Ether

I didn't jump with an alti during my IAD jumps, so I learned how to set up a proper landing pattern first with radio assistance and then more by "feel", by judging distance and altitude by sight. When I started PFF and had an alti, I found that if I checked my altitude below 800 feet or so, I was relying too much on the numbers and less on what my eyes were telling me. Consequently I had poorer accuracy until I decided that once I had a canopy safely over my head, it was time to ignore that thing on my wrist and go back to using my eyes. Disclaimer: low jump numbers, so I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Can I get this author to do my bio? Forget that; how can I get Hank to come visit me? Looking for newbie rig, all components...

This is getting pretty off-topic for the BASE forum. Go here and find somewhere close to you, or post on the "places to jump" forum. Instructors are certified, so they are all supposed to be good. Just get out there and start jumping; don't fret so much. Remember, "the best is the enemy of the good". Good luck! edited to add: You seem to be very concerned to find the "right" people to do your instruction, e.g. someone who also does BASE. Seriously, don't fret about this. It turns out that one of my instructors does the occasional BASE jump, but so what? By the time I have enough skydives to be thinking more seriously about BASE, I will have jumped with everyone at my dropzone and everyone will know my skills and experience. It's only at that time that I'll be looking around selecting people to start talking BASE with; early on, one should only be concerned with acquiring good skydiving skills. Seriously, stop rushing. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

It's a socially acceptable way of shrugging off the feelings of affection and bonding that men feel when they do fun (or dangerous) things together. There are some interesting psychological studies about it. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Hey, I'm a chick and I got flamed when I turned up here all cheerful and asking people "to talk about BASE with me"... I may have gotten an easier ride than you did, but I think I've made fewer mistakes. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

So you've read enough to know that you still want to pursue BASE; great! But why keep reading more now? What do you hope to gain at this point? Research is good, but you are doing yourself harm by doing this research too soon. You will get much more out of becoming a good skydiver first, and pursuing BASE after that. You are also going to sell your skydiving experiences short. Focus more on the "now", and less on the "later". Disregard this if you like, but I am just telling you what I have learned from my own experiences so far. I didn't listen enough to the advice that I was given... but perhaps there is little benefit to offering advice, as everyone has to figure it out the hard way for themselves anyway. Actually there are quite a few female BASE jumpers; not all are identifiable by avatar or username. But does it matter? What matters more, I think, is how each person approaches the sport and how they relate to their mentors and fellow jumpers. There are lots of examples of good and bad ways to approach the sport in the archives, as I am sure you have already seen. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Like other parts of the site, the ability to add oneself to this database could use some sort of reference-based system (that is, you must be "approved" by n other jumpers already registered in the system, with those references available to the moderators of the site). Basically, start off with a core set of hardcore jumpers, and allow them to say "yes I know this other jumper", who then gets added to the main pool. If a bad reference slips in, it is traceable and can be undone as far back up the tree as necessary. It occurs to me that it might be interesting to see the graphical representation of this reference tree, if it related to genealogy of mentorship. It would be cool for newish jumpers to be able to look up who their grandfather, greatgrandfather etc are, all the way back to the start of the sport... Does any of that make sense? Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Kate, you sound just me about 8 months ago, so I'm going to reply to a few points I see... Have you read the "Getting Into BASE" link at the top of the BASE forum? The first, and most important thing to do, is to start skydiving. Put BASE out of your mind until you have at least had a few skydives. At best, any technical information you learn now about BASE will not make much sense until you start getting your hands on typical skydiving gear, and at worst you will pick up false information that will not transfer to skydiving and will jeapordize your safety. (One typical example: I was astonished the first time I saw a skydiving pack job, because I had gotten the impression from BASE that all pack jobs take half an hour and are meticulous about flaking. I was a little hesitant at first to jump a rushed two minute pack, until I read some manuals and convinced myself that it was safe.) After you have started skydiving, sure, come on back and start reading about BASE, but your first priority is to become an experienced skydiver. BASE is not going away, and you should be having fun skydiving for its own sake, not just as a gateway to BASE. You might want to reconsider that. There are a number of technical factors that make the NRG an unsuitable first jump site; the recent thread on Brian Schubert's death discusses this in more depth. That's a great attitude, and will keep you in good stead as you progress. Now I know you haven't gone skydiving! It won't be any better at the dropzone. If this concerns you, you can discuss it in the Women's Forum, but a better approach would be to accept the culture you are entering and try to have a little fun with it. - Ether, a fellow female BASE groupie Looking for newbie rig, all components...

You should be the keeper of the Prison BASE numbers. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

omg, you registered two years ago, and this was your first post? Htf are you doing, man! Good times! Missed ya. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

A helmet did nothing for me. Now, body armour, that would have been cool... Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Heh! I'm not a BASE jumper, and I don't expect to be one for quite some time. But yeah, I do see a difference between skydiving and BASE. And yeah, it is elitist. What's wrong with being elitist? I'm thinking this through some more and am starting to see some good reasons to separate the boards. I'm going to keep an open mind though, and see what happens... Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Hey at least I don't get so wasted that I miss a whole day of jumping! Looking for newbie rig, all components...

I don't get it. What is the point of separating the boards? Wouldn't this just reinforce the elitist "we are totally different than and separate from skydiving" attitude? While of course I can see there are some differences, I don't see how forcing a separation will be healthy for anyone. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Shut up and get back to work; you're not done yet! Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Interesting. I'm putting together "my first rig" as well, and have picked out a Triathalon 190. (I'm 135 lbs without gear.) However, this is partially influenced by what is easily available to me.. if it were a 170 sitting on the shelf at my DZ, I'd probably go with that instead.

Thanks for putting on such a great event. My first boogie was a blast! Looking for newbie rig, all components...

I dunno, I'd be pretty uncomfortable with someone filming my FJC. Maybe, but my guess is an equal or greater number of sites would get closed. Count on it. Is that good or bad? Could be either... I was a whuffo who decided that BASE was worth pursuing, but so far the reaction has been almost entirely positive. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

...and

Mustache rides for everyone! Looking for newbie rig, all components...

At a boogie this past weekend, we were grounded several times during the day due to heavy wind. I was really tempted to hook up a canopy backwards and take it out onto the taxiway with some rollerblades... Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Bullshit. You should be thinking outside your immediate local area for your training, especially if there are no mentors nearby. That sort of attitude is going to get you killed or seriously injured, and everyone here will say "I told you so". Then where will you be? Unable to climb, and no one will want to help you learn to BASE. There are several examples in the archives from the past few months of good and bad approaches to learning BASE. Read them and learn from them. Looking for newbie rig, all components...

I'm really thankful that the BFL was one of the first things I found and read after I started taking a serious interest in BASE. Every single addition to the list since then has left me reeling like a punch in the gut. I don't know if anything else would be quite so effective at making me think "This is serious. Maybe I don't want to do this after all. I better take things pretty slowly." Just having someone say "this is dangerous, you know.. you might even get killed!" just doesn't strike home in the same way. I'm also bothered that there are still lessons to be learned by the recent entries, things to add to checklists and to my training... Looking for newbie rig, all components...

http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_5886528?nclick_check=1 http://www.amazon.com/Off-Wall-Yosemite-Michael-Ghiglieri/dp/0970097379/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/002-2150591-7347239?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179177223&sr=8-4 Looking for newbie rig, all components...

Wow, that's pretty small for a student canopy. I've been under an Aerodyne Solo 270, which at my weight (135 lbs) is a ridiculously light wing loading. I don't find it hard to flare, but I've got good upper body strength from rock climbing. That's pretty common for students. A few rough landings on your ankles will teach you better judgement of altitude though. I was getting big bruises on my forearms from IAD jumps from the risers whacking me, but I've been pretty bruise-free (except for the occasional shoulder bruise from a rough opening) since going to PFF/AFF. Pay attention to your positioning while and after pulling your pilot chute. Keep your arch for as long as possible, with your arms clear out of the way of the risers. Definitely hit the gym! You should have enough strength that you can do tight turns on front risers. Looking for newbie rig, all components...