Big Wall certification

[space]

This is what the sport needs, I (we) need evaluators to train persons in the skills they need for Big walls. So, I will designate worldwide, evaluator/instructors to affirm a jumper´s education and exp. The plus is that I (we) have the possibilities to keep open places like Kjerag and Brento....If no one wishes to participate, I will do this alone. You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? are you willing?Because Some mofo´s got around my system and died ,I´m very pissed.
If I have any input on big popular walls, it is that you must be invited by the powers that be. Get together and let us decide who, or do nothing and I will take control and decide who and how. The chance is here.Our sport´s future is at stake. all (potential)evaluators please email me and I will give you the syllabus for training skydivers for big wall jumps. to give them the skills they need. I could use input, but I will do it alone if I have no help. The future is in my and your hands. If you wanna be political and speak and do nothing, I´m gonna walk right over you. It is a time for doing! talking is finished.
E me.
space out

[imported_mknutson]

Space, I am very much behind this except, it needs to be more than just Big Walls. There needs to be lower altitude issues addressed as well. This will help such a system to work worldwide, not just in Brento/Kjerag.

What ever help you need, please let me know!
--
Thanks

Mick Knutson
BLiNC Magazine

"Everything you ever wanted to know about BASE Jumping, but didn't know who to ask."
--

[space]

Mick you are so correct. One can be trained for lower alts on a big wall. Big walls are the subject of viability legality. aka future of our sport.

I train my students for the skills they need for lower jumps on a big wall, Adam F. has a point about sites for students. but my course has not produced any heli rescues ever (300+ first-timers) . and my course had 35 perfect nonrotational exits in a row. the only mistakes were from experienced jumpers who disreguarded info) or ones who tried to avoid taking instruction from the most experienced instructors in the world. so call me a jerk, I am the worlds most experienced ground crew and all and every accident that I have witnessed is summed up as a loss of priorties. Do we let it be a negative? or do we use it as a positive. Learn or Burn.
So many wish to talk, but no-one wishes to do. but you Mick have made a diff. and I salute you for this.
later bro.

space

[Joy]

Tr. I can only add my flavorite (I did that on porpouise????)saying, (PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!!!). I have seen it make a difference. R&J

[guest]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but I want all the guys in favour of regulating the sport to put their hands up if they would have paid attention to the proposed controls when they started base jumping. I know we all appreciate the advances in the technology and knowledge but what about the core issue here. We leave the DZ for a freedom you can't get anywhere else. I for one am responsible enough to stay clear of advanced sites while I learn, however this sport does attract a certain kind of person and controlling these people is not a case of saying these are the rules and you'd better stick by them. one of the primary things to me in base is defying the rules, the rules of general boring society that is, i.e. your mad to jump off a cliff, bridge, etc. A lot of other base jumpers will not be held by rules and we all know it, all the rules will cause is rows.

Please no flames. Mick, Space all you guys with a lot of jumps and experience be honest and think back to your attitude when you started, post these thoughts as freely as you post the kind of posts which encourage experienced jumpers to become tight with their knowledge. By now with a lot of experience behind you it is easy to be wise but were you always!

[imported_mknutson]

First, why the hell don't you put your name on the posting?

Second, this freedom ##### is a bunch of crap!
I started jumping because I loved the feeling of low altitude freefalling. I love BASE jumping. I did not get into this sport to be a law-breaker. But my love for the sport does take me to those areas. You speak of freedom as though jumping from a cliff alone will do that.
THINK AGAIN! Freedom is something you achieve from understanding yourself. Freedom is not something youachieve by jumping for any reason other than for yourself.

The sport is becoming much more accessible and acceptible than it was 10 years ago. So now, there are a bunch of self rightious jumpers with no clue as to worldly concerns that get a kick out of stroking their ego.

Look, there are too many people to ever think that NO regulation is the way of the sport! There are rules to every sport and BASE-jumping must have self-regulations. This is what keeps the other people in society, that aren't as self confident as BASE-jumpers, passified with our actions. This is also how we will embed a firm understanding of the sport into new commers and reduce the death/injury count.

Without self regulation, people like you are going to teach every idiot that can spell "BASE", and the injury count against the whole sport is going to rise dramatically. That looks bad on you and everyone else, as well.
That makes LEGAL site ILLEGAL.
That makes NOT-SO-LEGAL site much more gaurded and/or the penalties much higher. So when you have no place to jump LEGALLY, and then you get caught jumping an ILLEGAL site, you will have to sell everything you own just to pay the fines. That iis pretty damn rightious!

I know I keep ranting about the same thing over and over again, but with dumbasses out there thinking you are so FREE and almightly, it really makes me sick! YOU DON'T EVEN GET THE REAL MEANING OF BASE-JUMPING!

BASE-Jumping is about self understanding, self control, and self enjoyment.

NOT: running from police, alianating society, and boasting your actions to the society you have just alianated.


