BASE 66, the book

[Tom Aiello]

I think this is the first time BASE 66 has been available in English. I've just ordered a copy. I'll try to post a review once I read it.

[Johnny Utah]

I ordered one too. Should make for an interesting read.
Under $20 with shipping. Thanks for the heads up Tom.

[Nigel]

An inspiring era for BASE writers.

BASE 60 is Simon 'Jake' Jakeman, author of that rare gem 'Ground Rush'.

[Mac]

An inspiring era for BASE writers.

BASE 60 is Simon 'Jake' Jakeman, author of that rare gem 'Ground Rush'.

And what a book that is! - EvilIvan - do you still have my copy??????????????

[audacium]

Thanks Tom for the pointer to the book, just ordered it. Looking forward to read this!

Eduard.

[Faber]

And what a book that is! - EvilIvan - do you still have my copy??????????????

Why did you give him that book?? he cant read.. You should know that his job is looking at cartoons all day

Sorry Ivan,but we know it,dont pretend you can read
By the way you still owe me a 5ér

[QuickDraw]

Mine arrived today.

Although i don't have time to read it tonight..

[Thijs]

Does anyone know if I can order the book somewhere in Europe?
I pay more for shipping then for the book itself

[QuickDraw]

Does anyone know if I can order the book somewhere in Europe?

Mine was shipped from a UK distributer (Milton Keynes).

They are called 'Lightning Source' and their phone No. is +44 (0) 8451214567.

I'm not sure if you can order direct from them, but i can't see why not.

[sabre210]

Just to let you know i've ordered several copies of the book and they're on their way as we speak. I figure there will be no shortage of people looking for a copy at our get together on the 4th dec and i'll offload the spares at exact cost . So if anyone is interested let me know and i'll hold you a copy till we meet.

ian

[K]

I've gotten my copy of this little book and am about half way through it. It's very entertaining, making me chuckle just about every page. It's strange to see how the guys had to do things back then...we are so lucky today to have the excellent gear, training, and so many mentors to rely on! These guys were out jumping stuff with little or no guidance, and even in suits. The book is definitely a good read, and the translations are often quite funny as well.

K

[DougBlane]

http://www.basejumping.co.uk/base66

The above link has now been updated with the English edition of this book.

[tfelber]

I finished reading it Thursday on my way to the MoFo Boogie. It is interesting to read but I kept imagining it taking place a long time ago. Partially due to B&W photos and the car they used for their trip, but it appears the guy is only in his 40's and the dates were early/mid 80's. Their thoughts regarding BASE are very unique in comparison with today due to BASE being in it's infancy at the time. Can you imagine bringing some girls on a suburbia jump to distract the guards in today's world? Hell, they'd throw the girls in jail. They also jumped in some pretty bad conditions; high winds and rain, which I hear most people refrain from these days.

I know nothing of the three people other than what I read in the book, but it seems like BASE jumping was not a lifestyle for them. It was more of a means to an end, getting their BASE number. From my LIMITED exposure to BASE, the culture of BASE is much more of a lifestyle today, with many jumpers quitting skydiving all together to pursue it. Some have never even applied for their BASE numbers because that it not what it is about for them. From the book it sounds like these three men stopped BASE jumping after they had achieved their goal.

These guys went in search of the objects necessary for their numbers with a "Survived that one, what's next attitude". Today, the goal seems to be jump and live so you can jump again rather than viewing jumping as steps to get somewhere.

I would have liked to had a lot more details which would have enabled me to more clearly recreate the situations in my mind. As it was, I had to rely more on my imagination. The descriptive details would have enabled the author to create a broader, more engulfing context for the book. I'm not sure someone who doesn't skydive or perhaps have an interest in BASE jumping would find the book very enjoyable to read, but it's intended audience may be limited to jumpers.

The last chapter provided a good transition from then to now, even referencing very current events like Tom Aiello's article and Slim's incident. This makes me think it may have been added after the initial publication or maybe only for the English version

In summary the book was very interesting to read and sure makes me wish I had been involved with the sport while it was maturing. You compare the gear people were jumping 10-20 years ago to the BADA$$ stuff available today and you can't help but say "Those were/are some brave MoFo's". Now if we could just get the NPS to understand BASE is about jumping not violating landmarks or cheating death.

[Base 66]

Hi there,
Yes you are right. For us, back in 1983, it was really about making the four jumps to get our BASE numbers. Back then every jump was a huge adventure because we had no idea what and how to do it. (and what NOT do to). After having received our BASE numbers we continued jumping a bit. We went back to Kochertalbrucke for weekend trips. Bernard woke up one day, I was in Sweden, and took the elevator to the 56th floor and jumped the Montparnasse tower again. Basically it was an experience we undertook only for our own pleasure because nobody knew about it, we didn't have any sponsors, no professional camera men etc. In Sweden they talked about excluding me from the Swedish paratchute association and more... It was a thrilling time although very dangerous. Thanks for buying the book,
Jevto Dedijer

[leroydb]

I think this is the first time BASE 66 has been available in English. I've just ordered a copy. I'll try to post a review once I read it.

I am reading and will post my thoughts...