BASE jumper at the DZ

[Faber]

I made this post at dropzone.com,i just copyed it to see what you guys mean.


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Any experience about beeing a BASE-jumper at a DZ?
I`ve just found out that im out in the cold.I have been a BASE jumper for aprox 5month,but have been quiet about it.Afther my accident 2 month ago,most of the DZ found out what im up to.Before that i were going to be a S/T-instructer and Tandem marster,but now they dont want me
I concider changing DZ,but will have to move out of my region(will have to travel 100km for jumping instead of 25km).
I think this so sad,i like my DZ.But will newer go futher in my Skydive carere if i dont move...

Thanks!!!
Stefan Faber

[FFC1]

Unfortunately there are many closed minded people at Drop Zones. BASE jumping and Skydiving compliment each other quite well. This is not to say any one should leap off a fixed object with a single parachute system. But I know several Skydiving Professionals that BASE jump regularily. They happen to be the better instructors.

Some questions I have for you Stefan.

Are these Same people that now think you are a lunatic, very good at Skydiving or are they just plain ole couch potatos that think strapping on a parachute is Radical?

Do they now consider you to be unsafe?

Are Hook turns banned at that DZ also?

If politics exist at the DZ that banish or frown upon things such as learning how to become proficient at body flight, or parachute flight (Advanced Freeflying, High performance canopy flight...you get the idea) then you may need to move on.

I don't know the relationship between you and the DZ owners and other instructors, but I truly hope you can work it out. You are not pushing BASE jumping on any one. You are there to teach and promote safe skydiving. Lets hope they can understand that and keep a good person around.

Good Luck

[motherhucker]

>But will newer
>go futher in my Skydive carere if i dont move...

Stefan;
My advice to you is to not make a career out of skydiving. You're better off doing something you'll make more $$ to travel, without the stingy DZO's and chitty benefits. Plus, you'll have your knees, etc. to destroy HUCKING carcass instead of HAULING carcasses. If you do move, do it to be closer to the good OBJECTS, not DZ's. Skydiving is for practicing. BASE is where it's at. Anyone?

[Dapper Snapper]

Black mail the weazel. Follow them around for a couple days (if you don't allready have some good dirt to use against them). And then give them an opportunity to hire you back. If they don't, then have some fun and even the score.

[Faber]

Are these Same people that now think you are a lunatic, very good at Skydiving or are they just plain ole couch potatos that think strapping on a parachute is Radical?

I does belive that they still belive that im good at skydiving,but they are of the old school,they intruduced skydive in Denmark.They like it the old way.

Do they now consider you to be unsafe?

Yes they conisder me a bit as a "bandit",we (the others dont have problems,only i BASE in this region)took Freeflying to the DZ.We also intruduced smaller canopies than a Sabre 170.I flies a Crossfire 99 at the time.we couldnt hook before we had hot visitors who hooked.All this change has been whith in 3 years.

In DFU(Danish parachuting org.)there are some instructers who also are BASEjumpers.But i do belive that they first went instructer..

Dont worry,i think my new rig soon will be one the way,rigth Flynylon..

[d-dog]

Our local DZ used to have a bit of a reputation for being BASE-unfriendly. I'm not sure how true that actually was, but when I turned up there to learn how to jump it was not very kosher to blurt out that "I want to learn how to skydive so I can move on to BASE."

In time, things have turned and it's a pretty BASE friendly place nowadays. I'm not sure why this happened, or how it happened; I'd suspect it was a multitude of factors. In any event, it is now a pretty fun place to hang out for the local BASE folks, which is pretty cool.

As an aside, I had a reputation at our DZ as a particularly reckless BASE jumper for a while. Rumors flew that I had broken one leg, broken both legs, was dead, etc. When I actually showed up to do some jumping from airplanes, and wasn't as badly broken up as rumor had it, things calmed down a bit for me. Rumors get a life of their own; there is not any way to kill them outright, but being good-humored about them and not taking them personally is probably the best way to de-fang them. Then again, they still think I'm reckless so perhaps that strategy isn't working so well!

I don't have much advice for you. If pressed, I'd recommend that you try not to be shy or embarassed about your BASE activities. While it is not necessary, perhaps, to shout out your BASE god status to the whole world (there are some DZs where people bring in BASE videos to impress the sky gods and prove how much cooler BASE is - this seems a bad idea), it also is not necessary to hide.

If your DZ, despite your humble but honest approach to BASE, still doesn't want you there, then leave. Life is too short to be someplace where folks don't like you.

Peace,

D-d0g
ddog@wrinko.com
www.wrinko.com

[Faber]

Rumors flew that I had broken one leg, broken both legs, was dead, etc. When I actually showed up to do some jumping from airplanes, and wasn't as badly broken up as rumor had it, things calmed down a bit for me.

Sorry to tell.. The rumors of me were rigth.I did brook my leg bad(2month ago and still no sign of growing together),maybe thats why they dont like me.
I does belive that its a "normal DZ",pepole like see BASE,they also went happy while they saw some of mine.But its like they just stopped and now you cant even see a Skydive video,where there migth are a BASE in..Just freaked out..

Think they just gonna have themself,Ill keep Jump "my " Object.Then ill visit them to practice/update myself..

Thanks
Stefan Faber

[zennie]

The cynical side of me wonders if the hostility at some DZs may be due to the fact that you don't have to pay them, or anyone else (besides equipment manufacturers), money to BASE jump.