Hey everybody,
Didja notice how Dann Lee said in his invite: "We are now arranging with our advertising agency and we will be spending a huge amount to promote the event on television, radios and press."
In previous letters to jumpers, Dann claims he has spent "hundreds of thousands" and "millions" (depends on the paragraph) preparing for this event. Yet not one dime has gone to me, who put $5,000 and 1,000 hours into this, or to Hewitt or Walker or Weston or Halvorsen or Knutson or Overdijk or Kraft or Helliwell or Wainrib or any of the other staffers, consultants, team leaders and supporters of this event.
Not... one... dime.
Yet Dann Lee claims to have spent "hundreds of thousands" and "millions" and, now, "a huge amount" on everyone and everything else BUT the jumpers.
Think about that, everybody, and then draw your own conclusions about what this whuffo really thinks of BASE jumpers.
Secondly, Dann will not identify the "technical directors."
think ahout that too: What does it tell you about a BASE event (especially as high profile and cool as this is supposed to be) when the very people supposedly running it refuse to let themselves be identified? When was the last time any of you ever heard of a BASE jumper who didn't want to take credit for something as cool at this is SUPPOSED to be?
Ask Mr. Lee (dannlee@hotmail.com)why he refuses to identify those guys -- and ask those guys themselves: Why are you ashamed to have your names associated with this effort you're now putting together if it's such a great thing?
Interesting question, isn't it folks?
These things all go back to why I told Dann we had to pull the plug: There was no money for the jumpers, and no way to properly screen the jumpers in the time we had left after approval came in mid-May.
And one final thing on this point: Just think, everybody, about the "safety guidelines" (written by Johnny Weasel) that anyone foolish enough to go to this "world chUmpionships" will have to follow: for that $700 entry fee plus airfare, the suckers (I mean, jumpers) will get TWO JUMPS "under the supervision" of one of several unnamed, secret "technical directors" who can all decide on their own authority that you aren't good enough to continue jumping in the competition.
Great organizational setup, that is. Just imagine the chaos and dissension when one "technical director" tosses someone from the meet for being unsafe, while another "technical director" lets another guy stay in after performing exactly the same way.
Anybody with Organization 101 skills knows you gotta have ONE person make the final decisions on that sort of thing; In this case, that one person is a whuffo: Dann Lee.
You see, not only did he get rid of me a "chief technical director" for telling him the truth he didn't want to hear, HE ELIMINATED THE POSITION ENTIRELY.
NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OF THE JUMPERS.
Dann Lee ADMITS this in his very own "safety guidelines."
There is no organization and no way to appeal what will be a complete and utterly arbitrary selection process divvied up among several different "technical directors" who are afraid to say who they are!
What a great deal this sounds like, eh? Spend your $1000-$2000 and then have some guy who may or may not have more skill and experience than you tell you whether you get to make one or two jumps or 20.
THAT is why I am calling for everybody to please help me shut this thing down and REFUSE TO GO ALONG WITH THIS WHUFFO. It's too unorganized, it will be too unfair, and the bottom line is:
It's like Dann wants to go make a base jump, and his rig isn't packed but he's gonna jump anyway -- and take legal base jumping down the drain with him.
Really, folks, it's become a no-brainer. It was a no-brainer two months ago, but some people needed to learn more rather than take my word -- and the word of many highly experienced base jumpers and EVENT PROMOTERS who know you can't so something like this in three months.
Now it's becomin more and more obvious to everyone because, here we are, less than one month before the "big party at the hottest club in KL" (yes, jumpers, says Dann, please come four days early but please don't jump any of the three dozen 500-foot-plus-buildings in KL while you're cooling your heels after the big party), and Johnny Weasel is over in Europe trying to learn how to base jump a wingsuit and write the rules at the same time, rules which he has stolen from my development team in general structure but not in the key and vital DETAILS which keep everyone safe, happy and feeling fairly treated.
How about THAT? A world chUmpionships and no one knows what the rules are until they get there.
And no one is in charge.
And the guys who can decide whether you get to make two jumps or 20 for your $700 plus airfare won't even tell you who they are... heck, Dann won't even tell you what COUNTRIES they're from, much less what their names are. ("Technical directors are from a few places.") Ooh, THAT's informative.
And of course no one can take any pictures, still or video, except if they give it all Dann Lee without any compensation whatsoever.
Think about THAT, folks. My original plan called for everyone jumping a camera to be paid a flate fee in recognition of their professional expertise and the investment they've made in equipment and learning how to use it well.
Dann Lee, however, is DEMANDING that if you take video, YOU MUST GIVE IT TO HIM WITHOUT COMPENSATION OF ANY KIND.
Ask him about THAT, folks.
(extremeskydive2001@hotmail.com)
Or maybe just fax those questions to his big sister Jasmina 603-6250-0080.
You see, "come to Petronas for the world championships, jump the world's tallest building for only $700" all sounds really great -- until you get into the details -- and that's where the devil always is.
Anyone who wants to talk withme about this, write to me at robinheid@hotmail.com. I'll be happy to give you even more details of this-now sordid affair.
But I ask everyone again: Just think about all the HOLES there are in this project less than one month before it's supposed to start and then think about what happened in Yosemite both in 1980 with the "legal" program and in 1999 with Jan Davis.
As Dwain Weston says, "Preparation reduces risk."
What you are seeing coming out of Dann Lee and Johnny Weasel and all those unnamed "technical directors" is complete and utter lack of preparation.
And that means a dangerous increase in risks of all kinds.
Robin Heid
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