25/08/2009 / WORLD
BASE has a
much longer history
than people realise. The concept was first explored in the 15th
century and went through various stages including throwing animals off heights
with parachutes and the death of Franz Reichelt when he jumped off the Eiffel
Tower in 1912 [see video below]... BASE jumping as we know it didn't properly take off until the 1980s.
Wearing a
wingsuit is a different kind of BASE jumping; and the closest thing a human can
get to being an airplane. You're not falling but gliding. Instead of falling at
120mph you're falling at 50/60 mph and travelling forwards at 160 mph. When
they go past the camera, these guys have already fallen 4,000 feet and they've
still got 15,000 feet to go. Wingsuits are smoking fast."
BASE jumping – primary requirement insanity?
Image © Shamshahrin Shamsudin.
"BASE jumping" is basically hardcore parachuting. Giving you less time to open your parachute, and less of a parachute when it's open, BASE jumping is the closest you can get to falling to your death without dying.
BASE jumping is a bit like skydiving, only you jump from a fixed object rather than a plane, and often from a lesser altitude, therefore increasing the chances of landing complications. BASE stands for "Building, Antenna, Span (bridge or arch), Earth" - the four things that were originally jumped off when the modern sport was established. Though it appears incredibly risky, it is not illegal; except in urban areas.
Contributors
BASE jumpers in action
“There have only been 133 deaths in almost 30 years”
Mick Knutson, 39, has done around 600 BASE jumps since 1992 and runs the website BLiNC Magazine, devoted to BASE jumping.
BASE has a
much longer history
than people realise. The concept was first explored in the 15th
century and went through various stages including throwing animals off heights
with parachutes and the death of Franz Reichelt when he jumped off the Eiffel
Tower in 1912 [see video below]... BASE jumping as we know it didn't properly take off until the 1980s.
BASE jumping gets a bad rap because the stats are badly drawn and probably only take in BASE jumps that are recorded. In reality, there are between 8,000 and 15,000 BASE jumpers in the world, each of them doing up to 50 jumps a year. That's been going on for almost 30 years, and there have only been 133 deaths. If you take any other outdoor sport; mountain biking for one, there are far more injuries and deaths per year. And unlike with other sports - car racing for example -, with BASE jumping, you're only a danger to yourself.
The worst accident I saw was a guy who broke his femur [thigh bone] on landing. He was jumping a parachute that had a new type of steering toggles - the kind of handles you direct the parachute with - and he hadn't asked for any advice about them. He didn't figure them out in time; his parachute was open but it wasn't flying forwards, just downwards. But he got away with it. And he still jumps now.
People assume that we're adrenaline junkies. We're not. The reason I jump, is because when I'm standing on the edge my head is clearer than anything. It doesn't matter that you got a speeding ticket, or you lost your job. Just pure clarity, better than meditation. Few people are in control of their lives, and when you're falling at 80 mph and you've got the ability and knowledge to survive that, that's control. The power of controlling your fears is insurmountable."
Flying squirrels
Video posted by "Jump Teigen".
Wearing a
wingsuit is a different kind of BASE jumping; and the closest thing a human can
get to being an airplane. You're not falling but gliding. Instead of falling at
120mph you're falling at 50/60 mph and travelling forwards at 160 mph. When
they go past the camera, these guys have already fallen 4,000 feet and they've
still got 15,000 feet to go. Wingsuits are smoking fast."
Posted by "comage".
The first attempt at flying what resembles a wingsuit
More BASE jumping (in the traditional sense)
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Comments
Everybody can do what she or
Submitted by gautier on Wed, 26/08/2009 - 15:30.Everybody can do what she or he wants with her/his own life. But Mick Knuston comment is at least misleading. What he should have counted is the number of fatalities per participant, not the total number of fatalities. According to a Umeå University (Sweden) study, the number of fatalities is 1 per 60 participants (1666 per 100'000 participant). Compared to this, the other most dangerous sport is the horse riding with 128 fatalities per 100'000 participant (0.0768 fatalities per 60 participants), followed by the traditional skydiving with 123 fatalities par 100'000 participant [Boxing and Medicine (Robert Cantu (Ed.)ISBN 0-87322-797-2]. So pretending that the dangerousness of the Base Jumping is "miss interpreted" is irresponsible and misleading.
http://bjsportmed.com/cgi/content/abstract/42/6/431
See also http://www.skydivingfatalities.info/
And my prefered quote, perfect in the context
Minds are like parachutes: they only function when they are open.
-- Thomas Robert Dewar
gautier
Questionable Statistics
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 27/08/2009 - 01:48.1 out of 60 BASE jumpers die in the sport? Seems like their data is of dubious quality.
Every year, 450 people register for an event in the US. It's been going on for decades. Significant numbers are first time jumpers. (The percentage can easily exceed 25%.) If there were 100 new jumpers for a decade, then that alone would account for 1000 jumpers. This far exceeds the 720 cited above. Thus this fraction of the BASE jumper population significantly discredits the "1 in 60" statistic.
Looked at another way, the 720 represents the cohort who qualified, and applied for a BASE number. Many of the fatalities do not belong to this cohort. Some may have died on their first jump. It seems illogical to compare disparate cohorts.
Unregistered user
my opinions are from experience...
Submitted by Mick Knutson on Wed, 26/08/2009 - 16:48.Thanks for your opinion. My site helped in the study you are quoting (http://bjsportmed.com/cgi/content/abstract/42/6/431), and if you read "Result" and "Conclusion", you will see I am saying the same thing. Get the education you need to make informed decisions in the sport.
I NEVER said that BASE is NOT dangerous, but the perception of the danger to those who have never jumped, can at "Best", be mis-interpreted because you just do not have or use the facts of the incidents themselves. Or if you have seen some of the detailed specs, the lack of knowledge of the sport will not allow a full understanding of said findings. And to say that I am irresponsible is a poor stereotype, that re-affirms why those who do not jump, can "At Best" mis-interpret, and assume I/we are being mis-leading about the sport.
Back to my main point, The greatest danger in BASE Jumping is the individual against themselves. Ensuring that education and not allowing one to be complacent, puts the statistical factors in the jumpers favor.
Mick Knutson
Mick Knutson
Greatest Danger in BASE
Submitted by Rick H (not verified) on Thu, 27/08/2009 - 05:40.Mick's right on. The biggest cause of BASE fatalities is between the ears of the jumper. The individual, how they react if shit goes bad, is usually the question. BASE is physically easy, even an off heading opening, you grab the canopy and turn the way you need to or stall the hell out of it then turn. What kills most of us is bad judgement at the critical second. That can be caused by inexperience, or by a brain fart, or rarely nowadays, equipment. The equipment is safer than ever if we know how to use it. Problem is having enough composure to use it right when falling off an object. The greatest danger to the label of BASE jumping as a Relatively "Safe or Dangerous" sport is the participant. It's not a carnival ride, but it's a hell of a lot safer than it used to be, if we take the time to learn the skills that will always be more safely learned during the first couple hundred skydives. Air awareness, body and mainly mind control in freefall, canopy skills. You need all three to sort of maximize your chances of being an old BASE jumper.
Rick
38
Unregistered user
I think it is a little too
Submitted by gautier on Wed, 26/08/2009 - 18:14.I think it is a little bit too easy to pretend that my lack of knowledge of your sport does not allow me to forge a sounded opinion about its dangerousness. Based on the given numbers, that seem correct, the extreme difference in the fatalities statistics between the base jumping and the horse riding for example, cannot be fully explained by a certain level of misinterpretation due to my lack knowledge. Base jumping, however you look at it, is the most dangerous sport.
It appends that I have a very good knowledge of risk management. The nature of the treats (wind, bad luck or vertical speed) and the vulnerabilities (stupidity, fear or ignorance) of the subject does, not affect the final calculation of the risk and of the risk occurrences, 1 on 60. To simplify, dying clever or dying stupid does not make a difference. Education can certainly help, but you also have to consider than your sport deal with extreme speed and attract risk seekers, two factors difficult to mitigate as they are part of the essence of the sport. Additionally, as far I understand, Base Jump promote a certain philosophy of "liberty", so enforcing the idea of "not allowing one to be complacent" seems pretty contradictory and unlikely to be successful.
To conclude, I am not against extreme sports neither against those you are doing it (I got my part of brusies and broken bones) , but when an activity place the life of participant on the balance, the risk must be perfectly understood and trying to minimize it, for example on the pretext of a supposed misinterpretation of the statictics, is objectively irresponsible.
gautier
False Stats.
Submitted by Tracy Walker (not verified) on Wed, 26/08/2009 - 23:50.I must agree with Mick.
If you read the report, You will see that it would not be possible to come up with this figure of "The overall annual fatality risk for all object types during the year 2002 was estimated at about one fatality per 60 participants.".
a. "Data on reported fatal injury events (n = 106) worldwide in 1981–2006 retrieved from the BASE fatality list.".
Response:
Just a very basic failure of the report.
So it is a simple x-y graph. Participants vs fatalities?
Where is the data on the amount of participants?
b. "The overall annual fatality risk for all object types during the year 2002 was estimated at about one fatality per 60 participants."
Response:
Do the math. I hate to pull the "Experienced card". I have been involved in BASE quite some time. The math does not work. I am trying to sort out this reported ratio. Will let you know.
Take care,
Base283
Unregistered user
Ratio sorted.
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 27/08/2009 - 00:51.Read the report again please just to ascertain my exact points if need be.
Data was taken from 1981-2006 to make an estimation of fatalities in 2002, in a reort than was published 03 June 2008.
http://www.basenumbers.org/ui.asp
= 2002
= 720 Jumpers with BASE numbers.
= 12 Fatalties,
720/12=60.
Jumpers with BASE numbers are only a club within the sport. Not the amount of participants by any means. The majority of jumpers are not of this club.
I hope this helps.
Take care,
BASE283
Unregistered user
Hi Base283, Thanks for the
Submitted by gautier on Thu, 27/08/2009 - 01:53.Hi Base283,
Thanks for the math. The statistical sample is small but still representative of the Base jumper population and it seems that the given number is correct. Any other sources available?
The most dangerous sport in US (non fatal injuries) per number of participants is... cheerleading! Our acceptation of the risks is often more about pleasure than numbers.
Jump safe!
gautier