The111

Yeh, I just found that on my own through Google. And as I had guessed, a noticeable majority of them were from failed or malfunctioned deployments. True, these failures may have been due to BASE specific packing requirements, but these requirements are due to.... low altitude! Another large proportion was due to impacting vertical walls as said earlier. Still not sure what all the "so many dangers" are that overshadow the risk of gear failure at low altitude (which as I pointed out seemed pretty significant according to the fatality page). I didn't see any that were not either: a) Gear malfunction, death on horizontal surface or b) Off heading opening, death on vertical surface Again, I'm not claiming to know a thing about BASE jumping personally, but I'm making observations based on what I currently know... www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Overshadowed, but still a risk, no? I do understand your point though. Again, my ignorance reigns supreme, but does it make sense that if you configure your rig for the lowest possible jump, you could use that same configuration for all other (higher) jumps? Correct me if I'm wrong... Again, I have no experience in the area, but I still feel like the low altitude is a significant risk. You even mention how any minor rigging error can kill you... as far as I know, the reason for these rigging procedures is DUE to the low altitude. I'd be curious to find a BASE fatality statistics page, but somehow I doubt there is one. You repeatedly mention that there are "many" risks besides low altitude, but all I can really think about are vertical walls or bad landing areas, which could be avoided by selecting good locations. I've only heard of a few BASE fatalities that I've read about in mainstream publications, but all of them seemed to be in open areas, death from impact against a horizontal ground, and nothing else. I can only assume that if the ground had been 2500 ft lower and the jumper had a reserve, he would not have gone in. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Thanks for the reply Tom, believe it or not I had already thought about the proximity of the vertical wall, and I did exaggerate a bit when I said I would gladly do such a thing in my normal rig. I would never really do something like that without asking experts first. What exactly makes a BASE rig different though, out of curiosity? To me a 200 ft jump sounds insane, but again I'm pretty ignorant on this stuff. I didn't mean to imply that altitude is the only danger in BASE, but I know it is a significant one. In my ignorant mind, the main risk being a malfunction of your main (do BASE rigs have reserves?), in which case you're definitely screwed, right? Correct me if I'm wrong... I often make conjectures which occur as statements of fact... I've never claimed to know anything and I'll gladly admit when I'm wrong. :) www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Rfarris is right about wing loading. It's all relative. As inexperienced as I am, I would do a BASE jump with my normal rig from a 4000 ft cliff (if one exists). But I wouldn't try to swoop even an 0.5 loaded canopy. Each sport is made more dangerous by how far you push the limits (height of BASE jump or wing loading of canopy). www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Wow, with only 56 jumps this sounds like pure insanity to me. I plan on using two alti's for life, but I guess it does make sense that with experience that could change. I may not be able to tell the difference between 5000 and 4000 right now, but I can tell between 10000 and 5000, and I guess with more experience the resolution of my focus curve just gets sharper. Still, I can't imagine jumping without one, ever. I'd get freaked and open at like 7000. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Thanks, I've seen the page and plan on reading it ALL when I have time... just wondering if anyone knew of a "perfect" situation (an actual example) like you mentioned that still resulted in fatality. Seems every incident I've read up on has a blameable culprit. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

I dunno why, but I have a feeling people aren't going to like this question. But it's something I've always wondered. All fatal incidents are recorded, right? So are there any documented cases of someone with a malfunctioned main, executing his emergency procedures perfectly, deploying his reserve completely stable into clean air, and then having his reserve malfunction and going in? Not that I'm too worried about this happening (I'm much more worried about incidents due to my own mistakes), but I'm just curious if this has happened. www.WingsuitPhotos.com

Hi all, I have 53 jumps, most on my belly, though I've also tried my hand at sitting. I've never worn a jumpsuit (except in my AFF), but I'm considering getting one. But I do enjoy both belly and freefly... and I've noticed there are separate suits for each. What's the difference between the suits? Is there a good suit that can be worn for both disciplines? I really don't want to buy two suits... www.WingsuitPhotos.com