sabre210

And combined with the calculator on your mobile phone, and pythagoras theorum, it becomes very useful, day or night. ian

Cheers Yuri Not quite what i meant but thanks. ian

Fatsnake, Hans Solo, Andreas and all the other VBK jumpers. Enormous respect. Seriously. What you do is stunning, and one day if i track just a fraction as good as you guys i'll be a very happy camper. Until then, i'll just remain contented to be fat and alive and plummeting. peace ian

No, i am serious. ian

Hi Lika I got the DVD today and i have to say, some of your camera work and the jumps are truly stunning. I really loved watching it and was very impressed. My one comment which i hope is helpful to you, is that after watching it, i still don't know anything about you. I would have liked to have got a glimpse into the person behind the images. You know, the stuff the happens just before and just after the jumps. Do you get knackered climbing that local of yours, do you get cold, do you get scared, all the footage which you probably cut out cos you thought was of no interest, but i think it is. The wood chopping at the end was class. It was a window into some little story which must have meant something to you or you wouldn't have included it. Consequently it means something to the viewer too. BASE footage is great on it's own, but put a human story behind it and it becomes utterly fascinating. I think you have a great story to tell (in fact i know you do cos you posted about how you were becoming disillusioned at one point) and with your next video you should really tell it. Keep up the great jumping and amazing camera work. Look forward to your next offering ian #843

Lighten Up Jonege, i'm just joking too, my tongue is firmly in cheek. You don't think i'm walking around looking down my nose at norwegian big wall trackers do you? Jesus man. Get a sense of humour. Go get laid and stop taking things so seriously. ian

I didn't say it was a negative. Read what i wrote I am absolute full-on fan of the VBK boys and their work. The skills they have is beyond anything i could ever aspire to. The way they are pushing the whole area of big wall tracking leaves me awe struck. The devolepment of new equipment and technology in the persuit of better, longer, faster and lower in this field is simply stunning and applaudable. However, Andreas has a habit of not only showcasing his work (a good thing) but at the same time being highly patronising and condescending to those who don't persue his goals (a bad thing). comments like are numerous in Andreas' posts. They belie a certain contempt for other jumpers who are not pushing the envelope in big wall tracking AND are insulting to the manufacturers of BASE gear in general. The website name iflyyoucanhardlymoveforward (or something along those lines) says it all really. It says, look how good i am and look at how shit you are. That isn't a language barrier thing. That's not me not understanding Norwegian humour. It's me not liking someone saying how shit i am (which i admit, i am, but i just don't need you to tell me that). Think about it. I have no beef with andreas or fat snake or han solo. I think what they do is truly inspiring. All i'm saying, is Andreas could lay off the superiority thing and simply let his tracking do the talking. Let his skills and his positivity be an inspiration and leave off with the acidic little comments, They just sour what is otherwise a very sweet experience. ian

Andreas As much as i love Superterminal, and as much as I admire your very obvious skills for tracking and rigging and pushing flight to the next level, I have to say, having read the numerous threads you have started and posted on, you have this amazing habit of coming across like an arrogant and obnoxious big head. Why do you insist on undermining the great work you VBK boys are doing by belittling and slagging off those who admire you. BASE is a very broad church. The clue is in the acronym. Tracking from tall E's is just a very tiny part of it. You have the perfect playground in Norway to practice and hone those skills. Do not belittle and ridicule those who do not. Tracking isn't the be all and end all in BASE. It's a skill no more valid than the ability to tie off a static line or sneak past a security guard at night. Your rig is indeed impressive, but it is a rig built specifically for one environment. Most jumpers need a rig built for numerous environments. Keep up your great work cliff jumping, but please, lose the superior and condescending attitude. Who knows, if your head were a tad smaller you might track even better. Again, huge respect for your abilities and enthusiasm for innovation, just no respect for your apparent lack of respect. see a smiley makes it all okay, right? ian

That's nothing. Down the road is this place. Weird eh?

