sabre210

YES!!

Another quick question? What were you wearing on your feet? ian

Weight is an issue for lower freefalls for sure. 230ft is definitely within my freefall limit as a heavier jumper under a bigger canopy, but you have to expect significantly less canopy time than other lighter jumpers and you won't make it as far, so if the only landing area is a flight away (or you have obstacles to clear to get to it) then i'll err with the static line. Weight doesn't seem to be such an issue with static lines or PCA's in my experience. and you can go down into the 140ft and less range without much to worry about (above and beyond the normal worries any jumper might have that low). With regards risers or toggles on this jump....who knows if you made the right decision? Maybe toggles might have gained you some altitude, but maybe you wouldn't have got the canopy turned away from the pillar as soon. Perhaps if you'd popped the toggles you'd have surged into the concrete and might be dead now. You'll never know the answer to that one. Heal fast and beware cold weather from now on. It really sets the arthritis off. ian

Hey Lonnie and Team Fx I received the DVD today and have just watched it. I was really moved and inspired. Thanks for telling your story. ian

I'm very sensitive about it. The moment i read that, i got on the phone to rally the troops for support. However your apology means a huge amount to me so thanks and i'll tell the guys to lay off. For what it's worth i feel the need to apologise too. Having given it some thought, i realise now that taking a wing suit off ITW with no prior BASE jumping experience is a good idea after all, and that ignoring the advice of several more experienced jumpers, and the wishes of the local BASE community, by going ahead despite their well advertised and well meaning guidlines for jumping this site, is actually the way forward for the future of this site and for cementing positive relations with those very people who play host to us visitors. Thanks for showing me (and the guy with the sabre170 and others like him) the way to do it. You're a true inspiration, so sorry too for calling you foolish and arrogant, when plainly, you are not. ian

No. I'm seeing exactly what was written. You are the one doing the 'between the lines' interpretation and second guessing what he might have meant as opposed to what he wrote. I have NO - repeat NO - personal history with Kris, beyond meeting him at his friend's funeral - so there is no personal malice or score settling here. However, hearing him stick in his 2 cents with regards the sabre170 jumper not listening to experienced advice makes me laugh at the hypocracy as he did a similar dangerous thing with exactly the same attitude only a year or so ago. Okay, so it wasn't Robi from phoenix fly he ignored when advice was offered. It was James from phoenix fly. That's the kind of people he's dismissing when he says so forgive me if i don't agree that he's learned from his past arrogance and has moved on. The above quote says it all. I'm flattered to be lumped in with amazing, experienced and talented BASE jumpers like James, but frankly don't deserve that accolade. James however HAS earned his airmiles and deserves a little bit more respect than Kris has and continues to show. Especially when that advice was given to prevent him killing himself.

You think that a person who only listens to advice they actively solicit isn't a fool Tom? I'd say that was the epitome of foolish. ian i think i can guess what's coming next.

Read again Sean. You're not making sense. The argument is not anti freefall and it's not an argument for everyone to go out and static line, it's an argument for the original poster to not buy into this dogmatic idea that static line is not worth the pack job. If they enjoy the jump then it's worth it, regardless of deployment method. With regards the old school idea alluded to by Tom about them not being a real base jump, that's just an utterly ridiculous and a rather churlish effort by some to demean the efforts of others, based on nothing other than jealousy and ignorance. I guess that's one way of lowering the BASE fatality list. We could strike off #3 Frank Donellan, #14 Michael Gibbard #24 Darren Newton, #33 Theresa Tran, #100 Mario Massato cos i guess in many people's eyes they died outside the sport. Having watched archive footage and seen the joy and pride Carl Boenish displays after watching Jean be the first to jump the famous canyon cliff in utah, i fail to believe he would have viewed that first leap as anything other than a bona fide BASE jump despite Jean being attached to the object by a static line. ian

So you even follow Robi's advice (the daddy of ws base as you put it) with caution. Most people would follow that advice pretty much to the letter, but then you seem to know best. The best advice is nearly always not asked for. Only an arrogant fool would selectively listen to just the advice they had sought. The very notion implies that you are always capable of pre-empting and foreseeing all the potential problems and pitfalls and so only need to ask to confirm what you already suspect. That's a fool talking, but then it seems you are a fool after all. ****Note to anyone on an exit point with Kris here....if you see he's left a pull up cord in his pins, wait till he asks you before you give him that advice to remove it.**** Keep digging that hole you're in Kris.

