JohnnyUtah

Here was a sweet jump Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Hey Adam and Martin, Knowing and jumping with you guys through the years has definitely been a positive in my life and I thank you for that. I love jumping your gear too! Thanks for helping me preserve my life so many times. I want to wish you both the best of luck in the new paths you are taking. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Nick, I totally understand how you feel. I have also been taken out of context by moderators(Tom and Hooknswoop) splitting the thread and starting a new thread with a post I made as a reply. This kind of post manipulation can indeed take the user out of context in an uncool way. It is unfair to the poster. When someone reads a reply within the thread it was posted, it is in context and that person can better understand where the poster is coming from. When taken out of its original thread, the post is then out of context and can be misconstrued. If you notice, I dont post here as much as I used too. I simply got tired of my communications being messed with. It sucks because I would like to feel free to post my thoughts to my fellow BASE jumpers more often without my post being manipulated. Tom, See what I mean? We have talked about this very thing a few times (in the past and lately). Splitting someones post from a thread can indeed take them out of context. Tom please dont think Im just trying to get on your case, Im not, and I do like you as a person. This is a real issue with people. It is my opinion that you should only split a post from a thread if you have consent from the author to do so. Of course you can wave your magic moderation wand and manipulate post in this fashion if you want, but as you can see, posters get mad. Im just being straight forward with you dude and I hope you dont hold some kind of grudge against me for voicing my opinions. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Yea, it is short. I usually use the regular mushroom on jumps involving higher airspeeds. Youre welcome. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Tree, I know how to pack a regular mushroom as do most BASE jumpers. I personally use the regular mushroom on about half of my jumps. The Super Mushroom is an advanced PC pack job designed to reduce the risk of a hesitation which does happen sometimes with a regular mushroom. I have almost gone-in more than once due to a regular mushroom hesitating. This has happened going stowed and handheld. It does indeed take more effort to pack a Super Mushroom and it may seem complicated to some. Based on my experience with the Super Mushroom (which is many years and hundreds of jumps using it) I totally disagree with Trees speculative opinion about the results. I consider the Super Mushroom to be more reliable than the regular mushroom on low jumps (under 400 feet). Tree you are confused. Gardner was not talking about the standard method. He was talking about a different way to pack a Super Mushroom. Furthermore, the regular mushroom (standard method) has proven to hesitate occasionally. You are basing your comments on pure speculation. Based on the experience I have with the Super Mushroom, it is my opinion that it opens a little quicker than the regular mushroom normally does. However, for me the primary benefit is that the Super Mushroom has proven to me that it does not have a tendency to occasionally hesitate like the regular mushroom does. Out of hundreds of jumps using the Super Mushroom (the way I pack it), I have never had a hesitation. Instead I have had consistent very quick PC inflations. Aside from how the PC is thrown, I think hesitations happen because of the way the PC is packed. Not whether it is stowed or handheld. Keep in mind that a typical handheld regular mushroom is packed different than a typical stowed regular mushroom (for example: the mesh s-folds are shorter). I personally have more confidence in the handheld version of the regular mushroom than I do with the stowed version of the regular mushroom. However, I have experienced hesitations with both. I consider the Super Mushroom to be the most reliable and consistently quick-opening PC pack-job that I know of. I have more confidence in my PC going stowed with the Super Mushroom than I do going handheld with a regular mushroom. I do like going handheld too because it gives me more freedom of how I can throw it. Just keep in mind that when you jump with a regular mushroom, the center-line is not extended. While packing, it starts out being extended, and then it is s-folded with the mesh. When thrown it still has to unfold the s-folds before you get center-line extension. In my opinion it is the s-folded collapsed mesh that causes the occasional hesitation. The Super Mushroom was designed to get the PC to expand open quicker and reliably. When thrown, the gathered seam begins to expand open immediately. Likewise the center-line extends instantaneously. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