Here's one i spotted on my travels. The funny thing is, the owners hadn't a clue what a basejumper was. Go figure. ian

PM sent. ian

Might be able to shed some light on that one On the night Paul died I received a phone message from DC saying he was heading into London to look at a low Building and would I want to hook up. That night was pretty windy so I had binned the idea of jumping and went for a meal with my wife instead. I talked to DTM who also got the call and who also had binned the idea of jumping in favour of waxing his man's bits. We concluded there was little chance of them bagging a B that night. If Paul was configured for the B then my guess would be he would have had a 46 or 48 on. Due to the winds, they knocked the idea of the B on the head (good call) and decided to go to the pylon instead, which would be jumpable in those winds. I would expect that knowing he was going from the top at 650 and planning on taking a 3sec+ delay he would not want to stow a 48" or indeed risk centre cell strip after a solid delay so decided to downsize to a 42" (the champions choice). We know what happened. Ironically if they'd have gone for the B it would have been a very dangerous call but Paul might still be alive. Anyway, I would take an educated guess that's how he came to be changing his PC that night. The plan changed (it often does) and he required a field reconfig (which it often does). What killed him was a dangerous technique for stowing his pc under perhaps slightly more stressful conditions than usual. Yes, Paul made a fatal error and he paid dearly for it, a claim that could be levelled at nearly every jumper on the list and hundreds more who are luckily not. There is no room for any one of us to be either pious or complacent. Not one of us is too big or too smart to not be capable of making a critical error in judgement. ian

As has been pointed out, this incident has nothing to do with BASE jumping. This is a disagreement between two skydivers, one of whom was considering using gear deemed unsuitable for the proposed jump. I don't care if the jumpers name was Big BASE McBASE, head of BASE at the University of BASEville. This was a argument between two skydivers, one of whom also happens to perhaps BASE jump. You want to skydive then you play by skydiving rules or if you break them then man up and take the punishment. If you don't like the rules, then simple....go do a BASE jump, the FAA has no jurisdiction over us. As for the ratting out, why is everyone so surprised? ian

Hi A 50m Building is an advanced jump for someone with so few jumps. From these altitudes, it is most definitely wise to use BASE specific gear (preferably vented) as quick pressurization is crucial. I have jumped from under 50m with a non vented canopy and it was fine, but vents certainly improve your chances. With regards the position of the person performing the pilot chute assist, this is hard to comment on. How much to one side were they, 1 foot or 6 feet. If they are literally standing to the immediate right of the jumper (almost looking over their shoulder, then in my experience it has little bearing on the heading performance (all other factors being ideal). If however they are standing 6 feet away then yes i can see how that would easily affect heading performance. For me, PCA and static line heading performance are very reliable and the biggest factor for an off heading will be bad body position. 50m jumps even with proper BASE gear should be treated as a 'pad up and pound in' jump. In otherwords, plan for not standing it up. Thus good ankle protection, knee and elbow and of course, head protection is very wise. In addition wrist protection might not be bad idea, providing it doesn't hamper the jumpers ability to unstow the brakes and or stear the parachute. This new jumper is surely going to get hurt very quickly. Using non BASE specific gear, with little or no experience off low altitude buildings and inadequate protection. It is almost certainly a case of when he gets hurt rather than if. My suggestion is simple. Try to put aside personal issuse like whether you like him or not and meet for a drink and talk to him. Explain why you feel he is on course for some pain and suggest a better course of action. Point him in the direction of other jumpers for advice if you are not sure. If he choses to listen or not is out of your hands. All you can do is explain your concerns and suggest an alternative. In this case that would be a more suitable object to jump, to wear protection, and preferably to get better gear. It is in your interest to try to steer this jumper away from the course he is on. You both have to share the same objects and him pounding in off a building will have knock on effects for you too. That is why in my opinion you have to at least try. If you try to help and it still goes badly for him, then at least you know you did your best and no one could accuse you of contributing to the mess. If he doesn't listen he'll almost certainly end up hurt and unable to jump anyway due to injury, or maybe he'll throw his rig off an object and simply lose it. Stranger things have happened. Believe me. On an equally ominous note, I have to wonder if this Spanish course is providing adequate training for the students it is taking on, or whether the fact that the course is cheaper than most of the competition, is attracting more than it's fair share of recruits who want BASE but do not want to invest in it, either financially or educationally. No mentor or FJC operator can be wholey responsible for their students once they walk away from the course so there has to be some kind of responsiblity in the vetting of students before they take the course. If a course is designed to appeal to those with little money and even less time to spend then it can not be a surprise when their product goes awry. Finally, we too should look at our contribution to the rise in the up-take of jumpers who perhaps are not ready for BASE. Every time a new BASE video goes on skydivingmovies.com with the obligatory nu metal soundtrack and the ensuing "wow that's so cool" comments below it, we are sending out very skewed, editorialised and selective messages to a community of skydivers (and i would guess a huge proportion of relatively new skydivers who are still hungry for the visuals); a message which in my opinion is not at all representitive of what BASE is actually like. I love BASE videos, but I believe that there is an appropriate forum and context for their viewing. In the same way that porno is restricted to the higher shelves or the licensed sex store (available to those who actively seek it out), so should BASE footage be treated. I appreciate not everyone will agree and i'm not claiming it would solve all problems, but i do feel it certainly contributes significantly to the increasing 'BASE jumping - how hard and how dangerous can it be' mentality. ian

Same size, same wingloading, same wind conditions, same pull height (that's why judging it over static line jumps would be best) and of course same reaction speed in getting the brakes released. ian

Not sure, but the ACE seems to consistently outfly other canopies in terms of distance. It's very difficult to say really because of other factors like wing loading, speed of pressurisation and how fast you are in popping the brakes but from a very unscientific observational point of view, if reaching a landing area is a factor in a jump i tend to go for the ACE rather than the TROLL. I also know DTM favours his ACE over his Flik given the same factors. And having now flown a Fox 285 vtec i'd say the ACE is way ahead. ian

Keep playing the victim Dan. Nobody who has ever met you will buy it. ian

Dan. You need help. really. This wasn't some columbian drug deal. It was some UK jumpers turning up to meet you. We weren't there to pop a cap in your ass. You should be grateful that 3 jumpers with 1000 BASE jumps between them showed up to meet you. And i specifically recall asking you to not bring your girlfriend to that meeting. You know why? Cos I was told by your FJC tutor to try to talk to you without her there because when she is there she tends to take over and you become distracted. So what did you do. You brought her, and your lap dog. Unbelievable. Hostile towards you because we wouldn't show you footage of some of our jumps. You are unreal. Maybe because that footage was private and was not for you to see. I'm glad you've responded. Hopefully people reading this can see the type of person we're dealing with here. You see your passage into BASE as an absolute birth right. You see it as our duty to meet you on your terms and help you when it suits you. The fact that you took offence to us not showing you our footage is just gob-smackingly arrogant. I knew by posting on here you wouldn't be able to resist responding, and i was hoping given enough rope you'd metaphorically hang yourself. You've exceeded my expectations Dan. I can only hope and pray that jumpers and manufacturers out there who might be in a position to help you, read this and realise, that you are not mentally mature enough or intellectually equipped to be taught or mentored BASE. Maybe you'll be lucky and find some like minded fool who has a spare rig to sell to you. Good luck cos you're going to need it. We're definitely done here. ian ps.I must admit your amendment to your sig line made me laugh.

Hi MMK. Well there are always many ways to tackle a problem I agree. What you suggest (including him. mentoring him, advising him) is what i would consider to be step 1. Tried it dude. We're now at step 3. Please do not assume my decision to post here was taken lightly. It was not, and i am fully aware that in doing so I attract criticism from people who feel I am being callous, unfair or simply unwilling to share the toys with the newcomers. We met him at the pub, we talked to him, i sent him a packing video when it became clear he wasn't entirely sure he was packing correctly. We gave him some pretty solid advice for progression. We told him to call us if he needed advice - he pretty much had an open advice line. I have sent him no end of private mails with advice and hints. You know what. He has not heard a word of it and not only that, he has flicked us the bird and gloated. His actions are proof of this. So far in a remarkable short BASE career he has brought serious heat to 2 local antennas by climbing/jumping/throwing rigs off in daylight. This despite us explaining why we thought it was essential to remain low profile. I understand the natural human response to back the underdog. It's easy to think he's a victim and we're the bullies. Easy but very wrong. ian

You are, of course correct Tom. It's your gig, your rules. I apologise for breaking them. I assumed moron might be a proportionate response to monkey. Anyway, i've said what i felt needed to be said on this subject. ian

I'm not even going to debate you about whether you've jumped objects safely. One man's safe is another man's danger. The issue is have you jumped responsibly and the answer is an unequivicable NO. You do not know the meaning of the word responsible. And why do i care. Why now? Because we have to co-exist. Everything you do has a knock on effect on me. That freestander you got caught on.....that's my local too. That wired A you flung your rig off in broad daylight leaving the parachute just flapping in the trees for all to see......that's my local too. What you do has an impact on me. So if you insist on fucking it up for everyone then i'm going to do my damndest to make it difficult for you. End of debate. Without objects to jump I am just someone with parachute gear not a BASE jumper, and without a rig you are just a daydreamer not a BASE jumper. I didn't steal your rig. You threw it away. Your choice. And i can't stop you BASE jumping but i can ask others to not sell you used and new gear. My choice. So i'm just asking other BASE jumpers to help me keep you out of what is already a complex equation, and you my moronic little chum are what mathematicians call a variable. You bring nothing to BASE, but already you have taken much from it. Unchecked we'll be left very much worse off with you on the scene. Does that answer you? ian ps. Besides Dan, you have gone out of your way to court attention with skydivers, like your bragging at the dz bar. Now here we are talking about you. Don't be glum....revel in your 15 minutes of fame...see everyone Dan must be a base jumper they're talking about him on dz.com basezone. You want the attention so much....this is it.

Hi people Sticking my head above the parapet here and quite expect it to get shot off, but i beg anyone out there with second hand gear, to please, please, please, not sell to this guy if he comes knocking. I know it sounds cruel, I know it sounds control-freakish, i know it seems like we're bullying the guy, but i cannot stress enough how utterly brainless this dude is. Selling him a rig is not doing him any favours. I can appreciate how people out there might even feel a bit of sympathy for this character, but that's cos they have not met him. We have. We met him to give him advice and to help him when he returned from his FJC. We were friendly, we listened and we chipped in some pretty solid advice to keep him safe. He did not listen to a word of it. Now through gross stupidity he is without a rig. Because he threw his only one from a 400ft antennna into trees ,because he couldn't be bothered to climb down with it. He then left it in the trees for what he believes to be a week in the baking hot sun (we're currently under drought conditions) and then returned to get it and seemed utterly amazed that it had been taken by someone. Ask yourself this. What kind of person would treat their BASE rig like this. What kind of person would intentionally toss their 'life saving' device from 400ft. This is their rig for fuck sake. It's the thing that saves their life. Why would they do this. Why would they risk damaging something so utterly crucial to their very survival. What kind of person? A moron. And what's worse, a moron with the worst attitude you could possibly imagine. So i beg anyone reading this. Do not be the person to sell BASE gear to this guy. If you get a request from a UK jumper for your used gear and you are not 100% certain as to their true credentials /experience then please just ask around. Ask the manufacturers, ask Tom, ask any number of experienced UK jumpers. If they're genuine they will not mind for a second you checking up on them. Why am i doing this? Cos we constantly talk about BASE being self regulatory. We have to look after ourselves and our objects. We have to manage and control our exposure and how we are perceived. We have to protect our ability to continue to do our thing. In a nutshell, this idiot makes us all look like idiots who lack common sense, evaluative skills, consideration and responsibility. It also sends out a message that we can not regulate ourselves and keep our house in order. If i still haven't convinced you then consider this. This guy went around the bar at the local dropzone actually bragging to the skydivers there about his exploits and how he launched his rig into the trees. I have been informed that after he threw it off, he watched the canopy 'line over' and spiral into the woods and that to him. this vindicated his decision not to jump. In otherwords, he failed to comprehend the fact that a parachute without it's pilot weight suspended under it might not deploy and fly the same as one with a pilot. That's the level we're dealing with here. thanks for listening. ian

The Perrine - illegal base site???? Why that would mean........ oh yeah....that would mean it would be like 99.9% of all other BASE sites worldwide. The perrine is a very convenient luxury, not a necessity. If legal daylight jumps are the only/predominant jumps you make then i can see how it would be a personal loss, but in the big scheme of things, it's just one of thousands of objects which can still be jumped under the cover of darkness or at first light. Having to ease back on the boogie like antics and base traffic there might not be such a bad thing in the long run. In fact i can think of numerous positives. Surely there's a lesson here for everyone. These events are all well and good when you get the press you want, but it only takes one journalist with 'an angle' or one incident and the whole thing can easily blow up in your face. Just imagine if that record event had seen a fatality. You'd be looking at some seriously shit caked fan right now. The same applies 100% to the UK crane boogie i was just part of. Inviting any attention (especially media attention) to any base jump is a seriously risky endeavour and you better be prepared for the 'recoil' if anything doesn't quite go to plan. It is after all a very dangerous activity and when things go wrong it can get a lot more messy than a rad wipe out at your mini half pipe. ian

Ultimate base site??? Nah In my head i have constructed the ultimate BASE site. If anyone would like me to draw it for you to discuss further then i'd be happy to. I have yet to decide on the gravity (terminal velocity) but when i do you can be sure i'll post it here for all to see and discuss further. Sadly however, this site will only be accessible when i say so and is currently only available to active 'make believe' basejumpers. Sorry.

Great event. Well done to all involved in pulling this off. Quite simply could not have gone better. Solos, 2ways. 3ways, TARDS, TARD overs, aerials (ughhh). Not a single off landing or injury of note (some grass friction burns and a few bruises) and utterly glorious weather. superb. ian