If it's so high that you can freefall it, and not worry about heading or stability or pilotchute issues, then it's probably a skydive. I've heard the "if it's not freefallable it's not worth it" line before. I never understood that mentality then, and I still don't now. It implies that BASE is all about freefall time. If all you care about is freefall time then get on a plane and go to 13,000 feet - you'll get plenty of it there. If however BASE is about the challenge of jumping from somewhere that was never really intended to be jumped from, then you'll have no problem with static line, d bag or pca. I believe Carl Boenish said "the whole world is jumpable" NOT "the whole world is freefallable". Besides static-line-o-phobic comments (like slider-up-o-phobic comments) invariable come from jumpers who are scared to venture out of their comfort zones. If it pleases you, then do it. ian

Oh Kris. You're a bright guy, I know you can see the irony in the parallels here, don't be so disingenuous. You (like the guy with the sabre170) chose a path many considered VERY risky and ill-advised, and like this guy you ignored a lot of sound advice from some highly respected BASE jumpers. I don't know what JB said to you that day but i'm sure he wasn't thrilled that your first BASE jump was going to be a wingsuit jump under the mentorship of a guy who himself had about 10 jumps. You have been fortunate to come out the other side unscathed.....we both know a guy who took the same path as you, with the same mentor who didn't .....right????? I had to laugh at the irony there, that's all. Not having a go, you seemed like a nice guy at the funeral. ian

Awesome Kris. Reading that, coming from you is just priceless. Utterly priceless. Glasshouses and stones spring to mind.....i don't know why. ian

Just go large. Simple. ian

I hear you. Like you said, B's are usually very serious objects, there's no question about that. Asking questions about an approach to a B jump doesn't immediately say you need more training though (although you can never have too much training). It says you need more information because you might not have experienced that particular scenario before. Someone like Tom Manship who had 1800ish BASE jumps only had 2 buildings but 1600ish off the bridge. He lacked experience in that particular facet of BASE but it would be a bold person to suggest he lacked experience. Tobiasz seems out on a bit of a limb geographically (Poland), and appears remote from other jumpers. In such cases, like with John Scher (Kenya i believe) and hundreds of other jumpers the world over who don't have a plethora of experienced jumpers to turn to for first hand advice, this is where the internet, and specifically forums like this become invaluable. We all learn from experience. Sometimes the experience is our own, but often it's communicated to us by another. Communicating via forums or internet isn't ideal, but for many it's the only option and at the end of the day, it is still communicating, which has to be better than blazing a trail and reinventing the wheel.

Yeah, but by canvassing opinions on a bona fide technical matter where there is no absolute right and wrong way ,is a good way of gauging whether it's worth at least considering. For sure, if this was your first B then i would question whether it such a low jump which necessitated the original question was a good idea. However, this might be tobiasz' 10th building - just the first one that required a reconsideration of the brake settings. ian

I utterly agree. By quick release I meant getting on the suckers fast. I must admit, in the heat of the moment i often let the toggles up too quick and get exactly just that, a surge and dive. On low jumps that can pound you in for sure. I haven't enough low static line jumps with shallow brake configuration to draw any definite conclusions but i suspect that quickly releasing the brakes (as you described) from DBS as opposed to SBS would create more of a dive and surge. ian

