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BASE JUMPING
I guess it all starts somewhere. I remember jumping
off of the roof into a huge pile of blankets and sofa
pillows, with an umbrella and a prayer. Needless to say,
umbrellas do not make great canopies. Neither do
kites, blankets, and wings made from garbage bags duct
taped to tent poles. We never told our parents of our
adventures because we are quite sure we'd be dead by now.
And not from the fall!
Many years later, I began
skydiving--which I still thoroughly enjoy. But once I
stepped off my first wall, that's a whole 'nother crack
dealer. I actually never
intended on getting into B.A.S.E. I had definitely
thought about it due to the friends around me, but for me
the idea of jumping from a big wall scared the crap out of
me. |
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Sure, I could
understand planes, maybe bridges, even really tall antennas,
but a rock face? It was the actual moment of
disconnecting from the earth which I could not begin to
imagine myself doing. Sure, I wished I had it in me to
bring myself to do it. But, I just couldn't wrap my head
around it and thought I'd never do it. I was fortunate
to be exposed to it on a weekly basis, so it became less
scary--and more appealing-- to me.
I am pretty hell-bent
on getting over any fear that I have; excluding the ideas of
zombies and clowns, which for me will always freak me out ;). So,
when I am peaked out on an exit point that I haven't either
jumped in a while or is a new object, I have no choice but to jump off (unless, of course there is a danger). I
have come to believe that the excessive fear of jumping off an object is
completely illogical when you have the training and gear to
pull it off. The worst part for me happens to be the mindgame
of disconnecting. But, once you jump, it's done. Then
everything else seems to turn to muscle memory and survival instinct--ergo a
good time.
My First BASE Jump - A
Bridge, or "Span"
These days, in the United States, the Perrine Bridge in Twin
Falls, Idaho is usually a first jump for many. The
Perrine sits 486 feet above the Snake River. Honestly, a
straight PCA (Pilot Chute Assist) jump off the Perrine is
about as easy as it gets. You simply jump off (the worst part)
and someone pops your pins for you. You feel the parachute
come off your back and...Fwwooomp! It opens and you
are simply landing a huge, slow canopy. Not exactly what you
picture when you think of BASE jumping, but it gets you there.
In fact, I didn't even consider myself a BASE jumper after the
bridge, or even
after I did my first two Earth jumps in Switzerland. I
didn't consider myself a BASE jumper, until I started
doing it regularly. In my opinion, a couple of jumps does not a BASE
jumper make. And honestly these days, I
haven't been doing it much either so I need to get my ass back
out there.
Still, my first jump off
that bridge, woot--486 feet looks a lot lower when you're
looking down from the top! It felt exactly like a
balloon jump but a helluva lot shorter and with no real room for error. But, I
trust my BASE canopy and packjob more than I do when using
skydiving gear. I know that sounds silly, because you have a
reserve when skydiving, that being said I trust my reserve
more than my main.
After the first jump the
jumps got easier. In fact the climb out was scarier so I
started hiking out instead after an almost-fatal-or-worse
slip. Four PCA jumps later and I was going handheld. It
as a good way to end the trip. I got my 'S' and I was
hooked.
| My First Earth Jump -
Yellow Ocean, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland So, it was back to the balloon in my tracking suit. I
had bought the tracking suit to help me prepare for flying
wingsuits, and also in the event that I ever jumped any big
walls. Well, lo and behold, you knew it was coming.
My second trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley had me perched on
Yellow Ocean waiting 4 very long minutes to jump. Yep, it took
me a lot of counting down, "3-2-1 Holy ^%!#@" (and
some other choice words) to
step off that rock. I finally took a deep breath and 4
minutes after stepping onto the edge I
stepped off, everything disappeared for about 3 seconds.
It was me, that rock, and God. And it was epic!
After 3 seconds it was like a normal skydive in a way. I
tracked my butt off and away from the wall I went. It
was liberating.
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Truth be told, I am a lousy counter.
Well, not a lousy counter, I just don't remember to count, so
by default--that's pretty lousy, However, I pulled on
both jumps at 7 1/2 seconds, right on the money. It's
all about feel I guess. When it looks
like you need to pull, by God, toss it! The
second jump, I again pulled at 7 1/2 seconds but didn't track
as far, far enough for safety but not as far nonetheless. I
was too busy looking back watching that wall behind me pick up
speed. It was glorious. Then it was time to pull
again, drat. What's the song? Ain't No Mountain
High Enough. Watching the wall fall away is almost
hypnotic, she'll seduce you if you're not careful, so stay on
top of your game.
Since I waited until the
last couple of days to start (since I didn't really intend to
make a jump on that trip to begin with), the weather permitted me to only make 2 earth
jumps total. So, I got my 'E' and I was even more hooked. I went home only to dream about jumping for
weeks on end afterwards. My friends and I joke that I
have more night BASE jumps (dreams) logged than anyone I know.
And when I came home, we were already planning for the next
trip.
More of the Same - The
Bridge, She Beckons
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The Perrine is great for
dialing in your exits, staying
current and working on new moves if that's your thing.
This time I came to the bridge with a brand new canopy, a
black and gray, vented center cell FLiK 220. I had just
started packing my own BASE packjobs and stepped off the
Perrine, handheld with my crisp, never jumped
before canopy, and a first-time jump on my own BASE packjob.
That'll mess with your head... But actually it didn't: I
went over the canopy inspection twice, and packed and
repacked it many times before I was able to make it pretty
neat. And it opened fine. So, two or three handhelds
later, I was going stowed. I waited all of 1 second my first
time. And in my mind, it took FOREVER to open. By the
end of the trip I was waiting a very healthy 2 1/2 seconds before hucking
and on the last jump (last only because my inner thigh was
shot from climbing the railing and the leg strap finally
doing it in) I did a side floating exit that left my
stomach up on the bridge. |
I was so sad about leaving
the bridge that afternoon, but I knew my third Switzerland
trip (in a year!) was right around the corner.
Lauterbrunnen Again,
Send My Things I'm Moving Here
This trip was the best! Four of us, including my
friends Will Kitto, Joby Ogwyn, and our instructor, Barry Holubeck, took off to Switzerland. We had rented
another chalet so packing was easy, as well as the convenience
of having your own kitchen and laundry is such a plus out
there. It was well worth the extra money. We were
meeting some other friends of us out there as well: Troy
and Sarah Hartman, Jimmy Hopper, but unfortunately Andy West
had to work and couldn't make it. It was peak season and
I was able to connect with a lot of fellow BASE jumpers out
there that were fun and had so much to offer. Lauterbrunnen
is probably one of the greatest places on earth.
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My First Antenna Jump
Clearly Antennas are not exactly legal. So, I am not
going to go into too much detail. The fact of the matter
is, getting my first "A" was extremely liberating for me.
Why? Because it was my first antenna, it was my
lowest jump to date, it was my first jump without my coach,
and it was my first low light jump. I honestly couldn't
have asked for a better experience. Everything was great; the
hike, the wind conditions, the company, the landing--epic.
The climb was long and worth it. Yay me!
Antennas
seem to be all I jump these days due to convenience (this pic is from my third) and they have
all definitely been epic. Great
experiences! Truth be known, if most had an accessible
elevator, I'd be jumping them more often. I still have much to learn,
but I'm dedicated and respect the sport. I find it
exhilarating and can only improve and hope it treats me right.
Hopefully I can get off some good objects soon. Anyway,
all I need now is a building...
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** I am currently not jumping.
I have focused all of my attention on motorcycle racing at the moment.
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