A real cool dude, long time parachutist, wrote this years ago. Can't wait till he hucks himself off his dream object :-)


BASE Jumping

By Ives Kent

Tulane University
Public Speaking November 1982

Thesis Statement:
To inform the audience of fixed object skydiving, and show the technical and social aspects behind such sport.

I Introduction:
Over the past twenty years, a new and controversial activity has blossomed out of the sport of skydivcing, called BASE, or fixed object jumping. A BASE jump is a controlled freefall delay off a fixed object such as cliff, bridge, building, or tower. Aircraft is no longer the jumpers only means of a lunch platform, thanks to the creative and innovative thinking of the skydiving community. Although emphasized as a brand new modern day sport, the first fixed object jump was actually recorded in 1912, when Rodman Law leaped from upraised arm of the Statue of Liberty and successfully deployed a parachute. Most BASE jumps are made from very low altitudes, due to mans structural limitations, and are therefore performed without a backup , reserve parachute. This is because if the the first parachute was to fail, there would not be enough time to deploy an emergency parachute. But jumps made with onl one canopy are nothing new to skydiving. In fact, over one million jumps were made between 1940 and 1960 by the Army's Airborne divisions, using only one parachute.

II Body
A. There are two important technical factors which contribute to the success of contemporary fixed object jumping.
1. First is the skydiver's mastery of the horizontal track position.
a. A horizontal track is the body position assumed by the jumper after he launches himself from the fixed object.

b. By throwing his arms behind his back, sticking his legs out, and pointing his toes, the skydiver can propel himself forward across the ground at speeds of up to 60mph horizontally.

c. In an 8-10 second freefall delay, the skydiver can get up to 500 feet of horizontal separation from the fixed object while tracking.

d. This horizontal spearation is key to the skydiver, so that he will not run into the wall of the fixed object. This is why the track is such a fundamental skill for the jumper.

2. The second factor making BASE jumping so successful is the recent development of the square parachute.
a. A square parachute can fly forward with speeds close to 35mph, and has a glide ration of 4 to 1 over a round parachute.

b. This is added insurance for the skydiver, so that he will not collide with the fixed obect's wall after opening his parachute.
B. There are many different types of fixed objects man has leaped off.
1. Perhaps the most famous of all BASE jump launch sites is El Capitan
a. El Capitan is a massive granite rock cliff, rising some 3,500 feet up from Yosemite National Park's valley floor.

b. It is the only sheer cliff of its size in the United States.

c. Hundreds of jumpers have successfully leaped off of El Cap, since the first jump was made back in 1966.

d. Lou Bottoms, the 18th skydiver to even leap off the great rock monolith described the experience as the greatest jump he ever made. “In freefall,” Lou said, “that rock is just whippin' by!”
2. The European equivelant to El Capitan is the Trollveggan, or Troll-Wall.
a. Troll-Wall rused 5,850 feet off of the Norwegian soil.
3. In Germany, jumpers find the 1,000 foot Drie Zinnen enough mountain to jump off of.

4. Skydivers have also found many man made structures to leap off. Bridges, towers, and skyscrapers all over the world have been conquered countless times.

a. Walk by the World Trade Center in New York City, and you'll find a giant sign illustrating a square parachute with a red circle around it, and a red slash through it. No Jumping Here!

C. There are many problems associated with BASE jumping, and they seem more social than technical. All base jumps in the United States are now made purely renegade.

1. Authorities do not want to bare the responsibility of BASE jumps.; They feel that bridges were made to transport people, buildings were made to shelter people, towers were made to suspend cable, and cliffs are there to look at.
2. That is why they have imposed strict regulations on BASE jumping, smothering it in yards of bureaucratic red type.
3. Jumping off of El Capitan was outlawed in September of 1981. Participating in such activity is a Federal offense, and the penalty is 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

III Conclusion
Fixed object jumping provides a whole new frontier within skydiving. Hopefully the authorities will see it not as a stunt, but a way for man to expand his relationship with his environment. Then it may become recognized as a new sport, complete with exhibitions and competitions. Ask a skydiver why he jumped off a building, and he'll tell you because it was there, and as man builds greater and greater structures, so too will he strengthen the desire, and open new realms for skydivers to express their art.

Bibliography
“Cliff Jumping Off El Capitan,” Parachutist, January, 1980, pp. 19-22

Jackson, Tom, “First BASE Jumper,” Skydiving, February, 1982, p. 35

Keech, Andy. Skies Call -2. London: Morrson and Gibb Ltd. 1979.

Keech, Andy. Skies Call -3. London: Libra Offset, Inc., 1981.

Ottley, William H., “El Capitan Closed by Park Service,” Parachutist, October, 1981, p. 9

Svec, Joe, “El Capitan: The Shortest Season,” Parachutist, December, 1981, pp. 37-40.

“Trollwall,” Parachutist, December, 1980, p. 45