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If ever there was a man that fit the definition, it would be the BASE world’s Rigger Lee. He will tell you that he is an open book; however for many he fits the bill. I set the interview in motion with a standard 58 question document for this series of profiles and what I received in return where some of the most intriguing answers. In Lee, you will discover a man who claims to have set no goals and yet has achieved a great deal in his lifetime.

Lee’s story begins in Irving, Texas, while he has spent most of his life referring to his mother’s home in Euless as his residence for the purpose of collecting his mail. His partner at “the shop,” friends and family have grown accustomed to Lee being “away” from his home base for 6 or more months out of the year. Lee is known to have packed up and disappeared for a month or two at a time, “wandering about the country.”

Lee’s enterprises managed from “the shop” include a sign store, rigging loft and T-shirt company. A current project is constructing sailing covers, but he still thinks of “the shop” as being more of a “hangout” for when they “aren’t out playing,” than as place of business.

A 37’ Endeavor, ketch rigged became the latest addition to Lee’s toys to make his fascination with sailing came full circle. The recent purchase is docked in Houston, Texas. Lee explained to me his reasoning behind the sailing fascination. “A friend of mine had bought a 16 foot Hobie. I had been out with him on that a couple of times, and pretty much, I was hooked. The Hobie was too much fun and with it a sense of freedom that comes with sailing. There is no motor and it beats the hell out of paddling.” He went on to elaborate, “I had spent a month on Lake Powell with a kayak and sailing sure beat the hell out of paddling 250 miles with the wind blowing. I developed an interest in sailing prior to even those experiences. I recall taking a ferry across the North Sea. Standing by the window and gazing at the waves changing as we left the mouth of the harbor. I have the same emotions when I am in the mountains, the desert or flying. You couldn’t imagine three more different environments and yet they bring forth the same feeling. I suppose it is all about being beyond the boundaries of civilization and societies rules. I am leaving behind all of the false entrapments and regulations that are supposed to insure my safety at the expense of my freedom. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I do find that I enjoy it as mus as I do the other adventurous sports that I participate in.”

Lee doesn’t have an iPod filled with music; instead he thinks the first thing he loaded onto his was a book on tape. Books are a part of his life. While stranded in the Arctic with a disabled snowmobile, he read a book by Tanya Abbie titled “Maiden Voyage.” He is also quite a fan of Captain Joshua Slocum’s books. As one of his reads he listed “West is the Night,” by Beryl Markham; the story of a woman raised in East Africa who in the 1930s, became an African bush pilot, and in September 1936, became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west. I sensed that the solo adventurers and explorers in the books Lee read would consider him a kindred spirit.

Lee was a 19 year old college student when he was baptized into the world of skydiving. As a high school gymnast he had always wanted to give bungee jumping a try. During the fall season of his sophomore year of college he signed up for bungee jumping from a hot air balloon at the local small airport outside of Dallas, Texas. When he arrived on the following Saturday, the wind was too intense for the balloonist to tether the balloon for the bungee jumps. Lee instead ended up meeting with skydivers at that same airport before leaving with his refunded check in hand. The skydivers were more than willing to have him spend his money with them and he made his first tandem jump that day in 1991.

Years later while working for John Stanford at the Adventure Loft he was introduced to BASE jumping and his first BASE jumper, Ernie Long. Ernie and two companions had come to the shop in need of a tail pocket being sewn onto a new Raven3 canopy. Ernie had both feet casted and the men were struggling with Lee’s assistance to even get him through the door. Apparently, as best as Lee could piece together the story, Ernie had a mishap out in Moab Utah. There was talk of “a worn out canopy, a cliff, and being able to see the ring on a woman’s hand as she waved from the bottom. Then there was the problem with a boulder being in the landing area.” A whole new world had opened up to adventurer Lee.

He hadn’t begun his career as a Rigger yet, but was dead set on learning about BASE. He built himself a rig and headed off to Bridge Day, with 4 to 5 hundred skydives already in his log book. He located some help at Bridge Day in packing the rig that he had built and made his first 2 BASE jumps. Lee returned home hooked on the sport when all he initially ventured to West Virginia for was to learn about the equipment and technology. When I asked Lee what BASE jumping has contributed to his personal growth, he shared this: “It’s led me into worlds I would never experience otherwise.” One of those “worlds” is Baffin Island. For those of you, like myself who know very little about Baffin Island, here is a little data snippet.

Baffin Island, 69?00`N 72?00`W, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world, with an area of 507,000 km². It has a population of 11,000 people, most of them living in Iqaluit, which is the capital of the territory Nunavut. Much of the treeless island, and the waters around it, are protected national parks. A mountain ridge goes across the island and the highest peak is Mount Odin, raising 2147 m above sea level. The vast, unspoiled tundra, the mountainous interior, the big glaciers and the hundreds of bays and fjords of the rugged northern coast make Baffin Island to a unique place in the world.

Baffin Island has a typically arctic climate, with short summers and very cold winters where the temperature can drop down to -50 C. The average monthly temperatures are below 0 C for nine months of the year. The sea ice stays around the island throughout the summer and the harbors can just be used a few months every year.

I suspect there are not many tourists clamoring to spend their vacation time on Baffin Island, however that hasn’t stopped Lee from visiting 4 times in the past 10 years. The area has become more popular among trekkers’ and cross country skiers over the last few years. This only reiterates the fact that Lee is not your average person, nor your average BASE jumper. Seems fitting that a man who claims his favorite meal as “anything that crawls, flies or swims” would set his sights on Baffin Island’s bigwalls. His first expedition came in 1999. I asked Lee what draws him to Baffin Island. “Oh, man. That’s an open ended question, “Where the hell does one start?” What draws BASE jumpers there? It is the big cliffs? (I mean really big cliffs.) Some of the biggest cliffs in the world if not the biggest... we are talking 6000 foot cliffs. The whole NE coast of the island is cut with Fjords just like in Norway. There are valleys with ten times the vertical cliff face of Yosemite in California with 25 Fiords on that side of the island.” Lee has traveled solo to the island, having to ship 400lbs of food alone and equipment, along with a rifle to protect himself from the Polar Bears. Spending three months at a time solo in the Arctic is no easy feat and takes plenty of planning and preparation. One could easily add “survivalist” to Lee’s name alongside “adventurer” and “explorer.”

Lee replied to the question of marital status as such, “Are you joking? Who would have me?” When I pressed him on the matter, as there are many other skydivers, BASE jumpers and climbers who are happily married I received this explanation as part of my introduction into the world of the skydiving Drop Zones.

“Being a skydiver is a big liability relationship-wise; being a BASE jumper even more so. You spend all of your time out on little tiny airports in the middle of nowhere. The sport is 85% male and that’s if you are lucky. The 15% of females are married to a jumper or they're there because they are dating a jumper. Very rarely does a single female show up at a drop zone wanting to learn how to jump. Females that do come out to the drop zone or become divorced from their attachment, usually find themselves surrounded by a group of men humping their leg. A woman that might be considered a 6 on a scale of 10 suddenly becomes a 10 at a drop zone. Young single men with good jobs and significant disposable income will be fighting over her attention. Now this may be all well and good for the female, but for us men that aren’t exactly A-list material, it’s a f%#king death nail.” I chuckled at Lee’s explanation, but he insists “it’s the truth -- a young boy wandering onto the drop zone and then like Rip Van Winkle, I wake up single at 36 years old and it’s like “how did I get here?” Besides the trips to Baffin Island, sailing, traveling, his shop, BASE jumping and skydiving, Lee named these 5 Random facts.

Never consumed Alcohol
I dip my chocolate chip cookies in vanilla pudding
I enjoy old Science fiction movies
I am old school and still indulge in text adventure games
As a child I spent countless hours searching for the door that would take me to the land of Narnia, after having read “The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe”

He doesn’t have a favorite jumper. Instead he looks to the founding fathers of BASE for their foresight “to actually figure all the technical aspects of BASE, and who, with all that reasoning had the faith to hurl their selves from a cliff.” Lee’s jump philosophy: “I try to enjoy what I’m doing, that being the point of doing it. I try to not to die while doing it as that would reduce the enjoyment.” Right there folks is a “Lee-ism.” He is a fountain of information and being a card carrying BASE jumper he is chock full of opinions and yes, “Lee-isms.” He considers his biggest weakness in life and BASE jumping to be “cowardice” and offers this advice to newbies, “Don’t make the big mistake of seeing what other people do and thinking it’s not dangerous because they make it look easy and don’t die while doing it. Be afraid.” After all, his final thought prior to jumping is “Shiiiittt” after creating “a flow chart of the possible errors and corrections that need to be made in the jump.”

Rigger Lee claims his life isn’t organized to a point of having goals. He prefers to drift along from one interest to the next, like a ship sailing with the current. “I never really know where I will wind up going, or doing for that matter. All the past currents in my life have lead me to some interesting places and situations. One of the problems I experience with drifting is at times you can be carried over the falls, but it can be one of hell of ride. Today’s currents continue to take me to places yet explored and I have no reason to believe my life will be any less interesting tomorrow then it was yesterday.”

When Hank Caylor discovered that Rigger Lee agreed to his own interview, he can be found saying, “Rigger Lee is a freakin' great choice. The whole world will finally know the mad genius that is Lee! This will be goooooood.” If there is a “mad genius” that is Lee, it is the way he has managed to live his life one moment, one day at a time all while remaining true to his passions and himself. An enigma? Defiantly. If you were Lee would you give away all your secrets?

Quick questions with Lee:

Q: What do you feel is your contribution to BASE?
A: I have spread the word and educated BASE jumpers about Baffin Island.

Q: What makes you unique to BASE?
A: Few people are as foolish as I am.

Q: What will your epitaph read?
A: “I can’t believe he did that”

Q: Of all your jumps is there one that stands out?
A: First Antenna. La Marto, Titon, hang over hill.

Q: What has been your life’s greatest achievement?
A: I don’t think that I have achieved it yet.

Q: What is your current dream BASE jump?
A: Getting naked with the “Baffin Babes.”

Q: Why do you think Hank chose you to be the next interview?
A: He just wants to hear stories about Baffin Island.

Q: Who do you chose as the next interview subject?
A: Walt Apel

Q: What is your favorite Science fiction movie?
A: The Men in Space Series

Lee’s Statistics:

Age: 36
Marital Status: Single
Location: Whitewright, Texas
Number of Jumps: a few hundred
Year of first Jump: 1993
Container: Rigger Lee Special
Canopy: Maveric or Peg

About the Author:
The BASE Chronicles is a series of profiles and interviews with participants from the sport of BASE Jumping conducted February of 2009 through February of 2010 published on her website.

BASE jumper/Inventor/Pilot Calvin19 and Annibal: A Family Affair

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

pilot, base, inventor

Author: http://cynthialynn03.wordpress.com/" title="Cynthia Lynn">Cynthia Lynn

Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was introduce to the public in 1985, a year prior Matthew “Calvin” Hecker made his debut on this planet. Now a strong argument can be made that Calvin19, as he is known on the forum, was mistakenly left here by the Mothership and they will be returning soon to claim him. Adding to this argument are fellow BASE jumpers commenting, “That dude does some crazy shit”; a statement that lures you into thinking “this is someone that I have to meet.”

"Live your life for yourself and not based on popular opinion. Individuals can’t be categorized, they are far too diverse to label. Be not an adventurer, daredevil, or sportsman, be an explorer of all things in life”. Calvin is an explorer of life, embracing every moment of every day with every fiber of his being. He will go ten rounds with despair, he aches with desire, and he is filled with passion to swallow life whole before the universe renders him to ash.

When he isn’t doing, creating or directing an adventure, he is capturing it on film. Thousands upon thousands of photographs freezing his friends and family in the moment within a moment of time- preserved to rekindle the flames of imagination. Boulder, Colorado has provided the scenery for his life, this work of art he is living and breathing. “I love this town, young open minded college women, glorious mountains in my backyard, huge towers, 2000 foot high cliffs, rivers, my family and friends”, he exclaims.

This type of living in the moment is reflected in his jump philosophy as well, “everything you do can only be new to you once. My life is a series of moments. I have a soundtrack. Every time I fly I try to live up to that beautiful music in my head and make the visuals worth the time it took my imagination to compose the ideas. You could compare it to movies; I never was a good judge of movies because I could not see the whole thing in its final value. I kept getting lost in every single moment, every feeling that could be taken from the beauty of the visual and audible sensations. Flying does this for me, I can produce the feelings before I feel them, and I have to follow it in flight. Seeing the line in an airplane or a wingsuit and then riding hard for that hole in the sky.”

“I live the way I do, with flight, and risk, and dreams, and reality, just so that maybe I can live up to the musical score in my head. I cannot write music, or paint landscapes, but I can fly. I can move my body with foils as my tools to make the most amazing feelings and transfer these epic visions of grandeur and adventure to whoever may be watching.”

These moments of time weigh heavily on Calvin’s mind. Lost time steals opportunities to scratch off goals fulfilled on his long list. Oh, yes there is a list titled “Things to Do Before I Die” and reads as such:

1-Break “the” record. (Classified Information)
2-Build a Powered Aircraft
3-Build a Submarine.
4-Sail south, far away.

A rather ambitious list of goals for anyone, then again, Calvin isn’t just anyone, as proven by his list of activities: Wingsuit pilot, Rope Flying and Jumping, Sewing, BASE jumping, Skiing and Ski Flying, Rigging, Sailing, Rafting, Mountaineering, Speed Flying, U.E., Photography, Travel, Aviation, Granite Surfing, Aerobatics, Paragliding, Hang Gliding, H.A.B. crewing/jumping, Kites, Editing, Cinematography, Scuba Diving, ZAGI racing, Slack Lining, and Red Shifting.

He is currently working on his degree in “Flying Stuff” at Utah Valley University via online courses, allowing him to accelerate the process. He was sail plane flying at 13, hang gliding at 16 and earned his FAA pilot’s license at the age of 18. Only to end up currently grounded due to an accident and consequent refusal of the FAA to clear his medical for another 3 years. Calvin sums the situation as an “epic fail” on the FAA’s part and it doesn’t stop him from “bitching” about it in public.

That being said, he has reconciled that the most boneheaded thing he ever did was “fly a paraglide into a rotor leaving me in a coma with a ¾ of million dollars worth a hospital stay, a painful walk and 6 months of my life unaccounted for.” This in turned allowed the FAA to ground him for the time being due to medical. Although those 6 months can be tallied as time spent in a coma, it was wasted time for a man who has places to go, things to do, people to meet. He has little patience for “lost time”.

Like Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes fame creating the “transmogrifier”, this Calvin has intentions on being an innovator in all that he undertakes. Having no plans to ever retire from doing the things he feels most passionate about in life. “Flying is part of my life”, he states, “The most important thing you have to understand about me is I do not consider BASE jumping separate from my other activities. I fly using aerodynamic foils in so many ways there is no way for me to separate BASE jumping. I use BASE equipment for a multitude of things besides BASE jumping, as well as a multitude of things that are not BASE equipment for BASE jumping. My goal is to innovate; my fear is that I will never help anything from all that I do.”

