just want to be free

[Rowski]

hey guys my name's Rowena (Row) and i'm new to this site. i'm not sure where to start, other than to ask if it's possible to have a burning desire to do something that you've never done before? i live in Australia and the closest i've ever come is when i did my first skydive in New Zealand in Jan of this year. i'm saving up at the moment to go back to NZ and do a diploma in skydiving to get me started. i was wondering if any BASE jumpers out there could describe the feeling (if it's possible to put adequate words on it!) i've been watching some of Jeb's video's and all i can say is that it looks totally incredible i don't mean to get too deep but i've hit a point in my life at the moment that i need to escape and i think that doing something as extreme and mind focused as i'm sure BASE is, is just what i'm looking for. (not to make it sound as though i'm doing it for a quick fix coz i'm aware it will take a lot of time and dedication and $$$ etc). i'm looking for a bit of feedback. i feel pretty lonely harbouring these thoughts at the moment so if anyone could share with me that would be awesome cheers, Row

[matt266]

congratulations on your first jump. Get more skydives in and have a look at the Australian Base Board (www.basejump.org). As for describing BASE jumps I have to say that you'll never understand till you do it. I always wanted to BASE jump even before I started skydiving so I can relate. Keep at it. Who knows? maybe we'll share an exit point in a few years time! good luck

[Rowski]

hi Matt. thanks for your reply so why did u want to BASE jump b4 u ever skydived? and how long have you been BASE jumping?

[matt266]

I watched a video on it when i was a young and impressionable school boy! I didn't know it at the time but it was to have a profound effect on my life (and bank balance). I told my school friends I'd do it one day and they were all, "yeah yeah" about it. 11 years later, I made my first jump at the potato bridge with Basic Research (now Apex BASE). That was only last Summer so I'm still relatively new in the journey myself but jumping regularly now and loving it. I guess my point is that if you want it enough you'll make it happen.

[Rowski]

congratulations on following what was in your heart, as cliche as that sounds i think very few ppl do that which is sad. so i'm guessing you did a skydiving course with BASE in mind? i'm saving up at the moment to do a full-time 8 month course in NZ which will train me to go straight out and get a job with all the necessary qualifications, but i'm wondering how you did it and how any other ppl u know did it? i guess some ppl would get their A licence and so on which would only cost a few hundred bucks (or pounds, whatever) so what would you recommend?
also, does skydiving training prepare you sufficiently to feel confident and safe when doing your first BASE jump? as i picture it now, standing on a bridge with my toes over the edge, it's exhillerating but bloody scarey too!

[matt266]

The way I did it wasn't ideal and I wouldn't recommend it. I started freeflying straight after AFF and bought a skydiving canopy with completely different characteristics to a BASE canopy. The only thing i did right was to take a course with a manufacturer. I trusted the instuctor implicitly which made me totally confident in my first jump. That's not to say I wasn't scared though, and subsequent jumps have proved scarier in contrast to skydiving where it subsided with experience! I'm reluctant to give you specific advice at this early stage in my BASE jumping career other than pointing you to Toms 'Getting into BASE' article. (http://www.blincmagazine.com/cms/article_283.shtml)

[Rowski]

hey Matt. thanks for the link. it was really helpful and gave me a few more things to think about. i read some guys diary entries (or log book, whatever) which he posted on the forum and he also said in it that subsequent jumps were scarier than the first. why is that??? well, i think i might throw in my psyc degree and life in a "proper" job altogether and just be a skydiver/BASE jumper when are you jumping next?

[matt266]

For me, the reason skydiving became less scary with experience was because I gradually began to fully understand what could go wrong and what I could do about it. For the same reasons BASE jumping gets scarier. Not that I'm saying skydiving is safe because it's not, but compared to BASE you at least have a little time to think things through when things go wrong and ultimately you have a plan B. In BASE things happen much quicker. If you have a 180 off heading on a slider down jump in low winds you're going to be closing terrifyingly fast on whatever you've just jumped off. There's no time to think, and your instinct will determine the rest of your life. It's a huge responsibility. You're the jumper, the DZO, the S&TA and the rigger all at once and if you make even a tiny mistake in any of these fields you're in deep deep trouble. Having said that, my next jump will be as soon as the wind faces the right direction!

[Gus937]

i read some guys diary entries (or log book, whatever) which he posted on the forum and he also said in it that subsequent jumps were scarier than the first. why is that???

Because as you climb over the rail for jump #1 you are afraid of things going wrong, but 'wrong' is a fairly abstract, ill-defined concept. As you climb over the rail for jump #100 you are afraid of unstable exits, fumbled pulls, pilot chute hesitations, off-heading openings, object strikes, bad landings, injuries, death (etc) all of which have gradually become very well defined concepts - because you've experienced them (directly or indirectly) in the last 100 jumps. That's how my feeble brain works anyway.

Gus

[Rowski]

hello Gus, i've just realized that it was your BASE diary i was reading and your video i watched too it was awesome to read/watch what you've been up to and it has inspired me to continue on with my plans to BASE jump and thanks too Matt, both of your responses made sense. so what you're saying is the more experienced you become the more you are able to fully appreciate the dangers and the many things that can go wrong, compared to when you are new you don't have such solid understanding and you are also lacking in bad experiences resulting from one or more of the things that went "wrong." i hope the wind blows the right way for you soon Matt! cheers.

[fastpete]

first time when i see someone is going into base "healthy" way......shi..t....someone listens somebody...keep it going babe....

thats just great....whohaaa..