I appreciate your question jalisco. I used to worry about the center-line years ago and as an added precaution I would pull about half of the center-line into the mesh fold and leave the rest in the rip-stop fold. My concern was that the centerline might be able to create some kind of tension knot on itself. By isolating half of it in the mesh and the other half in the rip-stop it creates two shorter lengths. My thought was that it would be less possible for a shorter length to knot on itself than a longer length. I still believe that to be true but after years of considering it I now feel comfortable leaving the center-line in the rip-stop fold, however positioning (laying) it in a way whereby it is not lying on itself or twisted on itself. During step 1, look at the positioning of the center-line, consider it, think about how to lay it clean so it cannot knot on itself or hitch around anything. (This is a great reason to NOT use the Super Mushroom on a PC with a handle in it). Now with the center-line positioned in a horse-shoe shape off to one side of the cap, when you grab your nug and flip it over the center-line is not going anywhere. It should stay right there to one side in the rip-stop fold. When thrown, as the PC expands open, the center-line becomes extended simultaneously. For me, the risk of having a hesitation with the regular mushroom scares me more than the remote chance of anything weird happening with the center-line. By carefully positioning the center-line while packing the Super Mushroom, I think the chances of anything weird happening with the center-line diminish. Gardner, Zennie, and baseclimb – If you are packing it the way you described, you may want to consider pulling the center-line through the gathered seam so that it is isolated in two halves like I described above. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Gardner, Yes during years past I have experimented with different ways of achieving the Super Mushroom and have done alternative ways of packing it similar to what you and baseclimb have tried (minus pulling the center-line all the way through). For me, the difference is neatness. I already have the muscle memory to do it quickly and neatly on a flat surface (takes me about 1 min 30 seconds at a normal pace). After hundreds of jumps using the Super Mushroom I have found it to be very consistent the way I pack it. In my opinion, the neater (more uniformly) you gather the seam and make the layers of rip-stop and mesh, the better. It sounds like Zennie came up with a hybrid of the two and I like the fact that he lays it down and redresses it (Im assuming for neatness). Each picture does not constitute a step. I have broken the pack-job down into 6 steps. I think it is easier to think of gathering the seam as one step (step 2). This is the tricky step so I have included many pictures of how I do it to help make it clear. There are multiple pictures for other steps as well to make it easier to learn. I think if you consider each picture as its own step, you are making it harder to learn. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Sorry I missed the discussion, I was off BASE jumping. Made some cool jumps during my journey, thanks guys (you know who you are). I want to start by saying that the way one packs their PC is a very personal choice. I have no intention of telling people how they should or should not pack their PC. I am merely sharing my experiences and what I do. Each BASE jumper is their own pilot on each BASE jump and should only jump in a manner that they feel comfortable with. Here is how I typically pack my PC for different situations. *For exits above 500 feet I use the regular mushroom. *For exits between 400-500 feet I may use either the regular mushroom or the Super Mushroom. *For stowed exits below 400 feet I use the Super Mushroom. *For handheld exits below 400 feet I use my handheld version of the regular mushroom or I take the Super Mushroom out of my BOC and keep it together to use handheld. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

For all of you who have been asking me to post some pictures of the Super Mushroom, it is done. You can find it in the Library section of my website. JohnnyUtah.com Enjoy! Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Flying backwards is a skill I gained while skydiving in the 80’s and it saved my life on my first BASE jump. I used to fly my 7-cell Unit backwards on most skydives just for the fun of it. The way I would do it is pull the toggles all the way down until it fully stalls and then it starts to flutter as you go backwards. You can steer it going backwards by pulling more on one side and you can even spiral it going backwards. Just keep one very important thing in mind. While flying backwards your canopy is in a complete stall. You must allow for enough altitude to recover from the stall. For this reason I would NOT recommend this be your plan A, especially on a low object. I have done most my backwards flying using the toggles. I remember when 9-cells first hit the market and one of the first things I notice was that they do not fly backwards. They just fold up in a bow-tie. Clint, I am glad you pointed out the danger of the rocks in the Snake River canyon. One day I witnessed an experienced BASE jumper have line-twist and come very close to hitting the cliffs on the south side. Gnarly jagged cliffs are on both sides of that canyon and it is possible for a person to fly into them while struggling with line-twist or a tension knot or a number of little things that can complicate canopy control. In my opinion, making a number of skydives can help the individual get hands on familiarization and experience in dealing with some of those complications. The more experience someone has with dealing with different winds is also beneficial in my opinion. Sometimes even a light wind can get a bit funky in that canyon. Keep it real, Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Karen, would you mind sharing with us how much you would deduct for each jump/fresh water/salt water. I think the method of deducting a $amount per jump serves as a good benchmark that can then be adjusted if appropriate according to the physical condition. What does the BASE community think as far as how much to deduct per jump, per fresh water landing, per salt water landing? Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Sorry man, I found it on the aba website and posted it on the BASE zone because as a BASE jumper I thought other BASE jumpers might get a kick out of it. To bad it got moved here. I would imagine there are a number of BASE jumpers who do not frequent talk back or other forums on drop zone. Just trying to spread the love. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

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In reply to Tom - Cool, now all the BASE folk get to see it. This video rocks. I love the part where that little guy has the total-malfuction and starts to cry. Also, when all the babies are sitting together waiting for the milk...I like that part too.