Calvin lists Damian Doucette, Chris Pope, Jesse Hall, Shane McConkey, JT Holmes, Miles Daisher, Nicholas Kaminski, Max Kuszaj, Kenyon Salo, Mike Steen, Blake, and Brendon as the jumpers he admires. He prepares himself mentally for a jump by, “thinking mostly about what I am about to do and what I am going to do if something goes against what I have planned. Mostly this is just doing a final quick gear check, but the entire climb, hike, or ride beforehand I search for whatever information is available to me. Mostly I am looking for wind and air characteristics. People need to understand that the beauty of BASE jumping and sports similar to it, there is no way to adequately prepare for every jump. Every time you leave an object the conditions are different. My final thoughts are of what I want to accomplish on the jump.” As for the biggest mistakes he believes new jumpers make, “becoming over confident and being ignorant, but this is one of the hopeless things about BASE jumping.”

I pushed him further to explain why he considers BASE jumping to be “hopeless”. “In saying its Hopeless; don’t think that I mean don’t pay attention. I mean that there is no way to please everyone, there is so many different viewpoints it will be impossible to make everyone happy. The important thing to remember is that there are always things to learn, no matter what. Even if what you are learning is how not to act, or what not to do. Thinking about things is a very important part, but you need to get outside perspectives from experienced jumpers to couple with your own thinking.”

Calvin began skydiving in order to get into BASE jumping. He fell in love with all kinds of free falling and flying, but hates the dropzones and skydiver clique’s and clichés At age 19, he was BASE jumping and earned his BASE number in 5 jumps. He was attracted to BASE jumping at the age of 13 years old while watching television with his friend Alex Gilmer. He recounts the day they both discovered BASE, “it was a regular jump from Tombstone, “3...2...1...exit!” Only a 2 second delay, slider down. I remember watching the replay over and over. I looked at Alex and said, “I am going to do that”. We both did not more than 8 years later.”

In talking with Adam Foster, a longtime friend and fellow jumper of Calvin’s, he recounted this story as one of his most memorable “Heckerisms”.

It was Christmas Eve ('04 I think). There was a little bit of a tailwind and I told Matt that it was his decision (as conditions weren't great, but not horrible either). I was going to PCA him and freefall after. We got everything ready and I set Matt up for his PCA, he exited and opened fine. Upon landing he flared, hit the ground, and did a wonderful PLF followed by his canopy covering him (we were landing downwind). At this time all I could think was, "I think it might be a little too windy for a downwind landing". I couldn't morally send Matt off on his first building jump and not follow after watching his less than optimal landing, so I jumped and crashed just the same. All in all it was an awesome night and an eventful one for Matt, as he obtained his BASE number that. Oh, did I mention it was his fifth BASE jump? Matt is probably one of the more amazing people I have ever met. With all he has been through he has still become one of the more talented BASE jumpers (among other things) I am friends with. I could also elaborate on the time he did his first cliff gainer off of the sketchiest cliff I have ever jumped.

Calvin enjoys the “therapy” of a solo jump, sometimes giving him hours of preparation time allowing him to think about what he is doing without interruptions. However, he is more “satisfied” and in a “better” mood when he partakes in a group jump sharing the experience with others. The jump that stands out in his mind, “my illegal big wall jump with my best friend Jesse Hall, the magic of epic relative motion and the sound of vast. Jesse is pretty much the coolest dude out there, Pro Skier, the most naturally skilled BASE jumper I have ever seen. He brought me to the big illegal wall when I had just turned 20.”

His describes his favorite jump object in this manner: “She is sexy, tall with the perfect dark complexion, very wet at the bottom and perfect in size.” Before you go accusing him of taking up writing erotica, take note of what a romantic he is about flight, “the hopeless feeling of leaving an exit point, followed by the hope filled sensation of aerodynamic control in freefall as speed is reached, the fear is replaced by the feeling of control. BASE to me is a challenge; a therapy in an exercise of emotions, reactions and achieving “awe”. How many people get 'awe' more than twice a year on vacation? Not many. I get it every day almost.” That sexy, tall, perfectly sized object is “the illegal big wall in Colorado” that he spoke of earlier.

What does a man who loves flying; adventure and exploring the possibilities take time to stop and watch outside his realm of activities? “I enjoy viewing The Red Bull Air races a lot. I do not have the money or skill to participate. These pilots are the best of the best flying the best of the best. There is no argument.” As for the Red Bull Air Force which some consider a detriment to BASE, he boldly made clear in his opinion, “there is nothing wrong with the actions of the Red Bull Air Force. They are all my heroes. They do amazing things and I wish I was a part of their team. They are athletes that have promoted themselves, their skills and are able to have someone else to pay the bill for the things they love to do. I consider them innovators and explorers.”

“Shane, the Red Bull team and the other amazing athletes out there, are pushing the envelope, they watch it bend every time they fly. After reading posts by Shane and JT, (their blogs) I think they enjoy life, jumping and being in amazing places just as old school jumpers did being bandit jumpers back in the day. Miles and Shane explore places that have never been jumped and opened them for all of us to see and follow. They enjoy and take in everything about the place and people when they jump.”

“The (Anti-Red Bull oldies) always say 'we are jumping on the shoulders of giants', referring to the people who started the sport. These days, when I jump with Jesse Hall, when I ski-BASE, I am jumping alongside these modern era giants. These guys are the giants of today, pushing the envelope farther and faster.”

“Shane is a hero of mine. Shane is a Giant. Period.”

For Calvin “jumping” is how he grew up. It didn’t teach him about death, but made him think about it a lot. “It made my mind wander to things that I am afraid of, but not ignorant of. Base jumping ‘redlined’ every emotion a human can have for me.” Growing up jumping has added an interesting dynamic to his responsibilities and relationships with his family. In particular his sisters, whom he constantly jib jabs on their Facebook pages with comments, much like in his childhood, often chasing Anne with a mouthful of spit threatening to launch it in her direction.

“I jump because I want too. Anything my family can think or say to me is of no matter. This is not unique to BASE jumping. I feel that if a loved one is slowing down or stopping someone from doing something they love, then they are not loved ones and being selfish. They say BASE is a selfish sport and it is. I have no delusions of that; I don’t know anyone who does. The only thing more selfish is telling someone not to do it. It is not an addiction to drugs or alcohol. I love BASE jumping. Drug addicts or alcoholics don’t enjoy being addicted; they need it and are being delusional. I love BASE and flying, so I fly and jump. Anyone standing in my way of this is selfish. Anyone with my ‘best interests in mind’ would ground crew for me and takes photos. Not tell me I am being reckless.”

Enter Annibal…a student at Colorado University in BFA Film Production. Anne enjoys many hobbies all in the medium of art and media, “drawing, writing, photography, movies, television, and reading”. In the past she has designed artwork for the Bridge Day and claims this as her final thoughts prior to a jump, “Camera on? Check. Lens cap off? Check. Framing? Check. Focus? Check. Oh shit, it’s in video mode. Okay, now…f*@#! There they go. Oops.” She is upbeat about life, listing winning academy awards, traveling the world and being the first human on Pluto as her future goals. If Calvin is the “romantic” of the family, then Anne is the “jester”, the pepper to his salt. Today Anne has her brother, Calvin’s “best interests” at heart despite the indifference they might have shared in their childhood.

“I ran into a tree”, says Anne when relaying her most bonehead move to date. “Matt will love me for telling this. I was outside our home up in Evergreen, just wasting time the way an 11 year olds does. Then Matt came out of the house. This was during those years where Matt was more likely to spit on me or hit me than anything else, so at the first sign of him building up phlegm I took off in a dead sprint. Which, looking back was pretty retarded, especially since I was looking back at the time, at Matt, instead of forward , and well, trees aren’t quite as fluffy as one would hope. I ended up sprawled out on the ground, dazed and in pain, with Matt standing over me laughing his ass off. He went back inside, just left me there. Such a great brother, I think I just lay there for a good ten minutes before I could move. The whole side of my face was bleeding and I had this great big face-scab for weeks.”

She contributes his “being a tyrant and abusive little shit” to her in their youth to making her stronger, “I can take a lot of pain with no complaint”. Which she points out also made her “weaker, because I never ask for help in anything that matters”.

During this interview Calvin/Matt did comment how awful he now felt at the way he treated his sister in their younger days. As well he should, Anne, being the President of the Matthew “Calvin” Hecker fan club, with youngest sister Emily serving as Vice-President. In reversing the question regarding “family responsibilities”, Anne she spoke candidly about her brother’s BASE jumping.

“When I think about how dangerous it is, or how I might get that call. You know the call I’ve gotten in the past. ‘Your brother’s been in an accident.’ The other day Matt went to jump an ‘A’ a few hours away. It’s kind of gotten to the point where I worry all the time. Whenever the phone rings I have an instinctual reaction to think the worst has happened.”

I love that Matt’s a jumper. He is very dashing as a wool pullover. No, seriously, I love it. He’s always so happy when he’s about to jump, jumping or has just jumped. After flying a plane that’s where I see him the most happy. So, would I ever try to make him stop or wish he would stop just to end my personal worry, giving up a vital part of himself? Hell no. I always wonder about jumpers being deemed selfish by others. But how is it less selfish to try to get the jumper to conform to what you want? If I told Matt to stop jumping because he might die, would I really be worried he would die or am I worried that I would have to deal with his death? Furthermore, one of the reasons I involve myself with jumping, jumpers and the community is to avoid the call. I don’t want Matt to die jumping; I don’t want Matt to die, period. But if he does die jumping, I want to be there with him if possible. I don’t want to get the phone call. I don’t want to have the unanswered questions and second hand stories. That’s my view on the matter. All of which is secondary to how cool it looks and how fun it is to be there, but that is reasoning for me.”

Anne has never BASE jumped but she has one tandem skydive and in 2007 she completed a FRASCA rope jump. She does credit being around her brother and his fellow jumpers with contributing to her personal growth. “Well, it had a direct hand in my decision to transfer from a life of lameness as an English major at Colorado State to a life of a movie maker, which is exactly where I want to be. It brought me from a life of dissatisfaction and boredom at 19 to excitement and personal happiness at 21. I actually thought while watching Continuum, these guys, at least in theory, live as though they might not see tomorrow. They do what they love, they understand mortality. Do I want to live life thinking, “I’ll do that tomorrow?” when the thing I’m putting off is my own happiness, my dreams, my life? So I transferred. I’m now doing what I love. My personal growth comes in the form of a reduction in personal lameness.”

In regards to whether BASE jumping is a sport versus stunt in her unique point of view, “In BASE, you just have your own weakness or fears to conquer. You have an apathetic environment to compete with but it isn’t competing back. Now, yourself, your instincts, your mind, your logic, your heart and everything, they’re fighting all the time. To be able to bring your entire body of logical reasoning, your physical body, and place your fears in check as to leap from some immense height into the open atmosphere? That’s not a stunt or sport, that’s art.”

Anne’s contribution to BASE comes in the way that she advocates to non-jumpers’ on the issues of trespassing or how little of an impact jumpers would have on National Parks in comparison to rock climbers and hikers. “Don’t rescue workers get paid? Don’t f*%king hikers get lost all the time? I just don’t get the logic in banning jumpers”, she laments. Another contribution is the documentation she does of her brother and fellow jumpers on film, in photos and her artwork. She considers her involvement with the community as a self-serving one. “I want to know these people; I want to be part of it. If I ever contribute something to community of BASE, it’s because I can and it happens, not because I seek it nor need any recognition for it. I’m a taker. Any giving is purely incidental.”

Not to be outdone by her brother she can be just as romantic about describing what she likes best about BASE jumping. “I enjoy the camaraderie. I also enjoy the psychology, the aesthetic, the fashion, the struggle, and the human flight. The vitality of it all. The way it brings me closer to the feeling that there really is a reason to be alive and we are more than just randomly firing synapses and cells struck together to form a little fleshy pod of goo.”

When it comes to posting on the forum Anne doesn’t let the overtone of “what-the-#@!%-are-you-doing-here?” stop her. “I like to think that I contribute something in maybe just a fresh opinion here and there, maybe an outsider’s perspective on things.” As for changes to BASE jumper.com, “I could say I would make people nicer, but I don’t believe in censorship and I feel that even though no one has to post there, limiting by any large degree what people can post is just that. There are members that are annoyingly abrasive, but at the same time, as a non-jumper, I feel like I am overstepping bounds by posting a comment to them. So much of the time, I keep my thoughts to myself.”

She adds, “thank you, BASE jumping community, for letting a band-aid such as I sit on the fringe and pretend to belong. And let me take photos and be weird and awkward.”

“Oh, the awkward”, she jests. Whatever awkwardness she may feel, her brother doesn’t see it. “Anne is brilliant and always creating. I love both my sisters to death”.

Anne

If Anne is the pepper to Calvin’s salt, then the 4’ 10” ball of energy their parents named Emily is the spice in their lives. Emily, a 19 year old, attending University of Colorado, Colorado Springs majoring in Psychology is “retarded happy” as Calvin describes her. He is quick to point out that “Emily is awesome and can fly without wings”, referring to her gymnastic abilities.

Emily explains coming to terms with her brother’s sporting activities. “I didn’t think about him dying or getting injured as much before the accident. I guess I always saw him as being indestructible. I always trusted his judgment and his systems. But after his accident it became more clear to me that you can’t be safe doing the things he does just by being smart about it. It scares me a lot knowing I could at anytime get that call from family saying he died paragliding, or jumping, or one of the many things his does. But, I guess what scares me more is the thought of him not doing those things. He is the flier, the jumper, the adventurer, the pilot. I know him not doing these things would make him unhappy. What he does is beautiful, amazing, and I love the fact that he does them. I am not going to lie in saying that it feels cool and I like telling people how awesome my brother is. ‘Yeah, that’s right; he’s a pilot, a BASE jumper, a paraglide pilot, a skier, Matt Hecker, he’s my brother.’ I like that fact. Quite a bit.”

As a young child she idolized her brother. She recounts playing on his first jump system at their father’s home. “It was a lot of fun. There was this incident where something crazy happened while they were letting me play on it and I bounced all the way around the rope. My brother and his friends thought it was awesome, but apparently it was dangerous, so I didn’t get to play on it anymore”. Like Anne, she has jumped from Calvin’s FRASCA rope jump along side with their mother. She hopes to one day paraglide and figures that he brother might think that’s “cool” of his little sister. He has never encouraged her to participate in any of his sports, although his friends have suggested to her that she needs to at least skydive one day.

Although she doesn’t frequent the BASE jumper forum and due to her living a distance from her brother while attending school, she still feels that he and his BASE jumping friends have contributed to her own personal growth through the years.

“I have an absolute love for flight, adventure, and the beauty of this world. I would say that being around my brother and his friends, being jumpers or not, definitely shaped my views on life. I have become very adventurous and my brother is the cause of that. I would see him leave the front door countless times and watch him come back with amazing stories and photos that made me want to do more in life. Mostly he and other BASE jumpers made it so I truly want to live the fullest and best life I can, no matter how I accomplish that. The one thing I admire most about my brother is that he accomplishes whatever he wants, in life or in a day, he doesn’t hesitate, he just does it. Whatever he sets his heart to do, he always does it.”

Whereas many jumpers have trouble reconciling their love of the freefall with keeping the peace in family, Calvin has managed to do so. Calvin in the comic strip has his faithful companion Hobbes; this Calvin has the love and support of his two “ginger” sisters. “I think it has helped my parents come to grips with my life also. Anne in particular loves coming to BASE events and things like it. The 'support crew' is awesome and the memories are always better. I had a great childhood compared to a lot of people, but me jumping and doing the things I love doing made me realize the importance of calling my mother, or hugging her, etc.”

