BASE jumping has just in the last few years started getting a lot of publicity, but it is not a new sport.  American Frederick Law made a jump off the Statute of Liberty in 1912.  The big difference between then and now is in the early times they were just a daredevil stunt and there wasn’t a one up competition going on.  This all changed in the 1970’s when extreme sports enthusiasts saw a potential for a fresh new competition.  It is ironic however that the person who came up with the BASE acronym, Carl Boenish who was a early jumping enthusiast, ironically lost his life on one of his jumps in 1984.

Having many participants all around the world, the first question that comes to mind is what is BASE jumping?  First it is an acronym that stands for the four types of jump off spots a BASE jumper may pick to use.  “B” stands for “building” this means any type of man made structure.  “A” stands for “antenna” and refers to structures that unlike a building are free standing such as an antenna mast.  “S” stands for “spans” which is anything that spans over a distance; bridges are an example of this.  Last but not least “E” and it stands for “earth” which is just any natural jump off location such as a cliff or ridge.  BASE jumpers use any or all of these locations to jump off from with only a parachute.

So we come to the frequently asked question “are BASE jumpers nuts?  Well the answer isn’t as simple as it seems.  Inheritantly dangerous due to the possibility of equipment malfunction or human error will more than likely result in serious injury or death.  Enthusiasts will counter that by checking their gear, being aware of the correct equipment needed for a particular jump, and following some basic rules it becomes a bit less risky.  But also the risk element is what draws many to the sport.  Let’s take a look at a couple of these basic rules.

While this may seem elementary, it is amazing how many BASE jumpers are not aware of the differences in gear when it comes to the parachute.  You have to use the correct type of parachute.  You have to remember that the jump is actually made from a low height, so you need a specialty parachute designed to open quickly.  Then also you need to consider that the parachute needs to open at a very low air speed (falling speed).   When you are looking to purchase a parachute take those factors into consideration.  You can not settle for marginal acceptance on this.  If you compromise on this you may purchase a parachute that is used for skydiving.  This type of parachute is designed to open at a higher altitude and faster air speed.  This could mean the difference between you living to jump again or death.

It does not end with just having the correct parachute.  You must now know how to use it.  You need to know how to open it, when and how to make a safe landing.  The fact that skydiving and BASE jumping are two different sports you may want to take a few skydiving jumps at first.  Since practice makes perfect the more jumps you have and the more you get familiar with maneuvering with the parachute, making safe landings the better equipped you will be.  You can take the knowledge that you learned via the skydiving jumps and put them to use with your BASE jumping.  A important note here is, remember BASE jumps happen a lot faster than skydiving so you have a significantly shorter time to react and make a safe landing.

What goes up will come down, how it comes down is the difference between injury or death or being able to make another jump.  Learn how to fall.  You can not tumble through the air.   If you do you run the risk of your parachute becoming tangled and not opening correctly or you could become tangled in your parachute and strangle during the fall.  You have only seconds to open your chute so you don’t have room for any mistakes, a mistake can mean your life.

You can have the proper and the best chute money can buy and will do little to keep you from injury or death if you don’t pick a safe jumping point.  You need to watch out for rock formations, trees and snags.  If you were to be slammed against the rocks or trees the chances that you will be serious or mortally injured are greatly increased.