I found this video on the aussie forum. http://flik.prosoft.no/downloads/boog001_http_300_ref.mov Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

It was nice to get to know you Chad. You are a super nice dude with great energy. I especially liked the way you interacted with Trevor right before you jumped that one day at the bridge. Cracks me up whenever I watch the video. Drop us a line when ever you can and come back home.

Jason, Perhaps it is best to offer a story about a legal "Bad to the bone" BASE jump. Otherwise it will be one more article that makes BASE jumpers look like criminals. Just my 2 cents...i could be totally wrong...and I probably am. Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

4-way head down shuttlecock from KL tower (2001). (the shuttlecock BASE jump was actually an April fools joke ad in Parachutist a number a years back.) 19-way from perrine (2003). 24-way from Kjerag (1999). 26-way in Moscow (2003). Johnnie 9lives fire truck ladder jump (80-feet over 3 feet of water). Here are some that quickly come to my mind. Johnny Utah the Venetian #1

In the past few years numerous freeflyers have been saved by a cypres firing. I know at least one freeflyer has died from the hard opening shock caused by his cypres firing while he was freeflying. Would you really want to get yanked out doing head down terminal with a mesh slider on the canopy? I personally think that would suck. Johnny Utah Free Flyer

Are you sure you did not say it backwards from what you really mean. Like you continued to say, “I'm used to the openings”. By this I gathered that you are use to the harder mesh openings. If this is not what you meant, please clarify. My opinion is this: A full-sail slider will slow down the opening more than a mesh slider. Tom, you and I both made the same mistake in stating that either mesh or sail is the standard configuration for terminal BASE. Here you go. You and I disagree on something that is absolutely personal preference. I agree that both mesh and sail sliders are used. Both are safe to use. Mesh sliders just hurt me more on terminal openings. There are an awful lot of low cutaways in the world. Manufacturers of reserves design reserves with this scenario in mind. They use small sail sliders and sometimes design the slider with a hole in it. Like I said before. Johnny Utah Senior Rigger [email protected] johnnyutah.com Have Fun, Don't Die! Johnny Utah My Website email:[email protected]

Sometimes it is necessary to open your reserve at terminal velocity. A mesh slider is not designed for terminal and will result in a very hard opening (I know because sometimes I end up there). The slider with a hole in it results in a quicker opening than a full-sail slider but will slow down the opening more than a mesh slider. In general: A BASE canopy is designed to open as fast as possible whereas a skydiving main canopy is designed to open slow. In practice I find that a full-sail slider works best at terminal for both canopy types in their respective disciplines. Typically a mesh slider is used for delays from 4-8 seconds. Unless you are just humming it on a medium size object. A reserve is different in the sense that you cannot predict (or plan) what situation you will be in when you need it. Therefore it is set up to work as best it can in two very different situations. 1) At low airspeeds and possibly very close to impact (such as a low cutaway). 2) At terminal velocity (perhaps even head down). I hope this helps. Have fun, don't die! Johnny Utah [email protected] johnnyutah.com

Here are my views on the skydiving gear vs. BASE gear at Bridge Day issue. BASE gear is ideal. Appropriate skydiving gear can be jumped safely at this bridge if configured and packed correctly for a BASE jump. There were 100 first time BASE jumpers at BD this year and similar numbers at previous years. These first timers are just getting into BASE or trying it out. Bridge Day has definitely helped this sport grow through the many years by allowing first timers to jump. BD is the one place on earth where this works. The span, the altitude, the water, the boats, the rescue crews and the ambulances. Many of the people jumping skydiving gear are first-timers or low-timers. A lot of the ugliness you see from skydiving gear is because of poor performance by the jumper either during the jump, while packing the chute, or both. Here are some specifics on using skydiving gear for a BASE jump. 1. A 9 foot bridle and a BASE specific pilot chute are required because if you do not get the stuff out of the container in a timely manner, that would be bad. People have died in this sport by not having these basic essentials. 2. A docile 7-cell canopy is way safer than a 9-cell or high performance canopy. The higher the aspect ratio of the canopy the more chance there is of it spinning up on opening. I have noticed that 9-cells do go into line-twist more often than 7-cells. Also, it is nice to have a big 7-cell while landing in a tight area. Jumping a cross-braced or similar high performance canopy can be fatal because that thing will most likely line-twist up and one turn of that canopy (either intentional or not) can cause an enormous amount of altitude loss. Please DO NOT jump a high performance canopy at Bridge Day. 3. D-bags can be a problem. They increase the chance of line twist and a bag-lock malfunction is very possible. The main problem with d-bags are the rubber band stows. Anyone who has been skydiving for a while knows that bag-locks do happen. The rubber band stows hang-up (get tangled) sometimes, typically due to sloppy packing. Also, as the lines pull out of the stows, the d-bag gets jerked around and often results in off-headings and line-twist. There is such a thing as a BASE specific sleeve (Mark Hewitt was working on one a while back). The important difference is that the sleeve does not use rubber band stows. Instead you s-fold the lines into a pocket like you would on a reserve free-bag. If I were to jump a skydiving rig at BD I would free-pack it if I did not have a sleeve. If you are planning on jumping a d-bag, make sure the stows are NEAT and SMALL (not too much line-stow hanging out)(Like a rigger would do on the diaper of a round reserve). I recommend you find someone at the Holiday Inn before BD who knows how to show you the method of free-packing. 4. Packing! Do not pack like you are just going for another skydive. While skydiving I can trash pack with the best of them, but in BASE your main is your reserve and should be packed that way. Make sure there is NOT too much tension on the closing pin. The airspeeds involve at BD are much less than a skydive. 5. If you are jumping slider up, then use a mesh slider. You can die from sniveling into the water. Do not let it be you. 6. If you are jumping slider down, make sure you understand and use the line-mod and a tailgate. This takes only a few minutes to learn and set up and can definitely save your life. Through the years, Bridge Day has been a cool situation where skydivers can go to dabble in our sport and often end up becoming full-blown BASE jumpers. Though there may be pros and cons to this, it has helped our sport grow in a positive way. We as a community need to continue to assist these saplings at BD and welcome them into our family so that they will listen, learn, and not get hurt. If you are planning on making your first jump at BD, make sure you get some instruction. Also make sure your gear is totally dialed in. Nowadays there is no need or reason to learn the way I did. Scary stuff, let me tell you. Have fun, don't die! Johnny Utah [email protected] johnnyutah.com

Congratulations to Douggs, Jimmy, Ray, Nenad, Sabia, Greg, and everyone else that did well. I wanted to be there, but instead I spent Christmas and New Years (our wedding anniversary) with Marcia and Trevor. It was all warm and fuzzy!!!! Sounds like it was a fun time like always. Jimmy and Nenad have really shown consistency through the 3 years. Well done! Slim, good on ya mate! Do not sweat the political crap too much. Just remember, the first law of the universe is opposition in all things. Johnny Utah Overall Champion 2001 [email protected] johnnyutah.com

For those out there who do not know Kevin, well he goes way back and is as solid a BASE jumper as anyone. Kevin taught Seth Blake how to BASE jump and continued to mentor him for some time. Those who had the privilege of jumping with Seth, know just how solid his style was. Seth was one of my BASE companions and grew to be my best friend. He spoke highly of Kevin. Keeping it fun, right on Kevin. Johnny Utah Circus Circus #1 [email protected] johnnyutah.com

Jason, I vote that helmets should be recommended but NOT required. On gnarly jumps I definately like wearing a helmet, but at Bridge Day I would like to have the option to jump without one. People flailing and blasting in at BD are mainly busting up their bodies not their heads...except that dude who face planted the truck. Is that image still haunting you? People got to learn not to fly into hard metal objects. There is a river with boats waiting. If your canopy skills are lacking or you are struggling for any reason, then LAND IN THE WATER. If you are new to the sport, then you probably want to wear a helmet. Some more experienced jumpers feel comfortable jumping without a helmet at certain objects. I can understand why, I do too. Please keep Bridge Day the fun boogie it has always been. Johnny Utah Mandalay Bay #1 [email protected] johnnyutah.com