Emily

I asked Adam if he felt that Calvin would achieve all the goals on his “Things to Do Before I Die” list. “As long as he doesn't die first, there's not much that could stop him. He is damn resilient and very motivated. I just hope I can be there for some of the brilliance that he thinks up.” As mentioned earlier, “that dude does some crazy shit” and is someone we all would be fortunate to meet and share in his brilliance.

Calvin19. Win. Period.

5 Random Facts, Habits or Weirdness about Anne

Annibal, her online persona comes from combining Anne with Hannibal.
I have great apprehension towards a full scale zombie or alien attack.
I can’t filter noises like a normal person, so I hear everything within the vicinity.
I am a pessimist and enjoying be so, as well as a cynic.
I am scared of heights and am drawn to jump off.

Calvin19's Tattoo

Quick questions with Calvin:

Q: Your greatest achievement in life thus far?

A: Ménage à trios

Q: What type of vehicle do you drive?

A: Subaru Outback

Q: What will your epitaph read?

A: “Audacity”

Q: Favorite Book?

A: Contact by Carl Sagan

Q: What makes you unique to jumping?

A: Nothing I jump off stuff just like everyone else.

Q: Changes you would make to Basejumper.com:

A: “Get rid of all the ginger’s”

Q: What is your biggest weakness in jumping?

A: I only have average air awareness.

Q: What do you feel is your contribution to BASE?

A: I help the willing and capable participant.

Q: Who do you chose as the next interviewee?

A: JT Holmes

Calvin’s Statistics:

Age: 24
Marital Status: Single
Children: 0
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Number of Jumps: 1000 total parachute openings and landings
Year of first Jump: 2002
Container: Warlock
Canopy: Blackjack 260

Thank you to Adam Foster and Emily Hecker for their contribution to the article.

Hank Caylor: The Man, The Myth, and The Legend

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

hank caylor, myth, legend

Author: Cynthia Lynn

"Whuffo you jump out of them airplanes?" a question that could be asked of Hank Caylor on his birthday at the age of 16 when he completed his first skydive. At that point Hank was already a 5.12 rock climber and held a degree of popularity at his high school for his entrepreneurial skills in pharmaceutical sales. When I questioned him in regards to his popularity he is quick to point out that he also “wore spandex tights to school that made me very popular in a freaky way.”

He describes the struggle of raising him from childhood as “hideous.” explaining that his father is “a Republican, CPA in Texas versus him being a Rock climbing, BASE jumping Colorado freak.” His father has all of his movies and magazines, but he still doesn’t “get it.” He credits his mother with being the cook of his favorite meal, “chicken fried steak” and points out that in his mom’s words she is more afraid of his BASE jumps than she is of his baby brother doing his 3rd tour in Iraq.

Hank is a born and bred Texan that will read anything by fellow Texan James Michener when it comes to books, is a professional Electrical Contractor, never attended college and is a devoted family man to his wife Jackie, BASE 1250 and their two dogs. A pug and mastiff that are “best friends and love the desert,” and that have been provided for in case of the Caylor’s demise. All of which gives way to the notion that “the family that jumps together, stays together.”

The first time I heard tale of Hank was on a BASE jumper’s forum, in which he was referred to as: “The Man, The Myth, and The Legend.” I asked him about such high praise and if he considered himself to be a sportsman, adventurer or daredevil. “If a cat has 9 lives, I am on my second cat life. I’ve already burned through the first one. Also, when I am not biting people at a party, I am usually dropping my pants. There were almost 30 BASE jumpers off a cool cliff in Moab, Utah for my 100th BASE jump. That was very special to me. Too much to list really, I think most people have a bet on when I crater.”

With all the rock climbing in his history, he deems himself “an adventurer.” I had to wonder if there was any sport that he wouldn’t try. “No way on Kayaking,” he explained, “The thought of smacking my face on boulders and drowning seems hideous.” When I questioned him further on his biggest fear I was surprised at his response of “I don’t like Monkeys.”

Not being able to let that one go so easily, I followed with “Does this fear stem from a particular incident?”

“Nope, it’s irrational, but that‘s my biggest fear. You asked and that’s it.”

As to the most bonehead thing he has ever done, “Jumping off the Embassy Suites Hotel. I opened backwards, crashed through the 21st floor windows suffering hundred’s of stitches and jail time, fines, lawyer’s fees, trial and eventually acquittal.” I was beginning to grasp the “legend” part of the statement.

Continuing on with the question of “What will your epitaph read?” warranted this reflection, “Of all the goofballs, he was their King.” I suggested that his epitaph displayed an ability to laugh at his self and how did he respond to criticism. “As to criticism, I chalk most up to jealousy or just ignore it. When you stick your neck out as an athlete/personality, some folks wanna try to take a chop at it. The number of times anyone has ever gotten into my face with a problem is zero. Best to just not care, the funny thing is, I don’t really do or say much to anybody. Expect for a few times a year, I’m under the radar doing my own thing. Believe me; if you spank a cliff and end up hanging there, you want me on that load. Most jumpers know this and I don’t get hassled, at least not to my face. That would require that person to have courage, which the haters never have.”

In discussing BASE jumping, Hank exhibits a clear stance on questions revolving around BASE. Do you consider BASE jumping a stunt or sport? If you consider it a sport, would you like to see it organized and governed by a board? “Sport, it cannot be governed ever in my opinion. Even when you sponsor a legal event and have a big ole’ safety meeting, BASE jumpers still find too may creative ways to injure or kill themselves. Who would want to govern that and what jumper would pay attention.” As to the question of today’s jumpers being better trained and having better equipment then old school jumpers with the age of technology. “They have better equipment but far less skydives than the old school jumpers. More deaths than there used to be, but that’s because there are lots more jumpers.” In response to his opinion on what the biggest mistake made by newbies, “People used to say 1,000 skydives before BASE, then it became 500…200. Now they rush to get 100 and start BASE jumping at 86 skydives. Then they never skydive again and start doing aerials off of everything.” As to whether Hank himself has ever mentored BASE and what would be his requirements for a student. “Just my wife and one other friend, it would take a whole page to describe my requirements.”

There is a debate among the “whuffos” in legislature and the BASE community as to the legality of BASE jumping. Legally there are no laws on the books that make it illegal, but rather a jumper can face charges of trespassing or endangerment. Personally, I think the politicians should be more concerned with the growing number of “jumpers without chutes” as opposed to those who have planned a safe landing. However, as is dictated in the “land of the free,” there is always going to be some politician that feels it’s the governments duty to protect the American people from themselves and looking for his 15 minutes in the spotlight.

I asked Hank how he justifies the illegality of BASE. “Act like you had no idea and try to get out of it with polite manners. There is no set response, it’s a case by case situation, I think.” I redirected him to the attitude that seems prevalent in BASE jumping of “sticking it to the man.” “Base jumpers are as diverse a group as any other extreme activity. Some people want to “stick it to the man” and some are just polite to the man when caught. I just happen to be the latter.”

Regarding the notion that BASE jumpers are often labeled as “crazy and stupid”, Hank summed up his thoughts as, “People that don’t jump have a variety of responses to the BASE thing. They either wanna do it, but never will. They either think it’s insane and actually think we deserve it if they hear about someone getting hurt or killed. Or they are jealous cuz’ they know they will never do it and resent us for stealing all their women with our coolness.”

Hank “the man” offered me insight into his personal life as he opened up about being an alcoholic, the jump that frightened him the most, the reason he would retire and what he would say to the President if given the opportunity. After he revealed that his biggest weakness in life was being an alcoholic I referenced the idea that “people drink to find happiness in a bottle and others drink to forget.”

In turn, he gave me this analogy, “They say there are 2 kinds of hobos, some are singing hobos and some are stabbing hobos. I can be both; it’s a roll of the dice. I mainly drink because I feel compelled too.” He credits marrying Jackie, his second wife and getting sober as two of his life’s greatest achievements. “I was drunk when I married Jackie, but sober for almost 2 years prior. But she and my friends have been my drive to get back on track.”

The jumper that Hank admires most is, “Jimmy Pouchert all the way!,” giving Jimmy praise for being his “spiritual adviser” and credits Marta Empinotti with providing his BASE jump philosophy: “Always take one step back.”

The most frightening jump for this legend is simply,” the first time I watched my new wife jump off the Tombstone scared the crap out of me.” Up until Jackie’s wall strike this past year Hank had been jumping every weekend for 6 months.

In talking about the strike and Jackie’s recovery he had this to share. “I was doing electrical work on wind farms down in Texas when I got the news, so by the time I got to Denver she was already stabilized and doped with a smile on her face. As to her recovery, “She jumped yesterday. So she’s fine. The rod in her femur makes her walk a little like Frankenstein’s monster in the morning, but the stiffness goes and she looks great. I think I’m the only one who realizes she was injured. She’s one tough cookie.” On retiring, “If I ever get really hurt again, I’m just done with hospitals.” Despite suffering a shattered ankle and hundreds of stitches, he states, “I’ve seen much worse.”

As for his 5 minutes with the President, “Can you please get my baby brother out of Iraq, along with everyone else and stop pouring ALL our money into that shithole.” I inquired if he believed America should return to the days of isolationism. “Look, the Middle East has been fighting religious wars for centuries; we are not going to change minds that are that ingrained, period. Germany and Japan were games compared to the sloooooow progress we’re going to make anywhere in the Middle East. That’s just my opinion though. And with that I asked if his baby brother shared his interests, “my baby Bro has no interest in jumping or climbing.”

I asked Hank to name 5 random facts, habits or weirdness about himself that he had never revealed prior to the public.

Smarter than you think.
Durable.
Very sensitive.
Sucker for babies.
Hates flying in airplanes.

Although Jackie and he have no plans for kids, he does “love ‘em.” That sensitivity he spoke of was further elaborated on when I asked him to describe his final thoughts before jumping. “What to do in case of ANY problems and how I’m gonna land if it opens perfectly. The jump isn’t over till everyone’s safe on the ground. I also like to assess different skill levels and pay a little more attention to any newbies.” As for the realities of can you or how do you separate yourself from the death of fellow jumpers, he is upfront that he cannot. “Nope, they ALL give me nightmares and I never forget. I have a lot of friends that can disassociate from carnage, but I can’t. I am too sensitive.” His favorite object to jump: Echo Park, Moab, Utah.

What is Hank’s favorite part of BASE jumping? “Group hug.” Yep that is correct folks, “group hug.” The one and only Hank Caylor boldly proclaimed, “I love the group hug after a successful load.” When I asked, “Couldn’t you get a group hug without jumping off an object?” in typical Hank fashion he replied, “Yeah but then you’d be considered a fairy.”

He has a fitness regime of climbing and trail running and admits “Dr. Thrill” forced him into BASE stating, “It’s just something you don’t put down once you pick it up, unless you start having kids or you get hurt. Most folks that wanna jump, do it and then stick with it. It’s just so much effort to get into BASE, why quit? It’s not a tandem ride.” He tells me that his contribution to BASE is his Garlic Mashed Potatoes at the Turkey Boogie. When I chide him that “a legend” surely will leave a greater mark on the sport than Garlic Mashed Potatoes, unless of course ingesting his creation is the equivalent of an orgasm, he proudly declares, “Oh, there were Garlic Mashed Potato orgasms all right.” And so the myth continues to grow.

Finally we discussed whether he is a spiritual or religious man. Folks might consider that a hefty subject for a “rock climbing, BASE jumping Colorado freak” but as Hank pointed out, he is “smarter than you think.” In answer to the question he revealed that he is both spiritual and religious, “I kind of swirl it into something I believe in.” I relay a quote from a book I am currently developing, explaining that I am reminded of the quote each time I view a video of BASE jumping. I sense that it must take an incredible amount of Faith in oneself and the Universe, if you will, to make a leap into dead air. That one must reconcile themselves that they will either fly, i.e., float via canopy to safety or enter a world beyond this one and that’s okay, it’s accepted.

“When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen; either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly-“

Hanks final words on the topic and what he would like to convey to the BASE community. “I think that when you are gonna jump, you are 'in the darkness' and then you jump 'into the light.' I think you are right on with the second part, but most BASE jumpers don’t put that type of poetic thought into it.”

“It’s a jungle out there, be careful and watch out for each other to some extent”
-- Hank Caylor… so much more than a myth.

Quick questions with Hank:

Q: First song loaded on IPod?
A: Neil Diamond, “Delirious Love”

Q: Is there a sport outside your realm of participation that you enjoy viewing or playing?
A: Watching the Winter X Games and playing Disc Golf

Q: What makes you unique in jumping?
A: A 3 second delay is going deep for me!

Q: How do you mentally prepare for jump?
A: Just start saying 3, and then 2, 1 will follow. And off ya’go!

Q: What’s the most important advice for a newbie?
A: Take it slow and easy, find a SMART mentor.

Q: Best Pizza Topping? A: Pineapple

Q: What flavor Jell-O would you be?
A: Coconut if they made it.

Q: Best moment of any given day of your life?
A: The day I first got laid. I was a late bloomer, so when I finally got my chance, she was gorgeous and I knew all the moves. We went to the Junior and Senior Prom together.

Hanks Statistics:

Age: 39
Marital Status: Married
Location: Eldorado Springs, CO
Number of Jumps: 400, mostly in Moab
Year of first Jump: 1997
Container: Warlock
Canopy: Dagger 244

Someone You Think You Know...15 Questions with BASE jumper Jevto Dedijer

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

base, 15 questions, jevto dedijer

Author: Cynthia Lynn

Name: Jevto Dedijer
Age: 46
Marital Status: Wife- Yolaine deSaint D’Authingues
Children: Damien 19 and Chloé 15
Location: Québec City - Canada
Number of Jumps: 15 BASE jumps
Year of first Jump: 1982
Container: Racer
Canopy: Strato Cloud
Profession: Brand Strategist
Number of Skydives: 800

In speaking with an up and coming B.A.S.E. jumper, I inquired if they had heard of “Jevto Dedijer”; they paused for a moment and said “they didn’t think so.” When I in turn asked, “B.A.S.E. 66”, he replied, “The book? Yes I have heard of it.” In a sport where names seem to become lost and number’s take their place Jevto Dedijer cemented his number into the history of the sport at Europe’s exit points and behind the brightly colored orange book jacket with the simple title, “BASE 66”.

A story of a young man who took up skydiving at the age of 17, who in the summer of 1983 set off to Paris, France from his homeland of Sweden to start his work career and during that period he discovered an adventure of a lifetime.

Yuri Kuznetsov-BASE416 described the book as “BASE 66 is a fascinating story about life and death, terror and joy, and intimate friendship. It is an account of extraordinary people taking a step beyond.”

Not only does Dedijer paint a picture of his pioneering B.A.S.E. experiences, but brings into play the dynamics of concealing and balancing his journey into attaining his B.A.S.E number from family, work and relationships.

I originally wrote to the B.A.S.E. jumper turned author months ago, introducing myself and ordering his book from his website. I asked if we might talk once I completed reading his story, to which he said “it would be a pleasure to talk with you” and sent me his telephone number. In the end, the pleasure became mine to make the acquaintance of this energetic man who has maintained his lust for fear and fun. For those of you that have read the story or met Dedijer, I hope you enjoy hearing from an old friend. For those who have yet to do so, read the interview and then do yourself a favor and buy the book.

The first 5 questions are from a university student/B.A.S.E .jumper (Spawnmaster) that had written a book review for a class.

1) During the early days of B.A.S.E. the community was much smaller and it had to have felt very lonely during that period, being a pioneer and on the very edge of a new and exciting activity. How did you overcome fear of the "unknown" as you had no past experiences to draw from?

You know what? I never overcame the fear of the unknown because it transformed itself into the fear of the known, which was even worse. It is difficult today to imagine a world without Internet, e-mail, MSN, YouTube etc. but in a sense it was good. We had to rely entirely on our own judgment and knowledge, which when we started jumping in 1982 wasn’t impressive. We had no one to ask for advice, no one to talk to who was more experienced than we were and we had no clue where to find these guys. We heard about people BASE jumping through the grape vine on the Dropzone La Ferté Gaucher outside Paris. That was it. We indeed felt lonely and that’s what made it even more thrilling.

2) Your book B.A.S.E. 66 does not detail much about how active you were after you achieved your B.A.S.E. number.

After my jump from Trollveggen I kind of took a break for a year. I needed perspective on what I had accomplished and I also felt that if I continued BASE jumping I would be taking bigger and bigger risks, try more stuff, jump from lower objects etc. But after that break I went back to Kochertalbrucke for a weekend of jumping with Scott and Bernard, I went to Bridge Day and that was about it. In total I made 15 BASE jumps although it felt as if I had done 100. Every jump was emotionally exhausting because we had to figure out things along the way. Our parachutes weren’t the coolest stuff in the world and I didn’t really trust my gear and that is kind of nerve racking!

3) Do you kept in touch with other jumpers and keep abreast of the sport as a whole?

Yeah I do keep in touch with the BASE jumping community because I get e-mails and calls from people who have read my book. I exchange ideas with some of the guys out there– Tom Aiello, Johnny Utah and a lot of people who are less experienced. I am on the BASE forums reading, watching videos etc. and I am amazed at how far the sport, no that’s terrible to call BASE jumping a sport because that means it has become so mainstream, has come. On August 5th I am meeting the French BASE jumper Marc Audap in the bar on the 56th floor in the Montparnasse Tower in Paris. On August 6th I a meeting a Portuguese screen writer in the same place and he is currently working on a screen play based on my book.

4) Do you ever feel like returning to B.A.S.E.?

I never felt as close to making another BASE jump as when I came to Bridge Day in 2006. I was there to promote my book and all these people were telling me: ‘’Come on Jevto, make a jump, just one. You’re gonna love it. ‘’ I spent the weekend watching other people jump and that was real tough. On the other hand how smart would it have been to strap on a BASE rig and go off the edge off the bridge 22 years after having made my last BASE jump? That’s how you end up dead.

5) What do you think of the B.A.S.E. jumping wingsuit piloting or ski base jumping?

I think it’s great that jumpers out there are innovating and inventing new ways to have fun and be scared. It’s like any adrenalin based activity; things need to evolve to stay relevant.

1. What became of Cloudia?

I sold Cloudia to a Swedish Skydiver in 1985 but I think she been in a retirement home for a long time now.

2. Selling ones story to the newspapers is frowned upon by many in the community of B.A.S.E. jumpers. Did you receive any personal criticism when your story appeared in the papers? You freely admit in your book that you sold your story to earn money.

No, I didn’t receive any criticism because there was no real community talk about at that time and it was also a way to communicate with other BASE jumpers. ‘’I read about a guy who jumped a bridge in Switzerland, let’s go check it out’’. That was how we learned about jumpable objects and about other BASE jumpers. Remember, no Internet, no e-mail. I guess publishing articles became like having a sponsor. Today there is the Red Bull team, back then it was selling the story to the press.

3. What motivated you to write B.A.S.E. 66 and share not only the telling of the B.A.S.E. jumps but your personal life as well?

I wrote the book for several reasons. The first one was to find the answer to why I did all that. Surprise! I never really found out. The best answer I have found so far is: BASE jumping is reality in its truest sense; life and death separated only by your own decisions. The second reason is that I thought it would be fun for my kids to be able to read about my adventures. Today they still tell me: ‘’Dad, did you see that guy who jumped from a cliff with a wing suit? ’’ I tell them I did stuff like that more than 20 years ago but I have no video to prove it and without a video I guess it never happened to them. So by reading my book one day they should get a better understanding for what I did back then. The third reason is that I decided to write the book for people interested in adventure and crazy pursuits. I never intended the book to be a technical manifest for the BASE jumping community and I believe that you cannot separate BASE jumping from what we call our ‘’normal’’ life. How fun would BASE jumping be if we never got back to our normal lives in between. It’s doing mundane things such as the laundry, sipping a latté at Starbucks, washing the car etc that makes BASE jumping more exciting. One moment you are in the ‘’normal’, world and the next you are freefalling from a cliff.

4. Were Bernard and Scott aware that you were going to write the book? What was their initial reaction to the book?

Yeah I told them I was writing a book but I never let them read the manuscript. After all I was writing about my perception of the whole adventure. Scott liked the book and has been promoting it actively in his entourage in Bangkok. I don’t think Bernard ever read it because he doesn’t read English.

It took a long time to get the book printed. After having finished my first manuscript of 200 pages I pushed the wrong button on my word processor (that’s what we called it back then) and the whole manuscript vanished into thin air. I didn’t have a copy and that was it. It took me one year to muster the courage to start writing from scratch again.

5. I know you mentioned to me in the past that a screenwriter is developing a screenplay to bring B.A.S.E. 66 to film. Does the screenwriter feel there is a large enough audience to warrant backing for a film or is it being looked at as an independent film?

Here is Joao Martins, the screen writer’s answer.

I believe there is much more to "BASE 66" than base jumping. The underlying "coming of age" story about courage, friendship and the discovery of life’s finer things has a universal appeal that can reach large audiences. We are not limited to the BASE jumper’s niche at all!

This being said, it must be understood that in the screenwriting process it doesn’t make sense to talk about a choice between a "commercial" or "indie" approach. The screenwriter - if he is intellectually honest - will use whatever form and substance he may find necessary for telling a good story. No more, no less.

The story told in BASE 66 is very much alike the Oscar winning documentary Man on Wire which is a story about a French guy, Philippe Petit, who strung a wire between the twin towers in New York in 1976 an walked back and forth 8 times.

6. I seen where you are organizing a reunion of “the idiots club” in France during the upcoming year when was the last time you all gathered?

The last time the three of us got together was when we jumped Kochertalbrucke in 1985! I have met Scott in Rode Island, Bangkok and Paris and I have gotten together with Bernard in Paris several times but it has been a long time since the Idiot Club had an annual meeting. When we do get together it will have to be without our wives. Otherwise we will try to behave, be polite and not curse. That would be bad.

7. I know your wife skydived with you, have you taken your children skydiving and would you want to know if they B.A.S.E. jumped?

I haven’t taken my kids skydiving yet but the plan is to celebrate my 50th birthday in freefall the four of us. My daughter Chloé asked my last week if the plan was still on. Damien, my son, is an artist and has o interest in BASE but with Chloé it’s different. She is into risk taking (she stole a pair of jean in a store when she was 13!) and yeah I would like to know if she decides to beat the world free diving record, become a bull fighter or white shark trainer. I would be nervous about it but how well placed am I to criticize such a decision?!

8. What is your latest passion?

I have had this dilemma since I stopped BASE jumping. What am I going to do now to keep the adrenalin flowing? It came naturally though. Since my childhood in Sweden I have had this passion for nature and wildlife. My parents had a cottage in the woods in southern Sweden and my brother and I used to spend all our free time outside. As I live in Québec, in Eastern Canada, the is no shortage of space, wildlife, rivers, lakes etc. I spend about a month per year alone in the woods, track bears with cubs (yeah I know not smart!), sleep where the wolves congregate and listen to them howl, fly fish for salmon… I feel totally free and at peace all alone in the middle of nowhere. My next project is to spend a month alone in Yukon, paddling down a river in a canoe.

9. What did B.A.S.E. contribute to your personal growth as a person?

I definitely became a stronger person mentally. It has helped me immensely in my professional life and as a business owner because taking calculated risks comes naturally now and I have no problem venturing into the unknown. Once you have stared death in the eye several times you are not the same anymore. On the other hand I became a more difficult person for ‘’normal’’ people to be around. I am very demanding, have a freakish attention to detail and can be arrogant.

10. How is it that you came to live in Canada?

I was working as a Marketing Director for IKEA in France and one day I went fly fishing on a lake near Paris. I got lost in my thoughts when I suddenly had a vision. I saw my grandkids, which do not exist yet, come up to me and ask: ‘’Grandpa, tell us about your life.’’ I started telling them about my career in Marketing, my nice Volvo 480 etc. After two minutes they got off my lap and ran away. I was horrified, stopped fishing and drove home. As soon as I got home I told my wife Yolaine: ‘’we have to change the story, the grandkids we don’t have yet don’t want to sit on my lap, and my life story is to boring! (I had BASE jumped but to me it was no big deal. It took time for me to discover that it was a bit special. ) So we took out the world Atlas and made a short list of 7 countries. Only two years later I picked up Yolaine, Damien, who was 5 at the time, and Chloé, who was one, at the Québec City Airport. They had never set foot in Canada before and we have been here for the last 15 years. Yolaine was either madly in love with me to trust me that much or totally insane. I think she was insane.

11. Are your parents still alive? What became of your brother?

My father passed away in his bed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in 2005 at the age of 94. The last book he read before his death was BASE 66. I think he read it 10 times and he told me every time he finished it that he couldn’t believe what I had done. Coming from a guy who was in the 101 airborne and General Maxwell Taylor’s bodyguard in the battle of the bulge is kind of amazing. My mother still lives in southern Sweden and is in good health. Last week she sent me an e-mail telling me that she had just watched a guy wing suit jumping a cliff in Norway and that I had to promise not to ever do something so foolish again. I promised to never BASE jump again but couldn’t promise her I wouldn’t do something foolish in the future. My brother Miki lives on the west coast in Sweden with his wife Cecilia and son Corbin. They have a 35 acre eco farm and have a fusion like relationship with nature and the animals surrounding them.

12. You write in your book that B.A.S.E. jumping websites have made is “easy” for people to get into B.A.S.E. and that First Jump Courses can have a jumper up and going in a matter of days. You add that that is “dangerous stuff”. Even with the advancement in gear, do you still feel it’s too “easy” to get into the sport?

All the available training out there is great. The gear is fantastic and there is a huge quantity of collective knowledge out there. BASE jumping is more accessible, or seams more accessible, today than ever before. I am just reading an article in Outside Magazine, the same issue with the tribute to Shane McConkey, about how K2 is well on its way to becoming the new death trap in the Himalayas. When you get people with very little training and knowledge up on a mountain like that it’s a disaster in waiting. It’s the same with BASE jumping. BASE jumping looks great on YouTube but it’s not for everybody.

13. Besides the advances in gear, First Jump courses and the wealth of information on the internet, do you see any changes to the “philosophy “of B.A.S.E. itself?

Of course there has been a change. 20 years ago we were in the pioneering era of BASE and those are scary, challenging and exciting times. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay faced the same situation when they climbed Everest in 1953, so did Joe Kittinger when he leaped from a hot air balloon from 102,000 feet in 1960. Having had the opportunity to experience the pioneering era of BASE is something I will cherish forever. I think most ‘’Extreme Sports’’ have gone through the same thing. Back in the 80ies BASE was a more personal thing than today because we didn’t have to worry about the cameras, YouTube uploads etc. But now I will stop because I am starting to sound like an old fart!

14. Do you see a common thread in all jumpers, regardless of location, gender or skill level?

Yeah I do and I think it goes not only for BASE jumpers but for all adrenalin based activities. Just look and soldiers, they feel that people from the outside don’t understand them. They have difficulties communicating their experiences and feelings to people who haven’t been in a combat zone. The same goes for war photographers, fighter pilots, free climbers… I think most BASE jumpers have an uncomplicated outlook on life, like to drink huge amounts of alcohol, be wild, go over the edge or maybe I’m just talking about myself here!?

15. What advice would you offer to new jumpers?

The day you don’t feel fear, quit. The day you feel over confident, quit. The day you don’t trust yourself, quit. By the way that’s a good question to ask your self – Do I trust myself today? Always listen to your gut. I would also advise them to read Tom Aiello’s article – getting into BASE. I loved it when he gave practical tests such as: If a coin falls from the table, do you catch it before it hits the ground? If not, don’t get into BASE.

I would also advise a new jumper to set personal limits and never to cave in to group pressure from other BASE jumpers.

Bonus Question: Today when a new jumper asks for information on the forum they are told to "go read" or "you're not ready because you had to ask" I know that Scott wrote letters to Carl for advice. Would you have still jumped if Carl or Jean's response to your letters was "go read" or "you're not ready because you had to ask questions"?

There was nothing that could have stopped us from jumping. We were determined to get our BASE numbers. It might sound corny today but that’s how we felt about it. If somebody had told me: ‘’you are not ready because you have to ask.’’, I would have kicked him down something very high! Who would ever be ready to jump if you had to exhaust all questions circulating in your head before jumping? I think it is a question of balance; balance between reading, hanging out with experienced jumpers, watching videos, reading incident reports and hands on experience etc. It’s about trusting yourself and your jumping buddies with your life.

You can visit Jevto at BASE66

Someone You Think You Know...15 Questions with BASE jumper Clair Halliday

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

clair halliday, base, 15 questions

Author: Cynthia Lynn

Clair Halliday

Age: 20
Marital Status: Married
Children: None
Current Location: Cloverdale,CA
Hometown:Strawberry CA
Education: Sonoma College
Number of Base jumps: 120
Year of first Jump: 2005
Container: Gargoyle
Canopy: Fox 205
Profession: Drop Zone Owner and Videographer, and AFF Instructor
Number of Skydives: 1,200
Base Number: Not Applicable
Nickname: Clair Bear

One only has to converse with Clair Halliday a matter of minutes before realizing you have encountered a powerhouse in a pint sized package. She doesn't shy away from what some may consider uncomfortable questions, while delving into rumors and innuendo straight on. She will make certain that the one perception of her you leave with is the one she presents of herself. In short, Clair is a no nonsense young woman with a drive and determination that is usually drawn to characterize males on a blacktop playground, not a 5'4, 105lb attractive female. If ever there was an individual who possessed that "will do" spirit, it is Clair Halliday.

Make no mistake about it, Clair is all woman as she discusses her wedding, husband, sewing, fashion design, homemade facials, cooking, plans for a family, and a new home as fluently as she talks about adventure sports, the drop zone, her SV 650 S motorcycle and kicking ass in general. Clair is the second eldest in a family of 9 siblings, she understands what it takes to stand out in a crowd and hold her own against all challengers. The Nicholas's children were home schooled, with Clair beginning classes at the community college at 14, prior to graduating high school at 16 years of age. Having graduated early presented her endless empty hours filling her days, so she started rock climbing to occupy some of her time, soon her focus was transferred to BASE jumping. Later working as a packer at a drop zone and beginning her skydiving career. She faced a few road blocks along the way due to her desire for independence at such a young age, unable to sign a lease for a place to live near work or open a checking account, were only two of the obstacles. Clair found herself wanting the responsibilities of being adult, but being slowed in her pursuit by "rules and regulations".

Her one goal of BASE jumping, which laid claim to "no rules or regulations", was made a reality at the age of 16, she contacted BASE jumper, Jimmy Halliday and afterwards had "the talk" with her mom. "I told her and she responded, "No you're not", I then explained "I would be missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime" and she agreed. Clair and her then boyfriend Chris, drove to meet Jimmy Halliday in August of 2005, they met for an hour and a half with Jimmy prior to the day of the jump. On jump day, Jimmy lectured Clair on how the jump would go while he packed her chute. He did a few demos of what it should look like from the doorway and then they headed out to a local antenna. Chris, Jimmy's girlfriend at the time Melissa and a few others from the Lodi drop zone were attendees at her first jump. The antenna was 480' and she felt "it didn't look like it was tall enough", Jimmy ran through the jump instructions one final time. She went hand held, with a wide open field for her to land, she jokes retelling the story about the few obstacles that were present that day, namely cows, she fear cows like Hank Caylor fears monkey's.

One year later, after Jimmy had tossed Clair from a few more objects, both were free from prior relationships and Clair decided that there was no one that she would rather grow old with, Jimmy found a woman that shared his passions & dreams. The couple weathered personal adversities along with criticism from outsiders who judged, often casting stones via the internet without ever having met the couple. Together, closing in on 3 years of marriage and a business partnership opening their own drop zone in upstate California traveled the world and now have set their sights on buying a home and starting a family. Clair not wanting to be outdone by her husband’s academic record, returned to college and is studying for her degrees in Chemistry and Fashion Design. Her goal is to pursue her Pharmacists degree & license, to which she exclaims, "it's a lot of schooling". I tell her I have a feeling if it's something she really wants to accomplish, she can do it. Her reply, "Sure will".

1. Tell me about how you went about finding a teacher to learn BASE jumping.

I contacted a few different people throughout my journey to begin BASE jumping. Some offered advice, such as learning to skydive first, others never responded to my inquires, and still others told me I was stupid and going to die before I was old enough to drink alcohol. I came across one of Jimmy's videos and his email address was on the back of the package. We spoke many times before he committed to taking me BASE jumping. He stated right from the beginning that he wanted to meet me first and made himself very clear that if I displayed any signs which he did not like; my opportunity to learn from him was over and done with, effective immediately. I liked his attitude towards teaching and his commitment along with his teaching style, it suited me. When Jimmy told me he would not take me to jump if he thought I could not handle the responsibility, it gave me confidence that not only could I do it, but that I found the right person to teach me. I also felt that he was teaching me for the right reasons because I was a talented athlete. Not because he wanted to score with an attractive young girl.

2. What was running through your mind on your first BASE jump?

There was a natural amount of nervousness, but I was never scared. I was standing on the edge holding onto a hand rail and not once did I think that I was not going to do it, but I still held on for awhile taking note of the moment. I remember trying to count a few times to get myself to go ahead and jump, my heart was pounding and when I did countdown 3,2,1 my heart would skip. I remember laughing and thinking "oh my God I almost jumped". Once I did jump I felt exhilarated and thrilled. When I landed and the guy next time landed behind me, the only thing I could say was, "I have got to do that again".

3. When someone contacts you personally and asks about being taught to BASE jump, what advice do you offer them?

I receive emails every day from a wide variety of people from all age ranges. All of which I offer the same advice, which is to learn how to skydive first and get a some canopy experience under their belt. If they still feel that BASE jumping is for them, then pursue it by taking the next step. I typically get a negative response in reply from these individuals as they came to me thinking I would be the one who would teach them as I entered the sport with no skydiving experience.

4. Have you ever been busted on a jump? If so, how did you handle it?

I was busted once right after I turned 18 years of age. When I look back on it, I am shocked at how calm and collected I was at the time it was happening. I was a little bummed that the cops took my gear but it all worked out in the end. The cops never filed my ticket for the "trespassing" charge and "evading a peace officer", I received my gear back a year later when the statue of limitations ran out. I currently avoid jumps that have high bust factors as I feel I have a reputation as a business owner, my status at school and I really prefer not being "that jumper" on the news.

5. What did your training entail when you set out to learn the "how's" of BASE jumping?

As I stated previously I didn't get much training for my first jump. It was a progression as are all learning situations. My first jump I was taught how the parachute would open and what to expect when I jumped off the object. I was told how to jump, throw my pilot chute and once opened how to unstow my breaks and turn to land. I was super happy that Jimmy did not overwhelm me with a bunch of information that would just confuse me. Throughout my next several jumps, Jimmy taught me more each time adding to my knowledge.

6. How soon after you started BASE jumping did you begin your skydiving career?

I started BASE jumping in August of 05 and had a total of 8 BASE jumps before I did my first tandem skydive in mid-September. I did a second tandem towards the end of September. By the time I took the static line course it was late October and I had already logged 15 BASE jumps.

7. How do you respond to jumpers who claim that you should have never have been taught to BASE jump before learning skydiving?

In some respect I know what people were thinking when they heard what I was doing, but at the same time very few people knew exactly what was going on and how much thought was put into my first few jumps. Most people assumed I was clueless, reckless and they felt the same about Jimmy for teaching me. Everything was carefully planned and thought through by both of us. I did not want to get hurt and no one wanted to get into trouble. I learned to BASE jump in the perfect conditions with wide open landing areas, where I had the least amount of risks to make my jumps safely and successfully.

8. How do you respond to criticism that you were far too young to be "hanging out" with your now husband, fellow jumpers? Or the thought process that females should not be taught by male counterparts where there is a relationship?

I think that most people were or are speaking out of jealously, because no one had the guts to teach me; yet once Jimmy took me under his wing, people started lashing out at us making rude assumptions. After I turned 18 years of age, no one said a word about us being "stupid about it" and suddenly people were voicing support for us as we were then a married couple. When I contacted Jimmy and during the two years that he was teaching me to BASE jump, we weren't in a relationship, at least not with each other. I would not have trusted Jimmy to teach me or pack my chute or plan my jumps if I felt he wasn't committed to my safety and success. I don't think that Jimmy's friends and fellow jumpers would have agreed to jump with me, if they didn't believe in me as Jimmy did.

9. As you are aware, a thread on a BASE jumping forum placed your name into play as to you having been taught to BASE jump prior to skydiving. You commented to me in our initial conversation that "the internet gives people a false confidence because they do not have to show their faces". Given the opportunity to respond here and now, what would you like to say?

People are very judgmental and rude in voicing their opinions when it comes to how I learned to BASE jump. The internet does give people a false confidence. They can say what they want and be protected by their user names in the thread. I have said this from the very beginning, and I have now met a lot of the people who bad mouthed me on the forums about the way I learned.

"Not a single one of them said a word to my face about what they thought".

I find that insulting, that these people had very strong opinions and had no problem voicing them on the internet, but when confronted in person they acted as though they never said a word. Continuing to act as if they had supported me the whole time as I was learning to BASE jump. Almost every base jumper or skydiver I have met has read what people think about us. If people make assumptions about us before meeting us, then they are not worth knowing.

The talk on those forums shows how little people actually know me or Jimmy personally or our situation. I use to get angry when people seemed to only think that the reason we are together is, "because I am some dumb young girl who is in love with the guy who taught me to jump and that Jimmy is this old dirty man who is taking advantage of my situation". I think the fact that they all immediately went to assuming it was about sex, shows what is on their minds and where there morals lie, not ours. Such accusations speak more about the one making them, then the one it is being made out to or about. People can think what they want, Jimmy and I know the truth. We are happy together accomplishing our individual goals and family dreams.

10. What has been your family's reaction to your quest to BASE jump and Skydive?

Their initial reaction was that I was crazy and reckless, but once they became educated in both sports they recognized the risk evaluation and careful planning each jump entails. Now they support me and actually have gone to see me jump. Although nothing I do now surprises them. Each one of my siblings has very different athletic interests which range from none whatsoever, to snow sports and skateboarding. Since I began skydiving I have been able to talk a few of them into trying it. My older brother Harrison and one of my younger sisters Madelyn have jumped now as well as my Mom. They all had a great time, but I do not see skydiving or BASE jumping being one of their top choices as far as sports to pursue. They just don't share my love for stepping over the edge.

11. What activities do you enjoy outside the realm of sports?

I am very involved in activities that cannot be classified as a sport, such as my favorites sewing and painting. I have been making clothes for awhile now and love it. Painting is something that I find very calming and relaxes me. I also love riding motorcycles. I have a SV 650 S that is my baby. I am also a student in college. Some days I relax and do my own home spa with clay masks which I make or I enjoy reading a book while swaying in my hammock or taking a nap.

12. You wear many different hats these days, "Wife", "BASE Jumper", "AFF Instructor", "Videographer", "Student", "Drop Zone Owner". How do you maintain balance in your life?

It gets difficult juggling my work with my play. It really boils down to being responsible to a certain degree with my business and getting what needs to be done first and then playing. Of course a lot of my work is fun as well, but the office time and paperwork is no fun at all. I always try to take a little time for me to keep my cool and stay refreshed, so that I perform at my best in all parts of my life.

13. Do you foresee yourself continuing to be as active after you add "Mom" to your titles?

Jimmy and I have been talking about having kids for a while now and definitely want to start adding to our family. Now I will not be having 9 kids like in my family, that is a little too big for us, but we do want more than one child.

I do see myself continuing with both BASE and skydiving after children enter our lives. I do think that I will tone it down a little and not take it to the levels that I do now. I will be more likely to be more cautious with the conditions in which I jump.

14. Was there ever a time in your life that you doubted that you would achieve your goals? In achieving your goals would you consider yourself a role model for young girls?

There has never been a time when I thought I wouldn't achieve my goals. I have had times where it was much harder then I had initially anticipated. I have learned over time is that when I have a goal in mind it doesn't matter how quick I accomplish it, but that I am constantly taking steps towards it.

I do consider myself to be a role model for young women. I believe that what I have accomplished during a not so easy stage in my life is a huge success. I now have a very valued perspective on what it takes to be successful at a very young age that I can share.

15. Name a woman you most admire and why you do so.

My grandmother. She was a inspiration to me as a woman when I was growing up and continues to this day to be. She spent most of her childhood in an orphanage after her mother gave her up because she could not care for her. She was very independent from a young age and knew what she wanted out of life and worked very hard to get it. She always told me that I could accomplish anything I wanted with a lot of hard work and passion. She married my grandfather at the age of 25 years old and they have been together for almost 60 years now.

Bonus Questions:

1. What quote sums up who Clair Halliday is as a person today?

"Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good, luckily that is not hard". ~ Charlotte Witton

2. What is the reasoning for the tattoo on the back of your head?

The tattoo says HIDGAF which stands for Honestly I Don't Give A F*ck. The saying was thrown around at the drop zone by a lot of friends. When I decided I wanted a tattoo I was at the drop zone and had just dyed my short hair the most insane red pink neon hair color by accident as it was supposed to be a dark black/purple. I wanted to get rid of it and did not want to go back to the store to dye it. Jimmy was standing next to me and said it would be awesome if I let him shave my head. I said that I would let him and he of course, got super excited. Once it was shaved I told him that I thought it would be cool if I got the tattoo on my head, because I did not know how often I would actually shave it.

To be honest I do not remember exactly when I decided to get that specific tattoo as it just popped into my head that night at the tattoo shop.

3. Do you have a fitness regime?

I am a fairly active person with my daily life and work. I have never had an actual fitness routine. I enjoy riding my road bike when the weather permits or walk my two pit bulls when they are not lazy and just want to sleep. I do not drink alcohol, try to maintain a healthy diet and take time each day to relax. I will give myself a home spa day, where I make up the products myself from all natural ingredients.

Question for Jimmy Halliday: What did you see in Clair that made you agree to teach her and then continue to jump with her?

Clair and I had a discussion via a few emails before we ever met. Through those emails she impressed me a great deal. She was able to convince me that although she was only 16, she understood the risks involved in the sport and she was willing to accept those risks in pursuit of her goals.

I remember asking her about her athletic background: what in her history qualified her to learn to BASE jump as such a young age?

She responded: "Last winter I finally landed a back flip on my snow board after landing weird on my neck a bunch of times."

Keep in mind, very few BASE jumpers have the athleticism to land a back flip on a snow board.

So I agreed to meet her with the disclaimer that if I felt unsure about her ability, I would not take her out to the jump site. In other words, I didn't make any promises.

When we met, she looked me right in the eyes, shook my hand with absolute confidence, and introduced herself. In that moment, I knew she could pull it off. And obviously, I was right.

My decision to help Clair pursue her dreams led to a very public online discussion about my motivations. I never cared about what people were saying. I am competent to teach BASE jumping and Clair was a more then competent student. Clair is an amazing athlete and just as she was willing to accept the risks involved in the sport, I was willing to accept the risks involved in teaching her. Together, with our determination and willingness to accept risks, I believe we made our mark on the ongoing evolution of the sport of BASE jumping.

You can visit Jimmy and Clair Halliday at NorCal Skydiving. Further information can be found at: http://www.norcalskydiving.com/

Interview conducted August/2009

Someone You Think You Know...15 Questions with BASE jumper Jeb Corliss

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

base, 15 questions, jeb corliss

Author: Cynthia Lynn

This is the first in a series of 15 Question interviews conducted with members of the BASE jumping community.

Name: Jeb Corliss
Age: 33
Marital Status: Single
Children: 0
Location: Malibu, California
Number of Jumps: B.A.S.E jumps 1000+
Year of first Jump: 1997
Container: WS extreme / Morpheus
Canopy: Blackjack 265
Profession: B.A.S.E. jumper
Number of Skydives: wing-suits 1000+

“Jeb Corliss, Jeb Corliss, Jeb Corliss”, the mere mention of his name causes veins on some B.A.S.E. jumper’s necks to constrict as they mumble expletives regarding a man they most likely have never met or interacted with on a personal level.

All part of the internet world we now live in, where stepping out into the public eye can open doors to positive new adventures and friendships or lead to ridicule, assumptions and personal attacks. In most cases, it’s a mixture of both to varying degrees in the case of a man who at heart prefers the shadows to the spotlight.

I asked Jeb if he would take a few moments from life to respond to some questions. He obliged with honesty, candor and a generous nature. Upon reading his replies to my inquires, I discovered his answers reflected a very “down to earth”, “common sense”, “black and white” approach to life.

He is a man who accepts who he is and that others will paint him as they see fit. He is more concerned with his own demons then fighting the misconceptions and perception of others. He is in no position to control what others buy into regarding who he is as a jumper or man, therefore why waste energy on issues that he does not own.

Make no mistake he is a man on a mission of “living life on his own terms and succeeding”.

1. What is your jump philosophy? What shaped your philosophy?

I was once asked by an interviewer if I was scared to die. I looked at her and said “would you like to know a secret?” She said, “Yes I would”. I then told her, “I was going to die and guess what? So are you. Everyone dies, the person holding that camera, the producers of this show, everyone. There is nothing I can do to stop death from coming for me.” So I for one will not allow the fear of something that is completely and absolutely inevitable prevent me from living my dreams and doing the things that I love.

For me B.A.S.E. jumping has been an exercise in learning to control fear. I have always felt you have two choices in life. You can either learn to control your fears or you can allow your fears to control you. B.A.S.E jumping helped me learn how to harness fear, confront fear and has made it much easier for me in my everyday life to deal with fear. After you have jumped off a few dozen buildings everything else seems less scary.

2. Do you prefer solo jumps or group jumps? Please explain your reasoning for either or both.

In the earlier years of my B.A.S.E. jumping career I use to really love doing solo jumps. I have always been pretty anti-social and one of the things I loved about B.A.S.E jumping when I started was the fact I could do it alone. But over time I started meeting some really cool people that had a very similar mindset. I made some really good friends, who became more like family. Then, all of a sudden I preferred jumping with them. It really made the whole experience more fun to share it with others.

3. For you personally do you view B.A.S.E. jumping as a sport, stunt, hobby, or exploration into flight? In other words do you view yourself as an athlete, a stuntman, a hobbyist, or a test pilot?

For me B.A.S.E. jumping is a philosophy. It's an understanding of one’s own mortality. It's about going out in the world and pushing the boundaries of what you can do. To call it a sport is to insult it. Sports are games with made up rules with little or no real consequences. B.A.S.E. jumping is a test a person puts themselves through, to see what they are made of. To see how far they can go. See how much pain they can take. How much fear they can handle. It becomes a journey into one’s own mind. If you didn't know yourself before you started jumping, you will after you have done it long enough.

4. What has been the most difficult personal challenge that you have faced over the past year?

Raising money for my landing project has turned out to be one of the most difficult challenges I have faced up to this point. Most of the projects I have done in the past could be done for relatively small amounts of money. This project is so massive in scope and so costly to make happen, it has been very hard to get the funding we need. This is the first time I haven't been able to just turn one of my dreams into a reality on my own. This time I need the support of others on a scale hard to comprehend. But, if it takes me 10 years and 9 million dollars to make it happen, then so be it. I will never give up and one way or another I will find a way. It's just going to take me time.

5. You have taken a great deal of criticism within the online B.A.S.E. community regarding being a “glory hound”, “attention seeker”, “lacking respect for B.A.S.E. ethics & history”. Do you feel any of the criticism it is justifiable? Do you consider yourself a part of the B.A.S.E. community?

People are entitled to their opinions and are free to think whatever they like about me. I am just a person trying to live my life the best that I can. I am not perfect and I do make mistakes. I have dreams and all I am trying to do is turn them into realities. My intentions have never been to hurt others or hurt B.A.S.E jumping. But sometimes things don't go as planned. Sometimes things go wrong in a way you really hoped they wouldn't. However, if you want to do amazing things with your life you must be willing to take the amazing risks. Sometimes when you take big risks things can go in a really bad way for you. I have taken big risks and I have had things go in a bad way for me a few times over the years.

6. Being a veteran of B.A.S.E., what advice would you give to a new jumper following their completion of a FJC? How important do you feel attending a FJC is to being a B.A.S.E. jumper?

I think the more a person trains the better. I know the FJC I took saved my life. What I learned from BR was absolutely crucial in keeping me alive long enough to get the practical experience. It helped me survive my walk through the mine field that some people call B.A.S.E. jumping.

I will be honest; I do not promote B.A.S.E. jumping as a healthy safe lifestyle. I think the dark art of B.A.S.E. is dangerous and if you can find happiness in your life without doing it, you should. But, for some people, B.A.S.E. jumping is what makes them happy. For some people it is what helps set them free. For some people, it saves their life. If you are one of these people then I wish you luck and all I can say is train hard and don't rush.

7. In a recent posting on the Go Fast Energy Drink site, which is one of your sponsors, you say: “After two days of test piloting, Jeb Corliss said landing the wing-suit was possible as early as next year. ‘We found there is a definite and reasonable speed for a landing attempt sometime next summer. We’re now developing four different types of technologies to land safely—it’s very important to land with zero injuries,’ said Corliss after analyzing data from the test flight.”

Do you ever think to yourself, “How did I get myself into this?” Or are you so focused on the technical aspects of the project that you don’t question yourself? Is there room to question oneself without creating overwhelming doubt and fear?

Go Fast is not my sponsor. I have done projects with them in the past and I like working with them. They have never given me money of any kind for any of my jumps or projects. I actually have no real sponsors. Mirage has sponsored my gear for skydiving, that's about it.

I don't think it can be done, I know it can be. I like projects like this because everyone thinks it's so impossible. The more people say it can't be done, the more I want to do it. I love showing people that the only limits are the ones we place upon ourselves. This has become an obsession for me. I will do whatever it takes to make this project come to fruition. It's a complex puzzle in figuring out how to do something that has never been done before. It's really what I live for now. Everything I have done up to this point has been preparation for these kinds of projects.

8. How much do you think you influence others, “whuffos”, whether they are “whuffos skydivers looking to B.A.S.E. jump or non-jumpers who seek out participation in B.A.S.E. due to seeing you appearing in videos and presenting a public image?

I have no idea what kind of influence what I do in my life has on other people.

To be honest, if I could earn a living B.A.S.E. jumping in the dark with no cameras rolling I would. I have way more jumps not filmed, then filmed. If I could raise the money I needed for the wing-suit landing without talking about it first I would. But unfortunately that is not how the world I live in works.

If I don't want to work in a box and want to do things like travel the world B.A.S.E. jumping. Then I have to license footage that gets put on TV, in turn, I can earn a living to continue making my dreams come true. Everyone has to make sacrifices in life to live their dreams.

I personally wish no one knew who I was. I am anti-social and at times I don't enjoy being around people very much. But if I have to raise millions of dollars to make one of my “crazy” dreams come true then I will have to come out of the dark and let people know what I am doing. Fame sucks donkey balls, but it's necessary to get funding to do huge projects. It really is a double edged sword.

9. Do you ever Google your name to see what is being written about you? Have you ever responded to any of the negative comments on the blogs, forums, ect?

Yes I have.

10. What do you do to de-stress?

I don't really have stress. I take things as they come. After breaking my back in Africa in a jump and lying in a bed for a month I learned that as long as you can get out of bed and go to the bathroom without another person’s help, life is good.

11. In the media you are often touted as “a legend”, “a pioneer”, “one of the greatest”. Do you feel that you live up to the hype? Or is it just that “hype” by the media to spice up their stories?

I am just a person living his life. I am not the best. I am not a legend and I am defiantly not a pioneer. For every person that likes something I do, there are 3 that think I am a total douche. It's nothing new; I have experienced this same thinking from a very young age. You just learn that it really doesn't matter what other people think of you. Just be true to yourself and if others have a problem with you, then it truly is their problem. Not yours.

12. What is your biggest fear in life?

It used to be love. Now I am not sure.

13. Who was the biggest influence in your life and why?

My step-dad influenced me. He was my first real friend and he got me into scuba diving when I was 16. He pushed me to be a better person and introduced me to shark diving. Shark diving was my first real passion and I still love the little buggers to this day.

14. Do you foresee “enough every being enough” for you when it comes to seeking out new adventures, challenges, or pushing the limits of your own mental strength?

I will die on my feet turning my dreams into realities.

15. Why did you agree to participate in this interview? And who would you like to see interviewed in the next round?

If people ask me questions I answer them. I have never felt like I have anything to hide. I don't usually read things like this. So whoever you interview, I most likely won’t read it.

You can see Jeb Corlisss at work in the Journey to the Center, an awarding winning Banff Film Festival documentary featuring Jeb Corliss, Paul Fortun and Chris "Douggs" McDougall it can be purchased or rented at:

www.mycontent.com/jebcorliss

Interview with BASE jumper Tracy Walker

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

base, interview, tracy walker

Author: Cynthia Lynn

If ever there was a BASE jumper deserving a "E!" True Hollywood Story, that would be the man you recognize by his trademark "Take Care, Space" signature line.

Tracy "Space" Walker, born and raised in the deep south of the United States, is every bit a self made man. He was reared along with an older brother by his single mother and grandmother during the early years of his childhood. It was later, during his teenage years and surviving a heavy handed stepfather, whom Tracy would come to describe as the epitome of evil that life served up some tough knocks. Tracy set out on his own as soon as he was able to fly the coop, breaking a negative cycle in search of a positive life. To hear tales of his teenage years makes one cringe; to know the caring, loving man that he became against the odds, makes one want to sing his praises.

Ask any of the BASE jumpers who have had the pleasure of his company on a jump, or the opportunity to spend time talking with him and you will hear the same descriptions over and over. "Space is the Yoda of BASE", "He is a guru of sorts", "He mentors the best of the best." As research progressed I soon heard, "He is mentor to Felix the glory hound of all glory hounds." I could almost hear the "booing and hissing" in the background as the words rang in my ears.

In my first conversation with Tracy I decided to cut right to the chase, flat out hit him right between the eyes, "Are you responsible for the monster that is Felix Baumgartner?" He laughed and agreed to take full responsibility, before continuing on to explain the joy of having trained such an athlete as Felix. He assured me that Felix is no monster, a bit "misunderstood" by the general BASE population, has a bit of an ego, (gasp I said, "ego in a BASE jumper it can't be") and like everyone else on this planet has made some mistakes in judgment.

In those few statements alone I gathered a basic understanding on how Tracy felt about mentoring. His love of all things BASE jumping could be summed up in the loyalty and concern he exhibits on behalf of his students. BASE jumping is a serious topic and is meant to be treated with respect. BASE jumps aren't just made, they are planned and executed, a spiritual experience to be savored and celebrated.

He explained the qualities he has seen in each of his students that persuaded him to take on the challenge and responsibility of teaching and which characteristics he admired in them afterward as they matured as jumpers in this manner. "Perseverance in the quest for knowledge", he responded, I have had many students, but mentored only a few. Solid rigging skills, the ability to not jump, BASE ethics, and doing jumps that have not been done prior in the sport are characteristics I admire in my former students."

Do you have basic guidelines that must be met by the student prior to you considering taking on the responsibility of mentoring them? "Rigging, tracking skills, canopy control drills, accuracy landings, etc. The amount of skydives is unimportant. What is important is the amount of skydives preparing for BASE and the mentality of the jumper."

Rigging, scoping out the object and conditions, safety protocols, etiquette, and decision making are the 5 most important things Tracy believes a mentor must teach their student prior to the student going it alone. He adds, "of course this is assuming they have their exits sorted."

I asked him to share his viewpoint on whether he felt it was important for every BASE jumper to have a mentor and how much control or influence does the mentor have over the jumper's activity?

"It's a great idea to have a mentor. There is so much information out there that it is pointless to reinvent the wheel and be a pioneer in one's mind and nowhere else; leading to having an accident. Certain elements of people resent this though and enjoy the higher risk of figuring it out their selves. A mentor does not control a student; they can only hope to have the possibility to influence a student. That jumper's activity's is totally up to them." As to how much responsibility should be placed on the shoulders of the mentor regarding the student's activities, "None if the student has disregarded the mentor's advice. The rest should be regarded on a case-by-case basis."

The million dollar question being, "What makes a person qualified to be a mentor?"

"I believe it is the ability to do the following: Teaching: Helping the student to remember a list or sequence. Instructing: Helping the student to employ that list or sequence. Mentoring: Listening to the student and personalizing the teaching and instruction parts to the fit the student. This is allowing the student to analyze and know when to implement dynamically whichever lessons and instructions called for in a given situation." Had he ever turned down a student, "I have turned down instructing students because of my lack of time or inability on the student’s part to achieve the objectives I use as a guideline. In my Euro course, I would state that jumping was not part of the instruction, but if they did well...."

As far as teaching the technical aspects of BASE vs. Ethics, Community and History of BASE, Tracy offers this tip. "After the initial discussion with the student where I tell them horror stories and how BASE will effect or maybe end their life, I start with rigging. This allows me to judge how they mentally approach challenges and for me to then tailor the mentorship to the jumper."

Tracy's most bonehead thing he had ever done: "That is my secret. I have a fear if I tell; someone will up the ante and do something more boneheaded. Jumping a 110 degree inside corner of a 370 foot building on my 15th jump would rate right up there in the bonehead department. Tom and Dwain did it later, but having much more experience in BASE jumping."

His attraction to BASE came as a three part epiphany of research and discovery, leading him on the path to doing. The first being his meeting of Eric Lee, "a truck driving dude who showed up at the Mardi Gras Boogie just across Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. He was talking BASE with another skydiver; I saw the fire in his eyes as he spoke of the highest building in New Orleans at the time, 700 feet. So I researched the building and jumped it as my number 9 jump." His second affirmation came in "the fatality of Jeb Williams. Jeb being an experienced skydiver/commercial airline pilot, the type of guy that one would feel confident if he was at the controls. The type of guy that I figured would be the last on your list of dying in jumping. So I researched all I could about Jeb. Lastly came "Skydiving Magazine", I thought they had a typo in announcing that someone had celebrated their 1000th jump on a jump from a 400 foot antenna. So I researched it and discovered it was true."

Tracy considers the fact that he has been around for "awhile and have probably ground crewed and witnessed more BASE jumps than anybody (ca 10,000) and witnessed it's growth from infancy" as what makes him unique to the sport of BASE. He adds, "I also have the notorious distinction of being the instructor/mentor of infamous high profile jumpers, John Vincent and Felix Baumgartner and famous guys also." In questioning him about his greatest achievement in life, the focus shifts from BASE to helping people. "Facilitating change in people's lives is my achievement. I have gotten thanks for this many times." Tracy enjoys teaching about life as much, if not more than he enjoys teaching about BASE.

He is a student of life who as a child devoured whole encyclopedias in his thirst for answers. He tells me that he hasn't achieved his childhood dreams as he is "still in my childhood and I just keep dreaming". Continuing on he explains how BASE has contributed to his personal growth, "it brought me around the world. It matured me in the social sense that I realized that the US of A did not have everything and the US of A is not the land of the free unless you count "free to do as you are told".

Tracy and his family currently reside in Munich, Germany where he competes annually in the Munich Chili Cook Off. This year Tracy landed 2nd place, alongside, Spiciest for his Chili Con Carne; "Being it was so spicy is probably why I didn't take 1st place, I had a cocktail of chili's to add but it just was getting too spicy so I aborted the chipotle. Winning Chef's prize for his veggie chili, "which I think is morally wrong, but actually it was ass-kicking. Three trips to the podium, I am eating cheese and no chili for 10 months now." He named his recipes as only Space would, "Global Warming" was the name of the Carne and "Cow Friendly" was the veggie. "I was going to call it "Greenhouse Gas", but it did not sound too appetizing."

Recently added to his list of hobbies of "Foot-bag, Rubik's cube, card tricks" is Foosball. You can find Tracy online discussing, practicing or playing Foosball at all hours of the day. He is determined to master the game so much so, that his wife presented him with a Foosball table for his most recent birthday.

In speaking with Tracy you must learn to keep your eye on the ball so to speak. The conversation moves in beats as steadily as it does in transitioning topics; suddenly you find yourself being quizzed on numerous philosophical viewpoints. Emperor Joseph II is quoted in the movie Amadeus, as saying to Mozart: "My dear young man, don't take it too hard. Your work is ingenious. It’s quality work. And there are simply too many notes, that's all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect". To which Mozart replied, "Which few did you have in mind, Majesty?" During the next round of questions, I found myself feeling as if some notes went missing, but later realized it is part of Tracy's charm to be as short in his responses as he can be elaborate and generous with his words in other instances.

What is your jump philosophy? "To ask one's self "Is it worth it?" , What is your biggest fear? "Heights", Is there anything you wouldn't try or do in life?"There are some things, but mostly the reason is time or money constraints", What is your fitness regime? "Live actively", What is your weakness in jumping? "Tracking", What is your strength in jumping? "Tracking", Is there a time you see yourself retiring from jumping? "No", How do you mentally prepare for a jump? "I let my fear and logic fight it out and go with the winner",Did you attend a First Jump Course? "No", How many skydives did you have prior to your first BASE jump? "500+", How many BASE jumps did it take before you earned your BASE number? "62", Did you have a mentor? "No", Do you prefer solo or group jumps? "mostly solos but a multi-way is great every now and then", What is it about BASE jumping that you enjoy the most? "Kickin' out a bitchin' track", What is it about BASE jumping that you least enjoy? "Pilot chute hesitations".

Finally, I cornered him between chilli batches to answer, "In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake a new jumper makes? and "What piece of advice would you offer to a new jumper?"

"Biting off more than one can chew and being too excited to train to get the experience to do the jump as safe as possible. In the END, it is up to the individual, to insure the safety of one's self. That means YOU. Make your own decision on what you are capable of. If one is told what to do all of the time and adheres to that, then the decision process goes away. If I instruct my student to follow my rules, the student will never be better than I. If I instruct my student to evaluate the situation and make his own rules, then the likelihood that he will progress beyond my abilities is greater which is what I consider the true instructors dream. On a side note, the student has a higher chance of becoming a statistic."

Lastly, (huge sigh from Tracy) I asked the man who is always on the go with this project or that project,”Do you have a personal goal for yourself right now?" His response is classic Tracy, "I really dislike personal goals. It screws me up. I tend to just go for it. The problem with personal goals is that one gets tunnel-vision. It's like concentrating on your altimeter when you have a malfunction skydiving out of a plane instead of dealing with the situation. Freefall video is a prime example of this. Been there and done that. Almost died but the subject was in frame. Another couple of friends did die, but it was framed in the video we recovered. One must really be hard to have a goal and not give up safety to achieve it."

In the end, after months, yes months, of bobbing and weaving, receiving bits and pieces at a time in trying to complete a portrait of "Space", the Yoda, the BASE Guru, I "nagged" him into sharing two of his stories. I only wish this was an audio tape so that you could all get the full effect of a "Spacey Tracy" BASE story. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of spending time with Tracy knows how blessed I am as a writer to be given the opportunity to learn from him about BASE, life and "not sweating the small stuff, because it's all small stuff". Period. Take Care, Space.

List 5 Random Facts or Habits about yourself that would be classified as weird, strange, or different.

1. Being 46 yrs old and still playing

2. BASE jumping

3. Sewing foot bags (2-62 panel)

4. Weather forecasting

5. Playing with divining rods

About the Author:

Cynthia Lynn lives in Chicago, Illinois were she works as a Freelance writer of short story's and profile interviews covering a wide range of topics and personalities.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Interview with BASE jumper Tracy Walker

An Inspirational First BASE Jump

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

first base, base

artikel

Author: Cynthia Lynn

Answer for $200: What is the date and time of the leap into BASE jumping history?

Answer for $400: What object did the 1966 jump take place from?

Answer for $600: Which founding father of modern BASE was inspired to follow up with a first BASE jump of his own from the same object?

Answer for $800: What is a skydiving rig with round parachute?

Answer for $1000: What are the names of the two men that made the historic 1966 jump?

(Insert annoying clock ticking game show tune)

Time is up...

The answer is: Brian Schubert and Michael Pelkey.

Michael Pelkey

Age: 69
Marital Status: Married
Children: Two per marriage, two marriages
Current Location: Simi Valley, California
Hometown: Benton Harbor, Michigan
Education: Some college, no formal degree
Number of Base jumps: 2
Year of first Jump: 1964 (skydiving) 1966 (1st BASE jump)
Container: Military backpack and harness
Canopy: 28' TU modified military + 24' reserve
Profession: Electronics /Electromechanical Design Engineer
Number of Skydives: 207
Base Number: Not Applicable

In researching B.A.S.E. history, you’ll come across the story of an El Capitan jump circa 1966 and the events that transpired 40 years later with the passing of Brian Schubert at Bridge Day. If you are a regular on the forum you might run across a post by Mike, usually he comments in reply to a friend’s post here and there. Or in reading through the articles section you’ll come across his telling of “the jump”.

If Carl and Jean Boenish, Phil Smith, Phil Mayfield, Harrison Brothers, and their European counterparts are considered “Old School”, Mike and Brian are classified in an era of their own. They didn't pioneer B.A.S.E., or lay claim to founding the sport, but what they did was set off a spark with their fortitude.

No doubt like many others before them, including the designers of the parachute itself, the idea of jumping from a fixed object was given birth to as a lark. Twelve years prior to Boenish’s jump from El Capitan and the formation of modern B.A.S.E. jumping, Schubert and Pelkey had already made their leap into history.

In today’s world of B.A.S.E. jumping with forum members dictating their versions of “ethics”, “rules” and “what’s an acceptable way to enter B.A.S.E jumping”, to manufacturers of high end gear and First Jump Courses; Schubert and Pelkey’s jump illustrates the “why not?” of a B.A.S.E. jump, instead of the “do not’s”.

In talking with Mike I am again reminded that the “old school” guys show less concern with “controlling” other jumpers and more about answering that age old question “If your friend jumped off a bridge would you?” In this case, Pelkey resoundingly replies “Why not?”

1. Why did you feel compelled to jump from El Capitan?

It was more of a lark than a compulsion. Skydiving was a relatively new sport and the El Capitan was obviously jumpable, straight down 3,200 feet off the valley floor. If we hadn't got to it first, someone else inevitably would have.

I can tell you the "why" of it quite easily. We were two like-minded, somewhat adventurous 26-year-old sport parachutists who wanted to do something that hadn't been done before. The El Capitan was there and it had never been jumped. A co-worker of mine at Goldstone DSIF came up with the idea. When I mentioned it to Brian he was all for it. We did consider the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado as an alternative, but chose the El Capitan first because it seemed like a more adventurous jump.

As for the "how" part, our plans were a little better than the implementation. Our girlfriends were supposed to film the descent from the bottom and a friend, Jim Cleary, hiked to the top with us to take still pictures of our exits. None of us had any idea how long the trip to the top would take and the girls gave up and left their posts after patiently waiting for some number of hours. The hike to the top took us over eight hours, so we ended up without any movies or stills taken from the bottom. To top it off the stills taken of our exits turned out to be very poorly framed and angled. Our mementos of the jump turned out to be mostly unkind newspaper reports from all over the world heavily biased in favor of the NPS's official viewpoint.

2. What was your parachuting experience up to that point when you made the jump?

The El Capitan jump was my 183rd logged jump. Brian and I both held Class C (Jumpmaster) licenses issued by the PCA (Parachute Club of America, since renamed USPA) at the time. I laugh when I see the definition of “modern” fixed object parachuting suggesting that tracking was a brand new invention. Imagine dropping off the top of a terminal object depending on luck to keep you from smashing into it on the way down. We knew how to track.

3. How did you determine the exit point, gear, flying & opening, landing area and timing of the jump?

Gear was easy. The El Capitan was a “terminal” jump (I hate that term). We used our normal skydiving gear, including a 28' TU unmodified round military parachute main canopy and a 24' round chest pack reserve, along with everything we normally used for skydiving: helmets, goggles, sky gloves, jump suits, paratrooper boots, etc. Brian's main may have been a 35' T-10 with a TU mod. He was a big guy.

The exit point was a matter of dumb luck. Lady Luck was on our side to find the sweetest exit point possible: an almost perfectly horizontal rock platform that overhung the wall by 8-10 feet. It happened to be the first possible exit point we came to at the end of the trail.

I hate to say that we never discussed opening altitude or landing area. In retrospect we probably would have been able to make it over the trees and into the clearing if we had opened higher. Timing was also unplanned. When we got to the top, we geared up and jumped.

4. What were the steps in your process of planning the jump? (scouting, maps, research, ect.)

We got a few books from the library and studied what we could from them. The only real useful information we could glean was that the El Capitan was a sheer vertical monolith that rose 3,200 feet above the valley floor. Other rather important details such as wind patterns, landing areas, etc., had to be experienced empirically.

5. In jumping rounds were you left at their mercy as you could not control your flight pattern; at what percentage did you calculate the risk of striking the cliff?

Actually the rounds we used, modified in a TU configuration, were quite steerable and apparently had quite a bit more forward speed than commonly thought these days. The winds at the face of the mountain were the problem, not the equipment. They blew in every direction other than the most important one - out away from the face. The thought of striking the cliff never occurred to me until I began encountering the erratic updrafts and side drafts close to the face. I probably could have escaped injury if I hadn't made the mistake of turning to face the wall so I could kick myself away when I hit it. Bear in mind that there was no knowledge base or study material on the hazards of cliff strikes in those days – 12 years before B.A.S.E jumping began. I've heard that you can always recognize the pioneers by the arrows sticking out of their asses.

6. Did you discuss an emergency plan regarding injury or death?

We were 26 years old at the time and thus invincible. Injury or death were the furthest things from our minds. Our only plan involved a celebratory bottle of champagne when we got back to our cabins.

7. How long after Brian was released from the hospital was it before the two of you were able to discuss the jump?

It was quite a while, maybe two months. Brian's dad was irate with us for having made the jump. His parents took him into their home and cared for him under the strict condition that he would have nothing to do with me as long as he was under their roof. I should mention that his mom didn't particularly agree. She painted a beautiful picture of the El Capitan for a wedding present when my wife and I were married.

8. What effect did the jump have on you in your immediate life?

Very little, other than the fact that my immediate supervisor at Goldstone DSIF was Dennis, Brian's brother. That was the only job I was ever fired from in my life. The jump did give me some bragging rights at parties for a few weeks though.

9. Brian walked with a limp due to shattering his two feet in the jump; did you suffer any permanent effects from your broken ankle?

Not at all. My injury was very slight. I resumed jumping less than a month later with a small ankle cast on my left foot.

10. At what point in your life did you realize the significance of your achievement?

I considered it a personal conquest after it was all over. I took a moment to look up to the top after landing and thought: “El Capitan, you ain't so bad”. After our fifteen minutes of fame (or infamy depending on the viewpoint), I essentially forgot about it for nearly forty years.

In an effort to reunite Brian and me, Brian's daughter Tina contacted me by letter a few months before the Bridge Day event in 2005. Brian had already been interviewed for Marah Strauch's B.A.S.E jumping film “Gravity”. Marah was trying to locate me for an interview and Tina pulled it together by sending a letter to every Pelkey she could find an address for. I met with Marah and Jean Boenish in Hollywood for my interview at that time. Someone suggested that we should meet some of the B.A.S.E. jumping community at DZ.com. Thanks to our meeting B.A.S.E. jumping's noted historian, Nick Di Giovanni, on that site, we discovered that our El Capitan jump played a significant role in influencing Carl Boenish to begin B.A.S.E. jumping as a new sport.

11. Why didn’t you continue exploring the possibility of jumping from other objects?

We had some very poor quality still pictures of our jumps from the El Capitan. Life Magazine processed the film with the intention of doing a piece on it. They decided against it once they saw the quality of the pictures, and agreed to pay all expenses for exclusive rights to a jump from the Royal Gorge Bridge. They backed out a couple of weeks before the agreed upon date to “make room for a piece on Miss America in Vietnam”. I assumed their real reason had more to do with possible legal issues of being involved with parachuting from the Royal Gorge than not having room for it in their magazine. Life's backing out, along with being fired from my job and having been beaten to a bloody pulp by the press and almost everyone except most of the skydivers over the El Cap jump, it just went on my “to do” list of things I never got back to. I got married soon after and started a business. I did continue skydiving for a few more years but less frequently as time went on.

12. Were there any extenuating circumstances as to why you and Brian lost contact a year after the jump?

Brian went off to the Police Academy and my wife and I went back to my home state, Michigan, to start a business. I think Brian and I were both too busy seeking our fortunes in those days to properly keep up with our social lives.

We named our son after Brian who was born about 13 years after we lost contact with Brian. He was my best man at my wedding. My wife and I loved him to pieces. He and I never had a single argument or disagreement.

13. What compelled you to do the jump at Bridge Day in 2005?

Two reasons:

a) The equipment was just like stepping into the future. I was real eager to experience the evolved state-of-the-art parachute technology after about 34 years. I had never jumped a square.

b) Even with only two B.A.S.E. jumps under my belt, the BD '05 jump gave me the distinction of having been a B.A.S.E jumper longer than anyone on the planet. For the record I plan to make my next one in the year 2045, just to keep current.

14. The Los Angeles Times reported that Jean Boenish had advised Brian to not jump at Bridge Day 2006 and that he ignored her warnings. Did you have any concern for Brian jumping having not been active in the sport or receiving limited training? (Source: LA Times)

I did have some concerns. It seemed that Brian was able to handle only small portions of training at a time, but he was trained by the best. He seemed to forget some of the important things very quickly. He was not the same old Brian I knew when we were young. My concern was that he may have a malfunction he might not be able to remember how to handle correctly, or that he may end up in a tree somewhere, or heaven forbid, break a leg. Brian had two bachelor's degrees and a master's. He definitely knew how to count to two and throw. I watched him simulate it at least twenty times. Never in a million years did I dream that he would go all the way in with his pilot chute in his hand.

15. In your wildest dreams back in Michigan flying your Benson gyrocopter and having your first taste of skydiving, did you ever imagine yourself jumping from a cliff?

I must admit that the thought never occurred to me.

Bonus Questions: 1. What has been your experience in meeting people from the sport either through the forums or at the events?

I have met so many terrific and some not-so-terrific people through the B.A.S.E jumper forums. I wouldn't mind saying a few words about the terrific ones, except for the size it would add to the interview. My wife, daughter and I had dinner last night with Nick Di Giovanni and his lovely girlfriend, Dr. Julia Bell. We have become great friends with them over the past few years. Johnny Utah and Tom Aiello have bent over backwards to make me feel a part of the history of B.A.S.E jumping, along with others too numerous to name. Marah Strauch has been an absolute doll. She actually flew to California from New York to go to a party at Tina's house before Brian left us, and again to attend Brian's Memorial Services.

2. Some jumpers don't consider making 1 or 2 B.A.S.E. jumps as qualifying a person to be a B.A.S.E. jumper. What do you say to those individuals?

I agree with them. I may have wet the bed when I was two years old but wouldn't call myself a bed-wetter. I also have made one bungee jump and wouldn't call myself a bungee jumper. I only refer to myself being a B.A.S.E jumper in jest. I took Johnny Utah's course like any other first jump student to prepare for my jump at BD '05 after a nearly 40-year respite. I began my speech at the '05 awards ceremony saying: "This is the part where you listen to two old guys, one with one B.A.S.E jump, and the other with two, telling you experts what B.A.S.E jumping is all about".

Note: Bridge Day jumper requirements:(Bridge Day Website)

Must have made at least 100 parachute jumps (skydiving and/or BASE jumping) prior to Bridge Day.
Must have made at least one parachute jump (skydiving or BASE jumping) in the two years prior to Bridge Day.
First time jumpers are required to attend a First Jump Course prior to jumping at Bridge Day.

About the Author:

Cynthia Lynn lives in Chicago, Illinois were she works as a Freelance writer of short story's and profile interviews covering a wide range of topics and personalities.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - An Inspirational First BASE Jump

BASE Jumping Athletes Gather at the World BASE Race in Norway

stephan

October 31, 2009 by stephan Comments (0)

base, jumping, world base race, norway

artikel

Author: Cynthia Lynn

Two jumpers in gear at the back of the exit ramps,

The starter will ask...

"Jumper A ready?" - confirm

"Jumper B ready?" - confirm

Jumpers take your starting position at the edge.

The starter begins countdown, "5 - 4"

A single signal is repeated 3 times, bip, bip, bip

Welcome to the World BASE Race

Envision two men standing on wooden platforms at the edge of a mountain cliff. Each man is dressed in what appears to be a flying squirrel suit. At the signal, they jump and race head-on to the finish line, deploying their parachutes and gliding to a safe landing. Mind blowing? Extraordinary? A testament to man's intestinal fortitude? Innovative genius? A sporting event unlike any other in the world? If you answered yes to all of the above, then let me introduce you to an event that P.T. Barnum would have billed as part of "The Greatest Show on Earth".

The World Base Race lays claim to being the ultimate B.A.S.E jumping competition in declaring one wingsuit pilot/jumper as "The World Fastest Flying Human Being" and awarding the winner 3000 euro as prize money. The 2009 event consists of 32 athletes, in a 2 jumper 750m full on race, in a 6 round competition. The event takes place August 12-14th, with athletes arriving during the week of August 6-12th for warm-up/preparation jumps. Norway's picture perfect Innfjorden-Romsdal provides the arena and setting for after hours activities.

Prior to my interview with Brendan Nicholson, a U.S. B.A.S.E jumper/wingsuit pilot, who will be competing in this years race; I had an opportunity for a brief Q & A with Paul Fortun.

Norwegian, Paul Fortun, director of the World Base Race acts as though he is the proud father of a newborn when it comes to discussing the event. He boasts and hawks in a fashion that would make ol' P.T. proud, "We have the world's most amazing public sporting event, in an arena located among the beautiful surroundings of nature itself. There is no registration fee for jumpers, or fee for public spectators. We want to make this the greatest public party for athletes and spectators alike. This event demonstrates to the world the type of athletes BASE jumpers truly are in an exciting competition. This is a top skilled athletic sport, where you not only have to compete head to head, but perform in front of the public. All rounds have to be hiked by the athletes, therefore the winner must also be in great physical shape."

Do you anticipate a larger spectator turn out this year since you've had a year to advertise and market the event?
"We have a limit of 2000 to 2500 spectators, but we have a big Fjord and welcome charter boats to come and enjoy the show. I expect that we will see an increase in spectators as we have seen an increase in athletes."

The World Base Race is an event designed with the spectators in mind. What type of vendors and entertainment do you have planned?

"We will have a young talented rock band, Ronald Nikolaisen with "Black Cat Bones" as The World BASE Race band this year. They will play at the final day of competition and at the WBR party in the evening. There will be a band playing mellow music suited for young children to 90 year olds. This is an arena in a natural setting that we are offering a good time to any age spectator. We are not trying to copy other high profiled extreme sports events with loud music and cool young people in the latest fashions. We wish to remain a public event for everybody. Line Horvli and the local choir, plus a local folkdance group Leikarringen and an uphill running race. The Norwegian national paragliding team with Ove Tillung and Pål Hammar Rognøy performing a program for us. As well as 10 dome jumpers in formation flying with smoke. Ending with three jumpers with red, white and blue smoke representing national colors for the opening of "The World Fastest Human Flying Being" finale.

My goal is to lift the event one cm every year to the next level, take it step by step, as long as the public is fascinated and takes part in the event enjoying watching batman/batwoman flying in the air. I believe this is the correct way to progress, leaving them wanting to return for more the following year."

In the upcoming 2009 event, the largest contingency of jumpers will be hailing from the United States with 17 athletes. One of those 17, is Brendan Nicholson, age 27, a graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in Graphic Design. He spends his work days as a Medical Illustrator and Animator for the Department of Genetics at the university in which he graduated. Hailing from Salt Lake City, Brendan is a bit more reserved in his chances to reach the podium, "I doubt I will place in this years race. The level of competition will be significantly higher due to the success of last years event. I look forward to the day when I have more wingsuit flights and can be considered a peer of this years veteran competitors like Robert Pecnik and Ronny Risvik."

Nicholson didn't compete in last years race, instead he worked as race starter. It was then that as he would jump and fly down following the competitors using tracking gear when both Paul and Johnny Bjørkås seen a natural talent in Brendan. Paul noted how quickly Brendan took to flying such difficult cliffs. I asked Paul Fortun who he was looking forward to watching, he unequivocally announced " I am particularly excited to see how Brendan Nicholson of Salt Lake City, Utah will fair in this years competition. In asking Brendan about their assessment, he credits his 11 years in Nordic Ski jumping for the early development into the world of wingsuit piloting. Stating, "I enjoy tracking the most because it has the most freedom".

I asked the young athelete how he would approached "racing" another individual when generally B.A.S.E jumping is not about "winning"? "B.A.S.E has a long history of competition from early accuracy meets to the World BASE Race. The lowest, highest, longest jumps are all know throughout the community of B.A.S.E jumpers due to the competitive nature amongst us. Each one of the World Base Race athletes is so experienced in flight that 'racing' in wingsuits is as easy as 'racing' to the fridge for the last beer. If you have any reservations about the psychological pressures of 'racing' then it is best to wait until you are mentally prepared ahead of competing."

As for his B.A.S.E jumping philosophy, "Always live to see the next jump. While it may be fun to burn it low or fly very close to the wall, you must weigh that experience against all future jump experiences. Is that extra 10 feet really worthy losing hundreds of awesome experiences over?" The one jump that stands out in his mind, "Clearing the ledge at "Karl's Big Mountain Cliff" (Imperfect English translation of Norwegian). This wall is where B.A.S.E jumping became mountain flying and it was awesome to relive that experience transitioning form falling to flying. There is a point where you must decide whether to pull or try to clear the ledge and that certainty in your own abilities is rewarding."

We discussed whether he felt B.A.S.E jumping was a "sport", "stunt" or "hobby" and what drew him to the World B.A.S.E Race. "I think it is different for every person and even changes over time for that same person. When I started it was an all-consuming lifestyle. Every word out of my mouth was about B.A.S.E and every thought in my head was about where I was going to get my next fix. Now I try to find a balance between B.A.S.E, Skiing, Rock Climbing, work and personal relationships, so it would probably fall under sport for me. Some jumps are stunts, like when I jump for money and sometimes out of my comfort zone. Many jumps do not take much skill and it seems silly to call them sport when true sports are out there. Hobby sounds too much like needlepoint."

"For me the attraction to the World Base Race is an opportunity to meet and jump with the best mountain fliers in the world. The event itself is very casual with everyone hiking and chatting together. The exchange of ideas and experiences is like nothing else because only Romsdal could draw this caliber of talent from all corners of the globe. The idea of making human flight safer with higher performance is what draws me to come and learn form the best".

Besides the actually racing, what do you enjoy best about the event?, "The World BASE Race is an opportunity to get together with the best mountain fliers in the world's best playground. There are fifty other walls to explore in the region and countless ways to fly the terrain. I love meeting new people and learning their approach to the sport. The barbecues are also awesome, because of the organic and fresh nature of the food."

Brendan's training technique in preparing for the race in Norway, while he doesn't have the luxury of taking advantage of jumping there regularly, "I fly wingsuits out of planes as much as I can afford and jump some of the larger legal cliffs in my area. Mountain flying has a lot in common with many other gravity sports such as mountain biking and downhill skiing. Flying a predetermined line is just like carving through the snow, from planning to execution of a perfectly balanced carve."

His mentally preparation for a jump may seem a bit unusual to an outsider, but remains effective for him. "I have mild OCD so I need a lot of repetition and physical touching to feel ready to jump. I will touch my buckles 20 plus times, check my bridle routing 10 plus times and repack my chute before nearly every jump. Beyond that I try to remember what a perfect exit feels like beforehand so I can repeat it on the upcoming jump. This includes visualization with my eyes closed and mock body movements". His final thought before jumping, "There is a real void in thinking right before exit. I am trying to focus solely on what my body is telling me so I can exit smoothly and set myself to flying away."

In responding to my question, "In your opinion would such an event work in the U.S. if it could be done legally, do you think it would help with the perception of B.A.S.E by the general public?", he offered these thoughts, "Yes, I think it would be a good way to introduce mountain flying to the American public. The popularity of Matchstick Production's 'Seven Sunny Days' clip proves that people are fascinated with mountain flying and I think an American B.A.S.E Race could fit well with something like the X-Games. Bridge Day attracts over 200,000 people and I think interest in mountain flying would be even higher. Paul has formatted the World BASE Race to be very spectator friendly and has also instituted a strict safety protocol that resulted in zero incidents last year."

I asked him what he felt his contribution to B.A.S.E was during his short career in the sport, his reply again showed his humble nature, "So far I have contributed very little. I enjoyed helping Paul out with the World BASE Race and showing the world that the sport of B.A.S.E can have a safe, spectator-friendly competition. I am always trying to be an ambassador for the sport in the hopes that it will become accepted in America as a valid way to experience the outdoors."

Brendan's favorite object to jump, "Big cliffs are at the top of the list. I love hiking and exploring beautiful new places and mountain flying is just a logical extension of that. Building's come in a close second because of the James Bond factor of sneaking around coupled with the thrill of a technical flight."

How often does he jump?, "I made 100 jumps in my first year. Now I try to savor them a bit more and only jump about twice a month. During my vacations to Norway I will jump two or three times a day for about a month."

He earned his B.A.S.E. number around jump 50, but only applied for the B.A.S.E card after about 100 jumps. Brendan had recorded only about 100 skydives when he first started B.A.S.E jumping. He says, "I wish I had 500 skydives. I usually wish this right before I hit something hard that I could have easily avoided with more experience." He attended Tom Aiello's "Free Deathcamp" in Twin Falls, Idaho, where he made about 40 jumps in 8 days. Claiming to have "learned just about everything that can be taught to a young and dumb male". He still jumps with his mentor, Skyler Beck, from time to time and sees him every week. The best advice his mentor Beck, gave him, "He told me, "Don't be a dummy". I took it to mean, slow down and check yourself. This has proven to be good advice. As I got into Mountain Flying more I was also mentored by the Norwegian pilots who gave me very similar advice."

I asked Brendan if he would consider being a mentor, "I think mentoring is one of the best things you can do for progressing the sport of B.A.S.E jumping. It is a very time-intensive activity and requires a lot of ulcer medication. Once your student has left the object you can't do anything to save them, so you need to teach him well." He continues on to point out what he feels is the biggest mistake new jumper's make, "B.A.S.E jumping is ridiculously easy, so a false sense of security usually shows up around jump number 10. The rub is that you have to execute everything perfectly the first time, no second chances. Things only go wrong roughly once in three hundred jumps so it is very easy to let your guard down and call yourself an expert. It is important to always be scared. Once you stop being fearful, you become complacent and that 180 degrees off-heading ends it all. The most important piece of advice he has for new jumpers, "Slow down and be conservative. Build your skills over time. It sounds hypocritical even as I say it, but the time and money spent taking it slow, pale in comparison to the friendships you may lose."

Brendan willingness to be a student of B.A.S.E and absorb as much information as he can with every connection he makes within the community of jumpers is exemplified in his answer to the infamous "What is the most bonehead thing you have ever done in jumping?" question. His answer, "Getting into B.A.S.E without complete control of my canopy flying. I liked to jump low objects, or pull low off of large objects, because i didn't know how to fly a pattern or sink my canopy. Luckily, I didn't hurt myself before I learned these skills though I still have much to learn."

The Nicholson family's take on his participation in B.A.S.E can be summed up as "cautiously supportive". "My parents become concerned when I show them my videos, but they also like to show them off to their friends afterward. My brother wants to know when I am planning on giving it up. My grandfather is the most outspoken, saying "Okay, you have proven you have brass balls, now stop." They have met friends of mine who later passed away jumping, but they also know how much joy it brings me. My girlfriend, Elizabeth Brand, an Emergency Room doctor in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be this years starter at World BASE Race. She is very supportive of my jumping/wingsuit flying, she herself has 80 skydives and is looking forward to not having to hike down after escorting me to the edge".

So when does he plan to give it all up, if anytime, "When my ego takes a back seat to my responsibilities. I hope that happens when I have a wife and child. I think the big walls can be jumped with an acceptable amount of risk, but I may reconsider."

What attracted this articulate, talented, confident, yet humble young man to the sport of B.A.S.E? "Mountain flying is the closest humans have come to personal flight. From day one in learning to jump, I looked forward to when I could fly a wingsuit through the mountains."

In six short days, Brendan will be atop the mountain, standing on the edge of that wooden plank, heart racing as he listens to the starter's voice for the signal, within seconds racing towards a finish line in the air below, before safely deploying his chute and gliding towards the ground in hopes that he has won his race, only to climb the mountain again to face the next challenger until finally there is only one, that can claim the title, "The World's Fastest Flying Human Being".

Word to the all other World BASE Race competitors, "It's always the quiet, polite ones you have to watch out for; in other words, keep your eye on the unpretentious American kid".

Brendan Nicholson

Age: 27
Marital Status: In a Relationship
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Children: None
Education: BFA in Graphic Arts, University of Utah
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Year of 1st Jump: 2007
Wingsuit: Phoenix-Fly Shadow (prototype) and a Phoenix-Fly Tracking Suit
Container: Gargoyle and Hybrid L/D+
Canopy: Blackjack and Trango
Profession: Medical Illustrator
B.A.S.E Number: 1295
Nickname: Curls McSquirrel

Five Random Facts About Brendan That Could Be Classified As Weird, Strange, or Different

I could ski (snow) before I could walk.
I have found spandex to be the perfect rock climbing apparel.
I can't pack without my lucky 13 clamps.
I am not a Mormon, but I live in Utah.
I didn't learn to drive until my twenties.

B.A.S.E jumping, is a sport that employs a parachute to jump from fixed objects. Wingsuit pilots employ both a wingsuit and parachute in jumping from fixed objects.

"BASE" is an acronym that stands for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump:

Building
Antenna
Span
Earth

B.A.S.E jumping is an extreme sport that can result in injury or death of it's participants. Interested parties are advised to undergo proper training and mentoring prior to attempting B.A.S.E jumping.

B.A.S.E Numbers are applied for from the United States BASE Association.

View further information and updates @ www.worldbaserace.com

About the Author:

Cynthia Lynn lives in Chicago, Illinois were she works as a Freelance writer of short story's and profile interviews covering a wide range of topics and personalities.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - BASE Jumping Athletes Gather at the World BASE Race in Norway