Seemed like a reasonable enough question actually. With a PCA or static line jump, the heading performance (all other factors remaining equal - like wind and body position) tends to be very good. This being the case, and the fact that low jumps often necessitate you to be controlling a flying canopy quicker, the question is, how much response time in the event of a serious off heading are you willing to trade for a canopy that is flying forward. In some low static line jumps the strike potential is highest directly below you, like trees, ledges, rooftops, builders catch nets, lamposts etc,so the last thing you need is a DBS canopy sinking straight down after opening.A canopy in shallow brakes, combined with quick release of the brakes immediately on opening is the better bet on certain jumps IMO and well worth the trade. On such jumps, the thing going through my mind is not 'hope this doesn't 180' but more 'need to get this thing flying forward ASAP'. Conversely, on some static line/PCA jumps, the strike hazard is sometimes directly ahead of you after opening (like a building facing you, or a lampost) and the most important thing is to get the canopy turned L or R before it makes any significant forward movement. On such jumps, a DBS combined with an immediate riser turn and then releasing the brakes could be the way forward. On these jumps i even feel that a slight headwind can be advantageous, although again, this has to factored in very carefully. Personally I feel BASE isn't the place to be steadfast and dogmatic about configurations. Every jump is so different that factors and conditions which would be tantamount to suicidal on one object are the absolute way forward on others. Could you explain why you felt that was a trolling question? Am i missing something? ian

Pissing myself at this gem. It's just twisted. I do understand where you're coming from though. I've been knocked back in my attempts at a new career as a trauma surgeon. I'm deadly serious about it too. Watched all the episodes of ER i could get my hands on, taken notes on all the important life saving precedures, but still the medical community won't take me seriously. I have a plan though. Just ordered SCRUBS off amazon. I'll show them. ian

bmsbase Looks like i jumped the gun??? Did I? Re-read the thread. Still seems lazy and impatient, still seems unwilling to make any effort and do any research. But hey, that's just cos i'm an asshole. Oh and Blaine, this is a forum for discussion/debate, not a hippy love in commune, so if i want to be critical then i will be. And you've just defeated your own argument by being hostile to me, which you should have kept to yourself.....dumb asshole! ian

No dude. Your main problem is you are lazy and want it all on a platter. You are two (count them) states away from idaho and a perfect training ground for the new BASE jumper. You live in a country with cheap gas (which equates to cheap skydiving jump tickets), with skydiving facilities which are second to none, with more BASE jumpers per capita than any other country in the world, and still you're not satisfied. No wonder the locals are avoiding you. Show some commitment. Put in some effort. If you did some homework and made even a vague effort, you'd realise that a flat state isn't a set back, it's a blessing. In hilly regions companies use the naturally available altitude (hills and mountains) to plonk small antennas on in order to transmit far and wide. (ask a swiss jumper about antennas). In flat areas they have to create that altitude by building tall towers. And short of a very ,very, very safe bridge (which you have a very ,very, very short drive away) towers with the right winds, right equipment and config, right training and right approach are about as suitable a BASE jump for newbies as you can get. It's all there on your doorstep. You obviously just don't want it as much as you say you do. ian

Are you saying your own tracks were the best tracks you've ever seen? Incidentally, can you blow yourself too? ian

It looks highly likely that i'm going to be visiting KL for a few days towards the end of the month. I'd love to chat through PM to any returning jumpers from the recent legal tour who might have strayed from the beaten track and acquired a more intimiate knowledge of KL and it's wonderful architecture. I have some data already about under construction projects in the city but would be keen to gather as much info as possible, especially from jumpers with recent experience there. Cheers me dears ian

QUESTION adventurechick ANSWERS getting into base article mac Tom Aiello Tom Begic adventurechick So despite the advice, you've opted to wait until you have the absolute MINIMUM skydiving experience possible, which is currently only just over 100 skydives away, which could effectively be a mere few months before you start on your next big adventure. Which is all well and cool and dandy, but why ask in the first place if you're not prepared to act on the advice? Here's some further advice : start listening to what people are telling you and absorb it rather than just hear it. ian

let me guess......the bridge? what do i win? ian

Lika You don't need to play a superhero. What you do (we all do) is extraordinary anyway. Your story would be fascinating exactly because you're human and not super human. Stunning work Lika. I look forward to the next one. ian