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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2019 - 11:12am PT
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Damn, Caylor, I can't imagine losing so many friends. I've only played the climbing game at a moderate level and not hung around extremists much, so I've been lucky in that regard. Of my circle of acquaintances and friends, I've lost one climber to a heart attack at 50 when he lay down for a nap--a good guy named Eric Brand that some here on ST knew, and one to a plane crash scouting for BASE jumping sites--Earl Redfern. I knew RD Cochran (sp?) way back in the day from bouldering, and he died on Makalu, I believe, from HAPE. And that's it for anyone I was remotely close to. Rock climbing is basically pretty safe!
Re. your and your wife's injuries: So have you both packed your chutes for the last time, so to speak? No more BASE?
If you want an interesting read about airline crashes, check out Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. There's a chapter in there about how/why crashes occur. Fascinating. It's still way safer than driving.
BAd
Oh, and Clancy, of course. RIP!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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BAd, I am a walking compendium of aviation accidents. The evidence is unanimous -
they’re all caused by crankloons!
BTW, y’all no doubt missed the crash last week in Houston, right? B767 freighter went right
into Houston Bay without so much as an ‘Oh, sh!t’ from the crew! 😐
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Bad, is that the Eric Brand that FAed Heartland with Barbella?
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2019 - 07:20am PT
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MB1: I think so. I'm not up on all he did in the Valley. He was also on the FA of Mt. Thor in Baffin with Redfern and another guy.
BAd
Edit: @Reilly: Yeah, it's amazing how cranks crash planes. I have an acquaintance who is a very experienced Air force pilot and flight instructor, and he made it clear to me that the notoriously bad Korean pilots were part of a trend of commercial pilots who were NOT good flyers. Computers do most of the work, and the pilots themselves don't get nearly enough experience actually controlling the planes. Gladwell's chapter about cockpit communication and power dynamics between people is fascinating--and scary. At least out of control BASE jumpers are mostly just endangering themselves. Ugh.
BAd
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Mike Honcho
Trad climber
Glenwood Springs, CO
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Re. your and your wife's injuries: So have you both packed your chutes for the last time, so to speak? No more BASE?
Oh no, we've both made literally hundreds and hundreds of BASE jumps since then. But we're much more conservative now, so far no injuries too serious since. We live about 2hrs from Moab so we still make at least a few jumps a month. BASE is still in our "Top 5" things we like to do, but we try to keep mixing it up as much as possible.
As well, I was very good friends with Earl Redfern and the kid he was flying with when they both went in.
edit- Gunkie, that kite surfing video was brutal.. no way, not ever.
Caylor
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2019 - 11:43am PT
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That's what I had thought. So what's the deal with all those twisted line scenarios featured in the "fail" compilations? That's friggin' terrifying. Does proper technique make that a non-issue? Newer gear?
BAd
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Thanks, Bad. I thought so, and I'm saddened to hear it. Really nice guy, in my experience.
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Mike Honcho
Trad climber
Glenwood Springs, CO
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So what's the deal with all those twisted line scenarios featured in the "fail" compilations? That's friggin' terrifying. Does proper technique make that a non-issue? Newer gear?
Amongst the worse and most debated BASE malfunctions is the "180", your parachute comes off your back and before or while inflating spins in a direction not facing forward. Several immediate reasons that come to mind are a sloppy pack job, a left to right or right to left wind gust or poor body position are the usual suspects when that happens. Frankly, sometimes it just inflates like sh#t for no reason.
Now, if it's a slow to develop uneven canopy inflation there's a variety of things that you can try to straighten things out and get your canopy turned in the right direction. But if it's a hard thwacker opening sometimes your body spins the lines up and your problems just multiplied. It would take too long to go through all of it. But a "180" can be a chill one that you get turned around like a boss or it can be a more violent opening and your spinning up your lines faster than you can react.
Short story gone a little long, every BASE jumper will eventually have a 180 and there's many factors that could cause it to be an easier or horrific malfunction to deal with.
This video is the classic "what the hell caused that" linetwist malfunction. She seems far away from the object, her body position looks fine, but it came off her back in a way that once her lines started to spin up they just kept spinning. Full on nightmare regardless.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
When BASE jumping goes correctly it's just so damn beautiful and cool, but when it goes bad it's such a heinous nightmare..
Caylor
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7SacredPools
Trad climber
Ontario, Canada
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In that overly dramatic video the narrator says that if the snagged chute rips both the jumper and the rescuer would fall...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, caylor... happy good eve to you!! always nice to
run into you, on the ol' internet... :)
ahhhh, well nowwww... since you have a week off...
HERE YOU ARE, ;)
so--here is a 'happy good eve' (double) now, to you and your wife!
*got to run... i only peek at a few videos... (too much worry, or
concern) ...
going to cook some supper...
thanks for sharing you wisdom here with folks...
and for being so open, as to all this...
:)
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