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pud
climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 29, 2016 - 10:09pm PT
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So nice to hear so many of the folks here never judge others by their actions.
I bet they never lie either.
It's interesting to observe the reactions of non-racers to the Isle of Mann racing.
I wanted to race it since I was a kid, until I had one.
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nah000
climber
no/w/here
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Jul 29, 2016 - 10:11pm PT
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mc813 wrote: "Not sure how BASE jumping gets compared to advancing space exploration (astronauts) or defending a nation's freedom (soldier). 2 of those involve a possible sacrifice for the benefit of a greater good, whereas the other is for self-fulfillment."
not sure it's possible to separate, as you have, what is for self-fulfillment and what is for the greater good... so you're saying that soldiers and astronauts don't get self-fulfillment out of their paths? and you're also saying that the self-knowledge that those exploring paths not organized by the collective, by definition can not lead to benefits for the greater good?
i'd argue that it's a worded dichotomy that while "neat" due to its creating order in a mapped and projected world, is one that doesn't reflect the messiness of actuality with its necessary interdependence between "self-fulfillment" and ability to benefit the greater good.
i don't believe, as you seem to, that one without the other is a possibility.
this is not necessarily a defence of base. and neither is it an indictment of following exploratory paths that are condoned by the collective.
rather both can be self-indulgent and selfish. and both can, ultimately, result in gains for the collective... even if the collective never takes up base and etc...
the world is not so simple that all of the knowledge that one gains exploring a particular field is necessarily unique to that field.
base jumpers learn a lot more than how to hold their hands and feet... just as the space program has shown us more than how much rocket propellant is required to get into orbit...
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Jul 29, 2016 - 10:55pm PT
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nah000
Well said. We all take our risks, whether it is climbing or driving on the freeway or whatever.
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Jul 30, 2016 - 09:58am PT
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
Jul 29, 2016 - 12:39pm PT
Without people who have the BASE mindset and that ability to try and mitigate extreme risk with skill, we wouldn't have planes and would never have step foot on the moon.
The world needs bright (and a little insane) people with large cajones. Progress would be almost impossible without them.
Snonk! Can we associate a single human advancement of real value with BASE jumping? ( Helping Pinkies get their Ya Ya's out doesn't pass the value test) So? Why are dead BASE jumpers Heroes again?
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Jul 30, 2016 - 10:05am PT
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I'm right here Heisenberg. And you'll always be hiding.
By the way,
Am I the only one in the room who hung out with Dan-O, Shane, Dean and Sean? I'm a joke. No doubt. A joker. But, I'd rather know that I was the guy saying "take it easy" than the coward screaming "go for it!" from the bushes.
I'm Nobody but the fact remains that I've been handling the danger-zone personally and professionally since I was a boy and I can't forget the body count.
Sincerely,
Safety Sam.
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Heisenberg
Trad climber
RV, middle of Nowehere
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Jul 30, 2016 - 10:12am PT
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I'm right here too. In Reno. We're like neighbors Brook.
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Jul 30, 2016 - 10:24am PT
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Cool, let's meet. Are you ready to meet Sasha?
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snakefoot
climber
Nor Cal
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flip, i dont think i have ever said BASE jumpers are heroes or that any particular person is. if i remember correctly, most of my posts are in regard to RIP or technical bs. Maybe your referring to my stoke towards Chris L for the jumps he opened in the sierra and my congrats? And just like art, it is in the eye of the beholder and claiming value/or not is not the point. The way i see it.. how we live is what matters and how we utilize our time here.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Thanks for the RIP, link and input.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Aug 20, 2016 - 04:20pm PT
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Base jumper Uli Emanuele, 29, videoed himself as he leapt from a mountain top in the Swiss Alps, but he crashed into rocks before he could open his parachute. He had been filming the stunt for US action camera make GoPro
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Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
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Aug 20, 2016 - 06:01pm PT
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Sorry to hear about another. I just watched the video of Uli going through those rocks. I suspect you better know what you're doing to try stuff like that. The Go-Pro tag line 'be a hero' certainly does not apply; this stuff isn't heroic, it's self satisfying.
I used to race formula cars and had one friend who died doing it. Steve Phillips crested Deer's Leap at the old Westwood track in B.C. and there was a deer, unsighted, on the track. He ran underneath it and took the impact with his helmet. He left three young daughters and his wife. Was he foolish? No, the unexpected happened. How can one plan for a deer on the track as you come over the hill? I had engine problems and had pitted just before it happened. Could have been me.
This stuff isn't heroic however, it's doing something you like a lot for reasons you like a lot. It's hard to balance the thrill of the chase with the consequences for those left behind. I know I was uncommunicative, introspective, and pretended to nap in the car before races started so people would leave me alone, but I wasn't doing dangerous sh*t like these wing suit people are. I can't imagine how tight they get. But I understand it.
Edit to add: I used to ride a rice rocket. Got on it one day and just sat there, thinking about all the close calls I'd had with grandma pulling out without seeing me, etc. etc. Got off the bike, sold it, and have never driven one since. But it was fun.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Aug 28, 2016 - 02:41pm PT
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yup... Friend of the guy from last week. live feed on facebook......
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 28, 2016 - 03:12pm PT
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BASE fatalities in August:
2016: 15 (as of 9/2)
2015: 2
2014: 9
2013: 6
2012: 3
Of course, we don't really know if the fatality rate per jump is higher in August, or increasing over time,
because we don't have a measure of how many total jumps. It's vacation month for many people in Europe.
http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/wiki/BASE_Fatality_List
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 28, 2016 - 06:58pm PT
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I have never done base, only traditional parachute jumping from airplanes. A wing suit jump off a cliff is comparable to a traditional parachute jump from an extremely low altitude. If everything goes right you're fine, but the margin for error or miscalculation is small.
I don't know enough about wing suit jumping to know if people can jump out of an airplane and do it, but it sounds more sensible to me. You can jump out at 12,000 ft. or so and have a nice fly, but leave plenty of time to end the flight and prepare for the ground. If you are landing near see level, you have a lot of flight time that way.
I have seen plenty of footage, and it seems like even during "safe" jumps which end without injury, the tree tops are often uncomfortably close.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Aug 28, 2016 - 07:10pm PT
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The way the skills are sharpened, by flying from greater Hieghts
From jump planes
Watch out for that deadly "Patch of dead air" , ,this one has double impacts, fair warning.
http://youtu.be/FyYMTK5-W5k
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