--
Thanks

Mick Knutson
BLiNC Magazine

"Everything you ever wanted to know about BASE Jumping, but didn't know who to ask."
--

[guest]

Mick,

What people get out of base jumping is their own business, I think it's very arrogant to have anyone tell anyone else the kind of crap you posted in response to my posting. Freedom is having the right to express oneself as one see's fit, it certainly doesn't come in the guise of you shooting your mouth off saying "you're wrong wrong wrong and I'm right right right, wa wa wa".

I jump for my own reasons and like them or not they are my reasons. I certainly don't stroke my own ego, I don't even have one video of a jump.

I do believe that in order to preserve and develop the sport that self regulation is needed to some extent. My point was that the people with the relevant experience should sit back and remember their mindset when they first began base jumping in order to come up with regulation that current newcomers will relate to.

Regarding why I don't post my name. The hasty reponses on this board discourage me from doing so.

Now for the second time try to remember when you first started. I just wanted to see your perspective and how it changes. I sure know that my perspective towards skydiving has changed dramatically over the past few years.

You only have to sit in the lobby of the hotel in Oak Hill to see the various kinds of base jumpers to understand that your attitude (which I fully respect) is in stark contrast to the Macho base jumpers, solitary base jumpers, etc. As in all spheres of life base jumpers vary greatly and if one base jumper decides he wants to stroke his own ego then stick to your philosophy of freedom and say that's their choice although it certainly isn't yours.


Chill out man!

[guest]

Dude, you are out of control! Since when was freedom crap?

[guest]

I'm not against freedom I'm against anyone imposing their views upon me. I jump for the thrill of defying the laws of a boring job etc, Mick jumps 'cause he loves low freefall, well good for him and if you believe in freedom well good for me,

Over and out

[guest]

My post was directed at Mick.

[imported_mknutson]

Freedom is not CRAP! it is how you view what freedom actually is, that is crap.
Leaving a drop zone does not give you freedom.
Jumping itself may give you a freedom that you like, and that is great. Just like you stated above, you need to jump for yourself.

The BIG problem is when your action actually disrupt many other people in their search for freedom within base jumping.

Most people can't afford to go to jail for 3 months. They can't afford a $2,000.00 fine. They can't afford to take off work for 1 1/2 months to travel all over the world in search of legal jumps to avoid the above.

My posting was directed to everyone so that you may look at everyone next to you. Not just yourself. Being selfish is very easy. Sacrificing things for your friends and fellow sportsman, is NOT! But it is needed in order to NOT loose the few legal sites we DO have.

I knew when I posted the last posting, I would get flamed, but I am willing to sacrifice being flamed in order to get everyone to talk about issues concerning the things that really need to happen globally.


--
Thanks

Mick Knutson
BLiNC Magazine

"Everything you ever wanted to know about BASE Jumping, but didn't know who to ask."
--

[guest]

Mick,

you speak with an air of authority about base jumping with the arrogant slogan "everything you needed to know about base jumping but didn't know who to ask"

Can you please outline your experience in jumping that gives you this authority, and explain what consitiutes a qualified base jumper in terms of having the right to set new rules.

I agree that with so many global travellers and the few legal sites at risk because of some of these careless travellers that some self regulation rather than outside regulation needs to be done.But if you guys feel you are part of an elite group that want to make some rules I think that you need to explain why you are this person.

Your response would be appreciated.

As for us down under the illegality of it continues to remain a nuisance and threat to the finances, but by no means keeps jump numbers down.

Geoff

>Space, I am very much behind
>this except, it needs to
>be more than just Big
>Walls. There needs to be
>lower altitude issues addressed as
>well. This will help such
>a system to work worldwide,
>not just in Brento/Kjerag.
>
>What ever help you need, please
>let me know!
>--
>Thanks
>
>Mick Knutson
>BLiNC Magazine
>
>"Everything you ever wanted to know
>about BASE Jumping, but didn't
>know who to ask."
>--

[guest]

BASE jumping is an activity - not a sport. It won't be a sport until it has a set of rules that defines it and the act of participation does not involve breaking the law.

Think about it. From the perspective of the authorities, what we do do now has disorganized and illegitimate written all over it.

Organization, self-manegement and professional representation are the only path that BASE can follow if it is not to be curtailed by the powers that be.

[guest]

BASE will never be a "sport" because Buildings, Antenna, and Spans (all but one) will always be illegal, PERIOD. Some cliffs could possibly become legal but not with the BASE flag being waved, because 3/4 of BASE represents illegal activites. It seems that only CJAA has figured this out.

[guest]

I disagree. I have seen, either in person or on video, legal jumps from Buildings (yes, buildings--get out of the U.S. and you might too), Spans (I can think of two bridges in the U.S. that I have jumped legally) and Earth (lots of cliffs, in the U.S., even). If these things are legal now, what makes you think they will "always be illegal, PERIOD"?

I don't know of any legal Antenna jumps, but that doesn't mean they are impossible. (Anyone else know of any?)

I don't think we should give up on legal status for any of the objects. We do need a place to start, and I do think that cliffs are the appropriate starting place--but that doesn't mean we should give up on other objects.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu