wwarped

I really enjoyed the olympic ski-jumping. the commentator mentioned the height being equal to a 20+ story building (IIRC). wonder what it looks like from a helmet cam? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

congrats! DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

hmmm... isn't teaching spotting skills part of the ISP? people preparing to BASE should consider opening higher on skydives. that normally provides a better chance of making the field as well as valuable time under canopy. backing up in a stiff wind also teaches practical accuracy skills. really. if that freaks a jumper out, do you think they should BASE? disclaimer: jumping a large parachute in stiff winds is unnerving, risky, and should ONLY be done with care. (just like BASE.) DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

whoever said that seems to have forgotton two skills... 1. how to properly spot a load 2. how to land while going backward DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

he is #6 on "the list." http://hometown.aol.com/base194/myhomepage/base_fatality_list DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

a canopy meets the air at a given angle. this is a designed in factor called "trim." it is controlled by the length of the suspension lines. how a canopy is trimmed greatly affects it's speed in full flight. your brake settings change the trim and the speed of the canopy with STOWED brakes. (Jaap can explain why it can be beneficial to adjust your personal brake settings.) other factors also contribute to the speed of the canopy, such as airfoil shape. the builders make those choices. you can research those differences or simply jump some and find the canopy you prefer. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

I think it does matter. look at how competition skydivers talk about controlling their "arousal level." they try to get pumped up, but not excessively, for optimum performance. BASE jumpers talk about an inner voice. many times it is a comfort level. something just feels off. many have climbed down and some WISH they had... jumpers must clear their head of everything BUT the jump. any mental distraction risks slowing down a needed response. an overconfident jumper might overlook important considerations. an underconfident jumper will stand at the exit point wondering why he is there... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

thanks for sharing the story. you may be embarrassed, but you ARE still sharing. others can learn. the report should add to your pool of positive karma. the story illustrates why the jump is NOT over until safely on the ground. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

But whats the big deal if names are mentioend or not. You are proud of what you do...why hide it? BASE jumpers need to control risks. mentioning names can unnecessarily add risk to some jumpers. these may include: - attracting the attention of law enforcement (how about the rumored "list" of the NPS?) - penalties from employers - denial of an insurance claim - your family discovering you jump 5 times a month, NOT 5 times a year - I wouldn't put it past a lawyer to use such information to claim a person is an "unfit" parent I'm sure I can come up with more. every jumper must define their own comfort level. the rest of us should respect jumpers with more conservative views. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

yep extremely doubtful, but it would seem appropriate. every jump should be analyzed and not taken for granted. this analysis can shorten dramatically as a jumper becomes familiar with an object and learns the local conditions. new objects deserve more respect. what people derive from jumping and why they do it can be very personal and varies between jumpers. therefore, thought processes will vary. many jumpers have stories of all the conditions being right, but they chose not to jump. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

when people push envelopes, you never know what will develop. BASE manufacturers developed emergency building escape systems after 9/11. NASA has a program designed to push techology they developed out into the market. 'course they then brag about these "spin-offs." (good pr never hurt congressional funding...) the general public probably thought nothing much would come of the Wright brothers' work. granted, few in the general public can distinguish between recklessness and managed risk. this subtle difference is the key. Wilbur Wright recognized this when he stated, "Carelessnesss and overconfidence are usually more dangerous than deliberately accepted risks." unfortunately, the editor (or editorial board) fails to recognize this distinction. it appears they assumed the jumper acted recklessly. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

don't fret. keep reading this forum and you'll quickly realize posts like yours appear quite regularly. you were treated typically. these posts seem to continue an ongoing dialogue. did you notice how few replied to YOUR post? be happy and pat yourself on the back. it seems the "shock" treatment worked well for you. instead of arguing, you adapted. that is a good sign. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

remember, the eruption that blew away a major chunk of the island created a bay. it's deep enough for cruise ships to dock and offload heaps of tourists. oh, and all the photos show villas built into the sloping cliff face. to heck with the JUMP, where would you land? how would you get out? how would you avoid being seen by someone in one of those villas? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

this is a sport where you frequently must be ready to deal or avoid law enforcement. you must also be prepared to attend to a busted up friend (or be the busted up party...). this forum can be unnecessarily harsh. it pales to what you might face on a jump. learn to adapt or please reconsider BASE. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

per Tom A: per RL: per me: Jimmy's original post seems to be a commentary, not question. he pointed out an apparent hypocrisy that annoys him. he was making an attempt to explain his attitude. he was planting a flag, not opening a discussion. any drift comes from second guessing him. oh, and I agree with Tom's post, especially the bell curve anology. maybe I communicated it poorly, but I read much agreement. sure, he seems to associate "hero" or "good guy" with the term "pioneer" and I do not. I also tried to give Jimmy credit for being around since 1989 (predating most people on this forum). that does not negate the areas of agreement. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

as I don't know Jimmy, I'm NOT trying to defend him. he is a non-conformist who does not care what others think. history is written by the victors. therefore only SUCCESSFUL non-conformists are lauded as pioneers. the great mass of non-conformists get beat down. (how many people suffered through the inquisition? Gallileo survived, most did not.) by using the term "pioneer" I did NOT mean to imply that his actions are inherently good. I referenced a certain mindset, an attitude. remember, native populations rarely greeted "pioneers" as heroes. (think of Tasmania's aboriginal population...) when these non-conformists succeed, they get applauded and the conformists will follow in their wake. these represent the majority. conformists like to control and protect. most of your examples illustrate that point. it prevents anarchy. they focus on the greater good. the two mindsets just don't get along well. there is inherent friction. Jimmy is NOT a conformist, and avoids playing by those rules. it is doubtful that all the ranting and raving in the world will change him. again, I was only trying to offer perspective, not condone or defend. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

before I went, I found websites that discussed highs & lows... when it gets sunny or hiking, you'll want shorts. when it is cold, expect a damp cold (low clouds, drizzle, etc.). being able to layer clothing is important. you can be hiking in sunshine only to find clouds at the top. it's 1000m above the fiord. I've seen people scrambling to don everything they carried up to wait for a break in the clouds. I'm a big fan of waterproof clothing, especially boots. but as you're from the UK, it might not seem anything special! oh, and take a water bladder. you'll get thirsty on the hike in, but you MUST jump everything down. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

thank you for illustrating my point. you definately are part of the second wave. i.e. the settlers wishing to tame and control. you seem angry since you can not. you care what happens. Jimmy does not. he'll take risks that many won't. if you don't share his spirit, you can't understand. and yes, Jimmy has not proven to be a positive force. do you think it matters to him? DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

sounds like things did not go according to your plan. recently, someone posted a cliffstrike video. his actions were second guessed and subjected to all kinds of wouldas & couldas. some said the jump was beyond his skill level. why should you be any different? 1) he admitted burning the site to the ground 2) until the video, the local authorities knew more about the jump than many jumpers 3) it seems you risked a more serious offense 4) you had the option of keeping quiet I'd actually compare your bike spot to the cliff strike in Superterminal. both plans went awry. both ended up in little damage. both were included for entertainment on a distributed DVD... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

a few years ago, I carried in a tent, camp stove, powerbars, and standard packets of dehydrated food. I DID NOT attempt to import fuel. no issues. (maybe I was just lucky.) strangely, I was paged before LEAVING Stavanger. security questioned an object. turned out to be my shaving gel! go figure. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

are you going? [sarcasm] gee, I wonder if you'll be able to find ways to entertain yourself... [/sarcasm] that just sounds like trouble. I just don't know for whom. (but I'm betting you'll be smiling.) DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

agreed. the folks that show some interest in conformity appear less threatening and avoid criticism. but inappropriate behavior is still inappropriate. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

isn't that one of the argument the church used on Copernicus & Gallileo? I intentionally chose NOT to express an opinion. I prefer to let everyone decide for themself, instead of simply joining the most popular bandwagon. I also acknowledge many pioneers commited horrific atrocities. they do so because they don't care about the common good. I'm not pleased with some of Jimmy's actions and really don't intend on defending them. this debate seems driven by the extremes, not the middle ground. (another all too common feature...) I simply tried to illustrate why the two camps seem quite polarized. if common ground existed, I don't think this thread would.... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

Very interesting. I would have guessed (and my experience confirms this to an extent) that the openings would be slower, since the slider isn't pushed down as aggressively as with the steering lines through the grommets. he jumped an original Sabre, which were notorious for opening fast. at the speed they opened, the A-D lines could easily drive a slider down. the thinking was NOTHING restrained the tail, so it inflated wickedly fast. think instant, complete pressurization. not pretty. edited to add: maybe DACRON lines would have made the situation tolerable... DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

to avoid the "ethics" semantic debate, try looking at it from a broader perspective. pioneers need to be bold, independent, and indifferent to the common views of the day. Copernicus, Gallileo, Columbus, the Wright brothers, Carl Boenish, etc. all boldly thought outside the box. once the trail was blazed, others followed. these folks found comfort knowing others defined the path. they appreciated signs, guideposts, maps, etc. to show the way. they also tended to protect what others established. this whole "ethic" debate appears to reflect a tension between these 2 different types of people. imagine Daniel Boone leading settlers through the Cumberland Gap. I'll bet he had folks asking, "are you sure you know what you are doing?," "is that the right way to be treating the indians?," "won't XXXXX come back to haunt us?," etc. 'course many also died following less skilled guides... Jimmy definately thinks more like a pioneer. his critics focus on how he deviates from a defined path. they try to establish conformity. he chafes at restrictions. DON'T PANIC The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse