JaapSuter

Wearing my Hanwags for ankle protection and my Dainese shorts for tailbone protection, I've done several (> 10) rear-riser only landings on my Sabre 170. I will continue to do so on my Rockdragon in my skydives, and will not hesitate to try some at the potato bridge if altitude, wind-direction and -strength permit. Cheers, Jaap Suter

I did, and I believe plenty more people did. And that was before Tom Aiello asked me to as part of his FJC. In fact, I took a pen and for each and every accident that included enough information, I asked myself the question: "Could this happen to me?" Some accidents on the list were on jumps more dangerous than others. Some accidents on the list were with gear that nowadays wouldn't be used anymore. This allows for a projection onto your own comfort-zone, and a re-evaluation of how dangerous you really feel base is, and how dangerous you can make it. That doesn't mean that I know what the hell I'm talking about. On a long enough timeline, everybody's survival rate drops to zero . But I thought it was an interesting exercise nonetheless. Cheers, Jaap

Clicky: http://skyclub.ru/mitishi.avi

I think it would help if there was a more thorough introduction to the list. Move the background story that is now at the bottom to the top of the page and explain it's purpose and the significance of the statistics. Without knowing how many base jumpers exist and how many jumps are made, the number in the top right corner really doesn't say much, except act as a general warning and memorial. I'd hate to see the list go. The public should applaud the people in this sport for taking the responsibility and courage to document the mistakes (and bad luck) of our fallen comrades. As far as I know, climbers don't maintain such a database. I climb myself and I recall a fatal accident a couple of years back where a forum discussion about it quickly degenerated in a "no-respect-for-the-dead" flamefest. The bottom-line was that the deceased wasn't wearing a helmet, which might have saved him. Accidents happen. Documentation is good. I say, provide a good context and explanation for the list's existence (memorial, scare and learn-from-mistakes), at the very top of the page (maybe even on a separate page that you have to see before continueing to the main page) and the list will have a more positive image to the outside world. Two cents though. Maybe even just one. Cheers, Jaap

I've done it twice, never had problems. If anything, it should be easier than a skydiving rig because you don't have the Cypress box (which shows up pure black on xrays iirc). I suspect experienced jumpers have done it lots more without problems. Edited to add; and if they ask what it's for, say "parachuting" instead of "base-jumping". That way you're still telling the truth (as opposed to saying "skydiving") but you're not talking about a sport that the majority of the population still perceives as an illegal activity. My two cents though...

Wouldn't it be cool to have an iPod mod that connects directly to your Audible Protrack? It starts playing as soon as freefall begins, and stops playing when the first audible notification starts beeping. Before that (in the plane) and after that (under canopy) it refuses to play, forcing you to pay attention with your ears (as well as your eyes). Music in freefall; imagine rythm based multiway RW or freefly jumps. That'd be pretty cool. Not sure about potential risks in freefall though. Cheers, Jaap

Ouch. What did you do when you came home?

More info on ground launching: http://www.canopypiloting.com/GLC.htm

Hey Blair, sounds like your wingsuit experience helped you find a good body position quickly. It took me a while (never flown a wingsuit) to find a good steep position that seemed to create lift. Have you tried flying with swoopcords yet? It makes a nice difference. Just tie a shoe-lace directly from thumb to thumb, through your sleeves (not going down to your belt). That way you can create extra tension on the fabric under your armpits and create more surface area. Having it go straight across your chest instead of down to your belt (as with standard RW swoopcords) allows you to still reach risers and toggles immediately. I first read about this tip from Han Solo in this post: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1329953. There's some other useful stuff in there too. Cheers, Jaap

I'll be in LA from May 17th till 23rd. Trying to figure out if I should bring my rig or not. Will have around 20 jumps by then, all but one from the potato span. Looking for an S or maybe an A suitable for a beginner. Please PM... Thanks, Jaap

Thanks! I was actually curious about stories leading up to the jump. Long drives, long waits for good weather or waits for that security guard to go away, disguises you used to gain entry, elaborate escape plans, etcetera. Cheers, Jaap Suter

1.5 seconds. No , the whole jump was sub-terminal anyway. No. I thought about this for a while before deciding to go. The two problems I saw with this were line-twist and deploying headdown between my legs. The latter I discarded, knowing that I wasn't going to go headdown (famous last words), and if I did, I wouldn't have time for a cut-away anyway. The line-twist scenario worried me more, and I discussed it for a bit with some friends. I came to the conclusion that the real problem with line-twist is obstacle strike. That can be fixed by climbing up the lines and steering away, regardless of having a snowboard attached to my feet. The actual line-twist is a secondary problem, and that can be kicked out of, even with a snowboard on my feet, albeit a little slower. Cheers, Jaap Suter

I forgot to mention. On the way driving to xxx, I saw a huge billboard saying the following: Get Vertical, Go Apex That's how much trouble the people from Vertigo and Basic Research go through to encourage their customers! Apex is a ski-resort not even close to where I live or where we jumped, but they were advertising beside the road there. Cheers, Jaap

A little bloody? Those road-rash skids on your arm must have been at least a centimeter deep. You definitely win the hardcore-award for continueing as if nothing happened. Anyway, I just wanted to point out, before somebody points it out, that doing a ski-base on a 14th jump might not be the smartest thing one can do. However, I've been snowboarding for the past 10 years, having spend several seasons in the French Alps, and having done many contents. See http://www.jaapsuter.com/snowboard for some pictures. That's just to explain that I am convinced that me exiting on a snowboard was going to be more stable than any exit I will ever do on foot. It would also give me more separation because of the extra speed. I've landed many cliffs over 20ft on my snowboard, and I would never go headdown on this one either. That combined with a massively overhung exit, great weather conditions, a huge landing area, and money set aside for a helicopter rescue mission in case I decided to back out at the exit-point, made me decide to make the trip. Shit , this whole previous paragraph sounds like one of those typical "guy that doesn't know what he's doing trying to convince himself he didn't do something stupid" arguments. I'll crawl back into my cave now. My next jumps will be at the potato bridge again. Flame away... Cheers, Jaap Suter

It's 10:45 pm here, and I just got home from an incredible roadtrip. I've been awake for the past 38 hours, I drove 1500 kilometers with just 3 CDs, I drank 8 Red Bulls and 5 coffee to stay awake, I got a 300 dollar speeding ticket, and I spend a wackload of money on a new helmet and radio, a car-rental and gas for the trip. Was it worth it? Hell yeah! I did my 14th base jump and met some incredible people. A big thanks to the ... crew for the invitation and an awesome day! There's probably much crazier stories out there, so please share them. What did you do to make a jump? Thanks, Jaap Suter

Sorry to ask for more information again, but I don't quite see how a difference between pin or velcro causes different behaviour here. Perhaps the combination of the bridle being stowed differently (over the shoulder) and the pilot-chute inflating sooner (at a different location) is what you mean? Thanks, Jaap Suter

The other options being? A shorter delay but still handheld?

Awesome, that makes total sense. Thanks!

Hi, couldn't find it with a search, so here goes. What way should connector links be oriented? Afaik, the thread should be up, on the canopy side, and the opening should face to the inside (towards the opposite riser). Is that correct? Any motivation for this (or any particular) orientation? Thanks, Jaap

Ssssh.....

Hey, I just received the Bridge Day 2004 Boogie DVD in the mail this morning and just finished watching it. I can highly recommend getting it, even if you didn't attend BD 2004 (I didn't). Seeing a few first jumpers hesitate at the exit-point really gave me sweaty hands. Also, the Russel and Red Bull scenes are amazing. Overall; great footage, good music, excellent editing. I've never been there, but if Bridge Day is half as much fun as it seems, I'll be the first to register for 2005. Fun detail: it starts with an interview-ish scene with an NPS representative. She's very positive and has a great attitude towards base-jumping that went something like this: "Most of them are athletes that take their sport very seriously. Obviously there is one percent that is 'out there', but that's the case in any high-adventure sport." This video could be a great ambassador for increasing the awareness of negotiations with the NPS. So go visit Triax Productions and buy the video! (Imagine that, I don't even work for them.) Cheers, Jaap

Do most people jump handles once they go to terminal? Is this because non-handle pilot-chutes expose too much fabric, and run the risk of coming loose prematurely at terminal speed? Or is it because they're worried they might not find it otherwise? I actually liked the non-handle pilot-chutes I used off the span, but never thought about how they would translate to a terminal environment. I feel like I'm missing something obvious . Ah well, I'm just excited because I finally got to skydive my new base canopy after six weeks of consistent rain . Cheers, Jaap

Interesting, I did exactly the same thing on my SJC (second jump course ). I did a side-floater facing to the north of the canyon on my 11th jump. I had a 90 left, so ended up facing towards the bridge. I then used rear-risers for a full 180 and ended up losing too much altitude to turn it around for a downwind landing. I then decided to go for the water instead. The water can get quite chilly in November

Hi, does anybody know a good cost-of-living comparison chart or calculator that includes both Canada and the United States? Something like: if you're currently living in A, and you're making B, you should be making X if you move to Y and want to keep your standard of living the same. Thanks, Jaap

Wow. You guys really like the skunk up there in your neck of the woods, eh? Hold on a second now. Two of those beers are Dutch, and one of those (Grolsch) is from a place I lived for three years (Enschede). They are fine, fine beers! And that opinion is based on many many tasting samples.