JaapSuter

I may not snort coke, but that's a damn fine reply if there ever was one. Well said!

, why do you think I started BASE WIKI? It's the ultimate look-at-me-I-try-to-be-an-author website! It's mental masturbation baby, yeah!

I used to be against breaking the BASE forum apart, but I've come around and changed my opinion. We've had this discussion a while back and didn't come to a conclusion, so here is me trying again. Will splitting things up mean more clicking to those interested in all posts? Yes, I'm afraid so. But simultaneously we would provide a bigger service to the new jumper's community who can't filter the useful information from the bullshit anymore. With all the banter going on lately, I'm almost beginning to wonder if we should split off the Speaker's Corner sub-segment of the Bonfire, so that Bonfire is the friendly place to ask for locals, talk about BASE philosophy, and general cuddling, and the Speaker's Corner is for Tom, Johnny, Miles, Shane and Magot... Cheers, Jaap Edited to fix smiley.

No, I don't believe that. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the fatality list defines our canrage rate. I have done that repeatedly in the past, while analyzing the fatality list. Don't forget that carnage doesn't stop with death. I bet there were plenty of people that broke their leg, arm, back or neck during those years. Furthermore, statistics are hard when your control group is small. The average number of deaths during those years was about two to three. Having a year with zero deaths is not significant, it's just a bit of an outlier well within the boundaries of what statistics tries to forecast. Now if we see fifty fatalities this year, I'd say something is wrong. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

I hope I didn't give the impression that the majority of my post was directed at you. They weren't. I just used your quote as a springboard. It is not when new jumpers stop reading these forums because of its childish nature, and therefore miss out on the enormous amount of information that is hidden among the bullshit. Note, that doesn't imply that forums replace an FJC and mentorship, but it does imply there many people have in fact learned a lot through discussions on this forum. Secondly, my post didn't just refer to internet trolling. Recent (and past) actions have transcended mere internet trolling, and it has reached a level that we should condemn explicitly. Case in point, Maggot's recent tagging of other people's property has nothing to do with BASE, and is ultimately just juvenile vandalizing behaviour that no self-respecting productive member of society would approve of. The fact that he does it just to poke a stick in the BASE community's eye only amplifies the childish nature of his behavior. That's just one example. There are many others out there that take things much further.

No, no, no! This is exactly the kind of moral relativism that gives sufficient leeway to the childish among us to destroy everything we love about this sport. I'll agree that exit points have a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that make a person forget whatever he disagreed on ten minutes earlier. But that doesn't mean we can't take a stand here, on the forums, among other jumpers, in public. I hesitate to stand up for Tom, because the second you do you'll be called a Tom-lover and lose respect in the eyes of half the BASE community. But fuck it, this time I'll take my chances because I've seen just about enough bullshit recently that it makes me want to quit BASE jumping. I didn't get in this sport to hang out with a bunch of teenage skydivers. The argument is really simple. Tom has made great contributions to the sport through online articles, endless conversations with anybody sending him questions, first jump courses, a Twin Falls presence, and forum moderation. Anybody denying this is either self delusional or whoefully ignorant. Nobody says he's perfect, but more people have enjoyed human flight in a safer way because of Tom than because of any other person. That doesn't go for all the pussy ass whiny little bitches that feed on the trolling and aggravating of other people who are just here to enjoy the excitement of the sport and maybe learn something. You guys know who you are, you guys have not done a single productive thing in your entire life, and you guys behave in a way that vandalizes property, endangers other people, and generally just annoys the well behaving majority of the BASE community. And when you do, you don't apologize. You are proud of the grief you cause, and wallow in your self-righteous coolness. Look at me, I'm such a rebel! Bah, it's despicable. Go contribute something positive for a change.

I'm confused...

Shut up, bitch...

What country was that video shot in? I know there are plenty of terminal walls outside of Norway, Swiss and Italy but we rarely get to see footage from them. Refreshing!

Fine, I'll be the jerk: "Using a car battery during packing is fucking retarded!"

Hi, BASE WIKI is looking for an experienced web designer to spice up its website. We need somebody to help us redesign the skin, create a logo, and generally help us turn it from todays minimalistic website to a fully fledged good looking BASE encyclopedia. You don't have to be a BASE jumper to help out. We are also looking for contributors that can add new articles or expand existing ones. BASE WIKI is a volunteer effort. Consider it a chance to give something back to a great community. Please PM if you are interested. Jaap Suter p.s. Also crossposted in the Bonfire, with my apologies to the moderators.

Got it. Thanks guys!

Hey, does anybody have a contact for Mike from New Zealand? He lived in Vancouver for a while, did a bunch of jumping in the Swiss, and have no idea where he is these days. Please PM, thanks! Jaap

You cope with the bad by celebrating the good.

Very interesting. Hey Lonnie, is there anybody in BC with a recent FX that I can get in touch with? I'd like to take a look at one. And do you guys have a pricelist? I happen to be shopping around for a container (since my previous one is stuck on a wall) and it would save me some tax- or import-dollars if I could order Canadian. Plus, it never hurts to support my fatherland economically.

Ten to one says no...

Not yet, saving up money... Meanwhile I'm modding my Phoenix suit (hence my interest in this thread) for some skydiving.

Behind the back or across the chest? On the picture it looks like it's behind the back. I'm wondering if there is a significant advantage to that. It creates a cupping effect, rather than a flat smooth surface. My guess is it'll make you fall slower, but move forward slower to. Then again, they're the experts.

I've tied the cord to my shoelaces (near the toe) in the past, at the same place you attach the Phoenix booty clip. Works fine. I'm curious about two things. 1. What's in their hands? Notice how his sleeve ends very wide. I can't imagine that's just his thumb sticking to the side. Is it a build in handle? 2. Where do the tensioning cords in the arm go to? In the past I've used a single elastic from thumb to thumb, stretched across my chest. This gave me greatest range of motion. Alternatively you can use a separate elastic on each side and pull them towards your belt. It limits the motion somewhat, but it gives more surface under your arms. Looking at the image, it doesn't look like he goes to the belt, and it seems he has the cord running behind his back.

Hey! There's a difference between having a passport that says you're Dutch, and actually being Dutch. Rugai is Italian...

It was brought to my attention that this was actually not a skibase jump, but a regular BASE jump. Not sure where I got that skibase information from. I guess the mentioning of freeskiing caught me in the original article.

Well, we don't know how long his run-up was, and how long his delay was. Skibase can in fact put you close the wall. Not that it makes me any less retarded, but I speak from experience...

http://www.aspendailynews.com/article_13607 Quote: "Davenport figures the accident was 80 percent equipment malfunction and 20 percent pilot error." It's a newspaper article so I take quotes with a grain of salt, but WTF? Ah well, I'm glad he's okay! Also on http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3629947a1823,00.html...

Some of the best mentorship can be found on the List...

Can you elaborate on this? I've heard of people extending their static-lines by as much as twenty feet without problem. I can see how a longer delay will increase the snatch force and increase chances of a premature break though. Is that what you're getting at?