that even on the very first Yosemite BASE jumps, the rangers were digging through lawbooks in order to find something to charge you with. PS. Free Bridge Day jump passes to any current or retired NPS ranger as well! (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Yes, mostly notably the Poulsen's. Jim Poulsen ("ripcord man") is the oldest jumper at BD each year and his son jumps as well. Jim is 75-76 years old. There may be one or two other father/son combos. Gotta love it. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Check this thread or the BD website in about a week. I've got to put everything into a database and check it before I group everyone into badge colors. (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

Yep, you're in the first group this year. Now if we can convince the first group to ride out with the staffers at 7am, we'll actually have some jumpers in line at 9am. The cops refuse to let anyone on the bridge, including jumpers, until 9am and it's a 5 minute walk to the exit point (the rationale being if they let jumpers onto the bridge early, spectators will follow) (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

You can't really judge by the invoice numbers, but the starting # is 2236. Keep in mind that there are multiple jumpers on some orders and that some order numbers are never used. Also, you are assigned an order when you add the product to your basket.....not when you checkout. I'll be posting more info shortly so you can determine where you are on the list. PS. The new server did OK this year. Biggest spike was about 11 seconds between requests shortly after 2pm. Anyone have any major delays? (c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted.