Adrenaline

Stupid!

this is why we need HillaryCare. So we ALL can pay for these idiots' broken bones.

Excellent!!

I would like to try it some day.

Sam (57 year old retired quality manager)

This should be legal year-round, but ONLY if the people jumping have no expectation of being scraped off the rocks if they screw up and need to call 911 on any of the other 364 days a year.

I could not care less if these people injure or kill themselves doing this, but I have a significant problem if they expect public safety resources to be diverted for the consequences of their stupidity. In my mind, that includes the attention of ER doctors, who may be called to choose between treating someone injured in a legitimate accident and choosing someone who has gone and splattered themselves under a bridge for fun.

Only those individuals who appreciate the challenge, the adrenalin rush, and the personal satisfaction of achievement probably are the best who understand these base jumpers. There is a risk to almost everything these days, from playing competitive football to riding a motorcycle. Thankfully, not everything is outlawed in the name of "safety"---otherwise we would be prohibiting automobile drivers from talking on their cell phones as they drive.

I think that people should have the right to engage in risky behavior (motorcycles, hang-gliding, drug taking, unprotected sex...) but they shouldn't expect the public to pay for their miscalculations.

The New River Gorge and surroundings a beautiful natural sight. It is sad such beauty is dispoiled by thrill seekers.

Sheffer Clark

I go every year to watch....i think its neat, but not for me.

As a jumper who neither smokes nor drinks and eats healthy foods and rarely drives at night, I'll say this. Fair enough, I'll pay my own medical. But I refuse to pay for your short and long term health effects from bad eating habits, cigarette smoking or results of consumiong alcohol, drugs or any injuries from any of these things. Also couch potatoes pay your own way at the doctor cause you were too lazy to do anything more strenuous than clicking the remote to watch Oprah as you suckle bon-bons. Fair Enough?

For those concerned with the diversion of resources from "legitimate" accidents, consider this. Bridge Day draws 165,000 spectators. These spectators stay in hotels, eat at local establishments, pay highway tolls to use RT 19. The revenue from tolls, state tax must in some way offset the above described, unvalidated assumption that state ER professionals will forgo treatment of those not injured by Bridgeday activities? Think about it.

ZR-Ohio

There doesn't seem to be much challenge or achievement in this. You just jump and pull the chute.

That's like being proud you can switch the channel on the TV.

It might be a good rush, but don't pretend it's an accomplishment or requires skill. There are real challenges and achievements in life that take far greater effort and provide lasting reward instead of always seeking a quick rush from risk.

There doesn't seem to be much challenge or achievement in this. You just jump and pull the chute.

That's like being proud you can switch the channel on the TV.

It might be a good rush, but don't pretend it's an accomplishment or requires skill. There are real challenges and achievements in life that take far greater effort and provide lasting reward instead of always seeking a quick rush from risk.

===================================
What a sad-sack, bet you're a big hit at parties, killjoy.
Make a few jumps and then comment on it from a position of knowledge.

If I was younger, I would love to try BASE jumping.

Okay, I am an ex-parachuter. Also an expert skier. There are 1000 to 2000 better expert skiers in the world, maybe 10K who are better.

Skiing, or any number of other sports, require much more skill, experience and training than this.

BASE requires massive balls to get you over the hump and into thin air, but after that, you just have to remember to release your chute.

The only thing easier is bungee jumping, where once airborn, you do nothing but bounce.

Like the fat slob who has to rip open the bag of bon-bons, not alot of training involved.

But will 165,000 people come to your living room to see you rip into your bag of bon-bons?

I think this is great. Crazy, but great.

I also think that besides the legal waivers, they shouldn't be getting a dime of health insurance or public health money for this. (Ambulance service, ok, since the county is raking in the bucks by doing it once a year. Once you get to the ER, nope - empty the brokerage account.)

Jump off a bridge with a 10% mortality rate - fine and cool, just make sure that you can pay for your own mess.

"Legitimate accidents."

"You just jump and pull the chute."

"Beauty despoiled by thrill seekers."

I have five jumps off that bridge, and they were, collectively, the most empowering moments of my life. I knew then that I could do anything I chose to do.

No one says you have to make a jump, but I'm hard put to understand why you would disparage those who do. Then again, the immature tend to downgrade what they cannot themselves do, because to do otherwise would force them to face their own inadequacies.

Okay, I am an ex-parachuter. Also an expert skier. There are 1000 to 2000 better expert skiers in the world, maybe 10K who are better.

Skiing, or any number of other sports, require much more skill, experience and training than this.

BASE requires massive balls to get you over the hump and into thin air, but after that, you just have to remember to release your chute.

The only thing easier is bungee jumping, where once airborn, you do nothing but bounce.

Like the fat slob who has to rip open the bag of bon-bons, not alot of training involved.

But will 165,000 people come to your living room to see you rip into your bag of bon-bons
======================================
WOW!!! I am an 18 year active snowboarder I never realized it made me an expert on BASE jumping, how cool, I never realized it worked that way. I better check, it may make me an expert on other subjects such as nuclear engineering, way cool. Hey Three Mile Island should have never been built. Cool I know way more than I thought. Skiing-what skill, gravity does all the work all you have to do is stand on a plank and remember to get on the lift--see no skill there and I can eat bon-bons on the lift and while gravity pulls me down the hill schuss, schuss, I'm an expert. I'm an expert. I can pass any judgements I want yeeehaaa!!!

Ah, American democracy in action about BASE and individualism. Gotta' love enthusiastic debate. Personally, I can't imagine jumping off a bridge or anything equally dramatic in part due to age (57) and severe leg injuries in an accident. Why I add my comment here is that I think people who do this are a bit like our American pioneers who kept wondering "I wonder what's beyond the next hill" and kept on going. We are a society so addicted to being fearful of adventure that I sometimes wonder how we ever made it to the Pacific. Keep on jumping, I say.

"Skiing, or any number of other sports, require much more skill, experience and training than this."

And you know this, because...?

It's as I said before, those who disparage...

I'd do it at night.

bbjets

Hey, can we get Billary Clinton to give this a try?

I agree with the others, this gravity sport things is for wimps. You want a sport with max exposure, that requires skill, balls, experience and strength, then try climbing up El Capitan.

Otherwise, stick to your wimpy snowboarding (hey, like dude, gnarly fakey), skiing or skydiving/BASE terminal velocity, gravity-does-all-the-work crap.

Or you can try and defy gravity.

"I agree with the others, this gravity sport things is for wimps. You want a sport with max exposure, that requires skill, balls, experience and strength, then try climbing up El Capitan.

Otherwise, stick to your wimpy snowboarding (hey, like dude, gnarly fakey), skiing or skydiving/BASE terminal velocity, gravity-does-all-the-work crap.

Or you can try and defy gravity."

Yes yes we all know. Your wing-wang is like. almost an inch long.

I'm sorry people who do stuff like this make you feel so insecure.

Perhaps a foreign sportscar with a convertable top might help.

A responsible person does not do this.
Your life (potentially) ends in a selfish attempt to satisfy your need to feel important. You have shown that you in no way care to help your parents or children through this life and are only concerned with your own hapiness. I see you as a quitter who has given up on the hard things in life that take years to accomplish.
Base jumping is easier than completing your life.

Your accidental death will not be mourned in my house and your exit from the gene pool will be on youtube and then forgotten.
way to go.

For those who say this sport costs for services - apparently they generation 1 million in revenue for 6 hours of fun. I do question things like Bungee Jumping as a sport, but these people seem to all be experienced sky divers. By allowing for some sanctioned events, we are much more likely to achieve an economic balance if thats what you want.

As for blaming them about what kids see, well, don;t take your kids to such an event. What I don't understand is why many of them don't seem to have packed their own chute. Or done a buddy system packing each other's chute knowing full well they might be responsible for their friend's death.

Extreme athletes, improving the gene pool one fatality at a time! Yay for the rest of us....

I think it's a great test of courage. People compare difficult choices in changes of life to "jumping off a cliff," like a confirmed bachelor getting married, or moving out of the country for the first time, or leaving a bad marriage after 20 years. This is just taking the metaphor literally. The only difference is it only takes 88 seconds to find out if you'll survive intact. I've gotten married, left a bad marriage, and moved out of the country, but I don't have the guts to do this. Congratulations to all the jumpers, and all the landers.

Okay Haters, I am going to inject some logic into your debate. (always a risk in an internet debate cause when you are hiding behind a keyboard you can always spew and leave when the going gets logical)
I am a 50 year old male jumper I am 5' 10" tall and weigh 155 pounds.

Following your logic I can say I am no longer willing to fund any of the Billions with a B that this country spends on obesity related health issues. I am not an overeater so why shold I fund their death wish? I mean nobody held a gun to these folks heads and forced them to shovel all that food down their pie hole so why should I be left holding the money bag for them?

They are obviously quitting on life and care nothing for showing their family or children through life, they are quitters for giving in to their own selfish desires for more cake and pudding right? No responsible person would acheive obesity and also foist it on their offspring-right? They have given up on the hard things in life like diet and exercise just for a short term sugar rush. It is easier to just keep on eating than to complete their natural lifespan. Unfortunately these folks usually make a long drawn out and costly exit from the good ole gene pool.

So rather than spew about the lets say $7,000 The Park Service might spend, as you so eloquently put it "Scraping me off the rocks" lets concentrate on something statistically signifigant. They are not hiring extra rangers for this, they get their salary year after year whether I bounce or not. Name me an expensive BASE rescue/body retrieval that you personally know about this year in the USA. There are hundreds of me but millions of obese people in this country so inject some logic into your cost benefit analysis and go after something statistically signifigant like smoking, drinking,drug use, overeating, all those self inflicted causes of death , you know, try using logic, who knows it just might work!
I jump to celebrate life not to escape it.
Blue Skies!

"Haters", huh?

brother!

Can't think of any other motive for your critics' criticisms?

reminds of something. Oh, yeah---Americans' silly nonsense.

"I agree with the others, this gravity sport things is for wimps. You want a sport with max exposure, that requires skill, balls, experience and strength, then try climbing up El Capitan.
================================
Lynn Hill did El Cap in a day and I have it on good authority from her husband she is completely ball less.

I'm never surprised by the hateful, misinformed replies to BASE jumping stories. I guess most people fear what they do not know. Unfortunately, you only know what the trusted "media" tells you about BASE jumping. Maybe the naysayers should get off the couch and make a skydive or two.....perhaps climb a mountain, scuba dive, or simply ride their bike to work one day.

As for who pays the medical expenses of injured jumpers - THE JUMPERS DO! I have medical insurance and I'm sure most BASE jumpers do as well. So put down your cigarette/beer/twinkie and quit forcing BASE jumpers to pay for your triple bypass.

Now, since I'm the BASE jumping organizer of Bridge Day and I tried to help the writer of this story, I feel compelled to correct several inaccuracies. The writer wouldn't let me fact check his story, so he'll have to answer to the following:

-A jump pass was $79, not $75 (little inaccuracies like this allow me to understand the lack of effort put into the entire story)
-There were 155,000 spectators, not 165,000 (per the Bridge Day Commission).
-The writer listed "115 jumping fatalities" in several locations, but only mentioned those fatalities were over a period of 27 years around the ENTIRE WORLD in a small sidebar.
-Please tell me exactly where BASE jumping is illegal? Can the writer cite any specific laws, other than those in a National Park where, ironically, Bridge Day is held? BASE jumping isn't illegal, trespassing usually is though.
-In 15 years of jumping, I've never seen a reporter describe how your "ribs would pierce your internal organs" if you failed to pull your parachute. Absolutely ridiculous and overly morbid.
-There is no "brick wall" where jumpers read the waiver into our video cameras.
-Tom Aiello didn't "wheel a giant big screen TV" in the room. Another organizer and I CARRIED it into the room.
-I would NEVER have said "We only harm ourselves". Sounds like the writer jotted a few words down and made up sentences for me?
-We've "failed in our push for more legal BASE jumping events"? WRONG. There have been new legal events and sites opened up every year and I discussed this in detail over the phone with the writer.
-The writer wrote that I "once landed an illegal jump himself, only to be chased by park rangers". COMPLETELY FALSE. I have NEVER been "chased" by a ranger. The writer made this part up (retraction please?)
-Our jump platform is not 10' high as stated. It's 10' WIDE and about 8' tall.
-The story is overly morbid and in no way represents a typical BASE jumper or BASE jumping event.

There will always be people who cannot understand why we BASE jump. Personally, I don't understand why people take a huge risk turkey hunting in full camouflage, riding motorcycles in heavy traffic, or smoking cigarettes and drinking all day. To each his own. But deep down inside, you're envious that BASE jumpers are doing the things you can only dream of. Perhaps a trip to Bridge Day 2008 in Fayetteville, West Virginia on October 18, 2008 will enlighten you? See you there....

Lynn Hill did ElCap in a day? That is great!! Wonderful!!!

I have heard of parapalegic mountain climbers who climbed Mt. Hood and McKinley under their own arm power, and even a blind climber who took many days (following the sound of little bell) climbing Everest.

But it is nothing compared to jumping off a bridge with a 'chute. That would take more strength, experience and guts than all of the above combined. Or maybe just a couple dozen seconds of gravity, and the strength it takes to release the chute. Whatever.

"But deep down inside, you're envious that BASE jumpers are doing the things you can only dream of."
-------------

That would be correct if all of your critics above actually did nothing but sit on their fat asses all day. But I suspect that many of your critics above actually are involved in competitive sports, extreme sports, endurance sports, team sports, etc. Yours is not a sport at all, but just an adventure.

Go enjoy your fun activity. But don't slam your critics just because you get criticized.

And, please, your petty little quibbles regarding the writer are incredibly lame. Of course the writer is going to mess up on some of the unimportant details. That is what writers do.

That would be correct if all of your critics above actually did nothing but sit on their fat asses all day. But I suspect that many of your critics above actually are involved in competitive sports, extreme sports, endurance sports, team sports, etc. Yours is not a sport at all, but just an adventure.

Go enjoy your fun activity. But don't slam your critics just because you get criticized.

And, please, your petty little quibbles regarding the writer are incredibly lame. Of course the writer is going to mess up on some of the unimportant details. That is what writers do
======================================
Who is slamming critics? are there deleted posts? I don't see any slams--- just resonable responses. As someone in the sport I can tell you the article was highly sensationalized with many glaring inaccuracies. The writers are trying to respond with reason and facts. And suddenly from reading this you know that the critics possess all these amazing skills-your amazing skill must be clairvoyance. You sound like a major whuffo to me (ask one of your amazing athlete buddies, they'll fill you in on why we call people like you whuffos.)Most of us involved in a so called "extreme sport" ( I am involved in five myself--how bout you?) get used to this treament by the press and the fence sitters and the nabobs of negatism. I prefer doers to critics. Thats just me I understand crows and vultures have their place in the natural world.

I am also a current national champion in a major competitive sport and I recognize the legitimacy of BASE as a sport. You would do well to do some investigative work before knee-jerking the old keyboard.
Have a good one.
"There is none so blind as he who will not see."
Blue Skies,
BST

But it is nothing compared to jumping off a bridge with a 'chute. That would take more strength, experience and guts than all of the above combined. Or maybe just a couple dozen seconds of gravity, and the strength it takes to release the chute. Whatever.
=======================================
Fascinating, so far you are the only one here to make that claim. I think you are wrong, go back under you bridge Troll!

Jumping off a bridge with a parachute is considered an extreme sport? An adrenaline rush? Man, middle aged white people with disposable income are pretty lame.

There's no adrenaline rush knowing you have something that's going to get you to the ground safely. Why don't they play Russian Roulette with a bunch of real chutes and a "dummy" one. I can bet the rush would be much greater then.

Or better yet, why don't we stick to the REAL extreme sports. Do you REALLY want your heart racing and the adrenaline pumping?

Try having unprotected sex with a prostitute.

Engage in some needle sharing with a heroin junkie in West Baltimore.

Snitch on the mob.

Drive drunk.

All things that require real risks in this world. None of this safety first crap. Take a real risk sometime.

I am not a BASE jumper (although I bungee jumped twice years ago) and I never will be. However, I have no problem with others pursuing this activity. Some of the negative comments on this site are astounding with their bile and vitriol. "Dispoiling (sic) nature"--heck, it's only six hours a year and plenty of other activities people do are much harder on nature. As far as the government picking up the tab, our government picks up the tab for countless types of behavior which people could have prevented or avoided. BASE jumpers are a tiny fraction of the injuries/deaths with which our health care system must cope. To the nay-sayers, get over it! There are so many worse things about which to get riled.

Wow.

Base jumpers showed guts before this article was written, and they will after as well as any other sport, activity, adventure enthusiast who puts out. I think it is better to pursue a life of excitement than one of safety, comfort, and complacency.

Keep on keepin' on!

I've never BASE jumped and probably never will, but the small-minded comments of those who disagree with the notion of BASE jumping reminds of the things people say when I tell them that I play rugby. I feel some kinship with y'all; those who don't do the things we do for fun can't really understand the attraction and the visceral thrill of not just succeeding in a BASE jump attempt or winning a game, but merely living to do it one more time.

Adventure sports provide a rush that certain group of people like. Its not for everybody and no one involved is imposing it on anyone else. As a rock climber (even climbing at the New River Gorge), I can identify with the BASE jumpers.

If people want to jump off the NRG bridge, let them jump. The adventure seekers are well aware of the risks so let them deal with the consequences.

THESE people are SICK,...in their own human DEAD-Zone. They are just like violence junkies, or combat thrill-seekers looking for a fourth tour in Iraq (who are not just there to be with their buddies. So, GET A REAL LIFE: both those who think its "way-cool" and those 165K sickies who tunr out to watch this creepy "fun," hopping to see someone "splat!"

I love that there are people in this world that seek adventure. After all, where would any critter living on this planet be if there weren't those curious and seeking out for the new? I'm sure as hell glad there's more to life than sitting on the couch watching TV (and you know the one's that are sitting there are being entertained by your refreshing take on life-wanna be's just like you). I say more power to you. Enjoy life. Everyone has a right to live as they please; whether smoking, over eating, or BASE jumping. It just pisses me off when people want to be free and enjoy what this world has to offer them and the pursuit of happiness, people are so fast to criticize and oh yeah, "Don't think we're going to pay for it." I'm a tax payor too and I'm not complaining about paying for a potential BASE jumber accident, I complain about those who like to abuse the system because they know they get things for free and enjoy the benefits their bad health reaps. You guys rock!! Live life like today was your last!!! I wish I was more brave to take the risks you all do. I support you!!!

"My brother, do you know the word 'contempt' yet? And the agony of your justice - being just to those who despise you? You force many to relearn about you; they charge it bitterly against you. You came close to them and yet passed by: that they will never forgive. You pass over and beyond them: but the higher you ascend, the smaller you appear to the eye of envy. But most of al they hate those who fly." --Nietzsche

Could it be that with the NBA and the NFL virtually unavailable to white men, and the NHL and MLB seen as sissy sports, that caucasians must resort to the puerile, the insane activities which all seem to dare the devil. Tantamount to black/brown gansterism, except that climbing a rock, jumping fr a bridge et al, is not for profit. Only for esteem. ... Ultimately? -- it's all too sad. Get a bottle of wine. Rent a dark Bergman movie, and get over yourselves -- you infantile nuts.

Yes! j'adore le BASE, j'ai pas tout capté votre texte mais voila je passe un mot depuis la Suisse.

Ciao

The article was extremely morbid and written from the perspective of a FIRST-TIME base jumper who may or may not have an idea of what it's all about. Base jumping is not about being a game of russian roulette. No matter what anyone says if someone knew this jump would be their last they wouldn't go through with it. It's about the feeling you get when you step off an exit point and triumph over your fears. It's one of the most pure sports in the world -- "leave no trace". It is truly you and nature from the minute you step off until you open your chute.

Everyone in life should have a passion for something. Unfortunately you will never understand our passion and we will never understand yours (unless it happens to be one of the MANY other sports that the majority of us do-- rock climbing, skydiving, skiing, snowboarding, whitewater sports, etc etc etc). Face it, the majority of us are involved with many different types of sports, not just one.

We embrace everyday as if it were our last. Let's think about it. If tomorrow were your last day and you were going to get taken out in a car crash, would you want to spend it sitting on the sofa eating bon-bons, sitting at the computer whining about something you will never do, or out appreciating life and nature at its finest?

Another year, another dissatisfying article by a hack reporter too lazy to get his facts straight and too worried about impressing his editors to turn out a quality piece. I got an idea: how about we don't talk to reporters? How about when we do, we don't send them around following an inexperienced jumper?

I am an avid BASE Jumper. I travel the world to jump new objects, have seen many beautiful places and met many incredible people along the way. However, I am also a husband, father, business owner (no, not small, I clear seven figures), skydiver, climber, teacher, mentor, former amateur boxer, state champion and highly national ranked BMX competitor, and former sponsored competitor in skiing mogul competitions and extreme skiing. I am also highly educated and pride myself on not being closed-minded as it breeds ignorance. I do not believe that the fact that I BASE Jump defines me as a person. It contributes, but does not define. The one thing that I have learned in all of my years of social interaction is that no matter what one does in life, they will have just as many critics as they do supporters.

One contributer to this forum says that I am a wimp. I would say that the mere fact that I support my family with all of my being, mentor and teach those in need of assistance, contribute to the economy more so than probably anyone negatively posting here does not make me a wimp, it makes me a man.

My parents always said "If you do not have anything nice to say, do not say anything at all." They also said "Do not speak of something that you know nothing about, nor have any experience in because it leaves you sounding as the fool that you are for speaking in the first place."

To the writer of this story, you are very creative. However, as a BASE Jumper, I saw it for what it is, a sensationalized piece with the ultimate goal being the sale of more newspapers, creating drama, and getting an emotional rise out of your readers. I find it sad that our media has diminished such that it has to negatively spin every story just to create public interest.

To those forum contributers that are not BASE Jumpers, but critics and non-supporters, I invite you to join me on a BASE Jump. Then, and only then, after you have jumped, will I respect you or anything that you have written in this forum.

i had been hoping to read in the comments elaborations on what motivates base jumpers and personal insights because it seems like an interesting sport, but instead it seems like the majority of the base jumpers who are commenting are more concerned with lashing back at their critics by calling them fat, stupid, inept, and inadequately endowed. smacks of high school mores. who cares what others think of you? i think the Nov. 12, 11:14 AM comment was probably one of the most thoughtful responses (although, i always wince when someone ascribes their income as a virtue; it's all relative, isn't it? i work for a nonprofit that works in international economic development and will never make as much as you but might still have something to contribute to a conversation). i'd honestly be interested in hearing more about why people base jump and what they're feeling when they're in the air. if someone from any side criticizes my inquisitive post, just fyi, my penis length is nonexistent: i have a set of two very fine ovaries, thank you.

This article is pure garbage-- I was there and the descriptions are so dramatic and exaggerated that they have lost any resemblance to the truth. Misquotes, false quotes, vague statistics, and outright lies should have no place in journalism. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

If you are this far off the mark with BASE, how can anyone trust any other story printed by the Washington Post? This reeks of sensationalist, overblown nonsense the US media has become so well known for.

Good physics lesson:
1) according to the article, with air resistance, the time to impact is 8.8 seconds
2) theoretically, without air resistance, the time would be 7.4 seconds

I am the poster Nov. 12, 11:14 AM and this in reply to the "Nov. 12, 11:14 AM comment was probably one of the most thoughtful responses (although, i always wince when someone ascribes their income as a virtue; it's all relative, isn't it?" by November 12, 2007 12:40 PM.

I should have phrased the income portion of what I said differently as I meant it in a virtuous manner defining who I am as a person. A person cannot legally obtain the financial status that I have without hard work. Two days into most person's work weeks, I have already put in forty hours. I do this so that my family never has to want nor worry. I built my business so that if something happens to me, my family will be provided for.

As far as why I BASE jump, it is fun for "ME". You can jump the same object 100 times and have 100 different experiences each time. Do I think it is dangerous? No more so than driving on California's freeways. Is it for everyone? No more so than needlepoint or crocheting (I have tried both and I am not very good). I have never been a sideline person. I firmly believe in experiencing everything one can before leaving this earth.

There is a camaraderie amongst BASE Jumpers that does not exist among any other group of athlete's that I have been a part of. I can travel almost anywhere in this world and have a couch to sleep on, meal cooked for me, drinks provided, a personal tour guide, and a new friend that I would never have known if it were not for BASE Jumping. I do not know anyone outside of the BASE community that can say the same thing.

Posters on this forum may not consider a BASE Jumper to be an athlete, however, we are athletes and for the most part, in excellent physical condition. People only see the jumps and never the hurdles we have to overcome to get to the exit points. I would say that 85 meter vertical free climbs after a 2 hour hike to get to an exit point would constitute athleticism and skill. I would also say that being able to fly your body in such a way to out track 2000 feet of ledge and talus only to have to land between rocks in a 20 foot by 20 foot area constitutes skill and athleticism. I look back at my experiences and think "would I ever have picked some of the places that I have traveled to if it were not for BASE jumping?" Absolutely not and that, would have been the biggest mistake that I could have ever made. The people that I have met in my BASE career and the places that I have seen are magical. My philosophy is "To each their own" and do not believe in casting aspersions on another's personal choices. BASE Jumping is an exhilarating test of one's "personal" resolve.

Some posters on this forum claimed that we should not be entitled to rescue because it is unjustly using the tax payers money. By that logic if it were true, which it is not, the prison system should not exist, welfare should be abolished, people who cause accidents being on their cellphones should be excluded from rescue and at the end, we have this small little box that only the select few that negatively posted in this forum would fit in to. We have more far reaching financial problems than the "Maybe" $40,000 (USD) world wide spent on BASE rescues each year.

In the end, it is about the freedom that I feel when I jump. The nervousness on the edge, the jump, the feeling of flight, the wind on your face, the look back at the object in awe of where I just was...I get to leave every worry, problem and stress, even if it is for that short moment in time.

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." Da Vinci was way ahead of his time!

As an long term extremely experienced BASE jumper, I view BASE jumping as a celebration of life and the human spirit. I'm surprised that so many people have no drive toward adventure and pushing the limits of what is humanly possible.

If the mundance attitudes of the general comments made to this blog had represented the historical state of mankind's culture, man would have never walked on the moon, scientists would not have challenged the status quo of church doctrines, entrepreneurs would not have created startup companies, heros in military combat would not exist, CIA agents would not exist, wildcats would not have drilled their oil wells, and the major oil companies would never have been developed.

Actually being prolific within the sport is much more challenging than one would initially expect. Many of the long time jumpers generally have a genius-level intellegence. It requires it to do it with any level of safety for any long period of time.

It is standard for BASE jumpers to rescue their own as I have had done for me and as I have done for others. The BASE community is extremely tight and when I explained this to a Medal of Honor winner from the Korean War, he was impressed.

Einstein once said "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly."

I am disappointed in the attitudes expressed by many of the commenters here.

BASE

Those who do, can't explain it...
Those who don't, don't understand it.

Jump, be silent, or show your ignorance and intolerance.
Be thankful you are free to choose.

As one of the rescuers at the beach landing zone Bridge Day continues a great tradition from the first exploratory jump in 1977.It has been a source of inspiration that people will continue to try for that moment of flight. What if no one had figured out a parachute? Would the tides of war have turned without soldiers willing to land behind enemy line with a parachute? For those who criticize come and see for yourself and not just on the top of the bridge. The organization involved with the the BASE ground crew; fire crews throwing out rescue lines for the parachutists that are too close in for the boats to rescue; the swift water rescue boat teams and medical crews and for us old veterans of the river to continue to pass along our river and rescue skills Bridge Day continues to validate our need to explore our world. A Fayetteville,WV beach bunny with a purpose

I have some news for anyone against BASE jumping: everybody dies. Whether it's at 30 smacking into a cliff after a gorgeous flight or at 95 after twenty years with alzheimers and no memory of your family and friends. Or, you know, of the more common one's like heart disease or a car wreck. Why be so negative towards these guys, who are just out to have a good time, do something they love, and do something amazing?

Okay, search and rescue/other public service costs. Whatever. Hikers, campers, rock climbers, drivers, and many others fall victim to their own ignorance all the time too. Not to mention that everyone contributes to the decomposition of public property, which needs to be repaired all the time. People who do stupid things and get into car wrecks aren't viewed as distastefully as jumpers, but more of them are scraped off the pavement each week than there have been fatalities in BASE since the sport began, like, thirty years ago. Not to mention all the Search and rescue, paramedics, etc. would be paid whether or not there was anyone there to rescue.

Should we live safe, boring, dreamless lives just because it's safe? Inexpensive? NORMAL? I say no. I say it's the extremists, the deviants, the dreamers who make life interesting and worth living. But that's me, and everyone is free to their opinion.

Think about danger next time you drive--it's the most dangerous common activity. Recklessness is relative. Talking on a cell phone while driving? Not wearing seatbelts?

At least the majority of jumpers respect the dangers inherent with their sport.

You can't take the sky from me.

From someone who was less scared when leaping from a cliff than whenever she gets in her car...at least at the cliff you don't have to worry about other people drinking and driving right into you.

I was one of the spectators at Bridge Day this year, although not from the bridge deck. After paddling the New River Gorge, I got out of my kayak and sat on a rock just across the river from the landing zone with some of the rescue personnel and a couple of park rangers. I had come to watch some friends who were rappelling from the underside of the bridge (for the most part, unnoticed by the media and the crowds on the bridge).

Watching the BASE jumpers, I thought, "Wow. I wish I could do THAT!" I tried to imagine what it would be like and wondered if I would have the courage, even though I know I don't have the skills. (Yes, even gravity sports require skill -- if the article can be believed, 100 sky dives minimum for a first-time BASE jumper.)

Despite its sensationalism (which is, after all, to be expected), I enjoyed the article and identified with the first-time jumper perspective. That said, having read articles by non-practitioners about adventure sports that I do participate in, I can also understand the frustration of those who feel it misrepresented them.

I am not an adrenaline junkie, nor am I crazy. I am a middle-aged widow with a desk job who loves life and enjoys the adventure of participating in a variety of sports (whitewater kayaking, canyoneering, caving, scuba diving) that have allowed me to see and experience the natural world in a way that I couldn't without the skills I've worked to develop. I also enjoy the cameraderie of my fellow adventurers who understand and appreciate the same things because they have been there too. I know that many people, even some of my friends and family, don't understand why I do what I do (or, for that matter, why I don't have a TV). That's okay with me. I often don't understand them either but that doesn't mean we can't get along.

To the BASE jumpers, I say more power to you! To the naysayers, perhaps you should get a bottle of wine, rent a dark Bergman movie, or do whatever it is that makes you feel gratified rather than criticizing others for seeking actualization their way.

To quote...

"I agree with the others, this gravity sport things is for wimps. You want a sport with max exposure, that requires skill, balls, experience and strength, then try climbing up El Capitan.

Otherwise, stick to your wimpy snowboarding (hey, like dude, gnarly fakey), skiing or skydiving/BASE terminal velocity, gravity-does-all-the-work crap.

Or you can try and defy gravity."

Firstly, as a climber who base jumps also I would have expected a little more respect from a fellow climber but more importantly a better level os understanding from you as to the physics of our sports... you claim climbing as gravity defying and base as agravity powered wimp sport but I can tell you I have never felt the burn on a climb as much as when I took my Vampire class wingsuit out of the plane from 24 K and went for my longest flight, my rotator cuff's were screaming at me after 2 minutes of hard core flying, you claim to try to defy gravity but what the hell do you think we are doing on wingsuit flights???? and how much do you think a static contraction of your rotator cuff hurts after 2 mins of hardcore flying?? A short video can be seen here to illustrate my point.... (and I am a star at 15 seconds.....!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYls-JO0pEo

besides if you think your climbing is so hardcore, friends of mine have done

"the flight of the eagle"

a route on El Cap where you start and finish at the bottom, up the wall, then wingsuit off the top back down again.... lots of climbers are getting into base now its a natural thing for them, whats his name the english super kid climber who does all the crazy free climbs is now a base jumper, and several of my mates have been on a 2000 foot antenna ladder with me and all our gear and commented on how much the climb hurts.... you really are narrow minded.....

And i dont even want to start talking about the american love affair with lifestyle diseases related to your ever increasing calorie intake.... its disgusting to walk around a shopping mall in america and see just how big some peopple are getting.... a real freak show!!! I am with the others who say make em pay for their diabetes treatments!!!!

LOL!

My personal reasons for BASE jumping stem from a desire to challenge myself in new ways. I have always been drawn to outdoor activities that involve fear (which is not necessarily the same thing as "risk"). If something scares me, I feel obligated to confront it and see if I can overcome that fear. Although I enjoy rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, and jumping, I am far from an expert in them, and I don't care if never become one. What mattered to me was, after spending years in other sports, that I suddenly realized that the only new sport I could think of that would truly terrify me to my bone and test my will, was BASE jumping. So I decided to try it, and of course it hooked me. It's gotta be the strongest rush I've ever felt in my life.

The reasons I continue to BASE jump are different than the reasons I started BASE jumping. It still scares me every single time, but it's a different kind of fear. A more organized, rational, and controlled fear. It's a fear I can live with and manage. It's not a dark monster in the closet anymore. It's a more-or-less rational appreciation of what can go wrong, a personal understanding of where my own skills and strengths are (as an aside: yes, BASE jumping safely takes a LOT of training and skill, to those who mis-regard it as simply "falling and waiting for gravity and physics to save you"- many of the BASE jumping fatalities are dead because they thought like that).

Now I BASE jump because it is a fascinating way to explore the outdoors and appreciate it in a new, ever-changing, and unique way. It brings me close to people from other walks of life, whom I never would otherwise come to meet and appreciate. It forms bonds of friendship that are powerful and rewarding.

I try not to attack critics of BASE jumping, but it is extremely tempting sometimes (when someone calls you an "idiot" for doing what you love and have a god-given right to do, it can sometimes be hard not to feel insulted). I just hope everybody accepts others' wish to push the limits, even if you don't understand why they do it. Someone could pretty much always find some little thing you do, to say the same thing about you. (And if they can't, you might not be a very interesting person:)

I'm glad that so many other people accept this sport and would welcome it being seen in more places. Maybe some day the elevator of the new Freedom Tower in NYC will have a button that says, "roof," and it works without a key...

You have to love all this elitist Bull - this sport is better than that sport - S**t.

I've tried almost all of them, and love them all. People find merit in different activities, some in knitting, some in BASE jumping. If they didn't, then everybody in the world would have the exact same hobby.

Do what you want to do for fun, and don't b***h about people doing what they want to do... for once in your life.

Been there, done that, and I want to go back and do it again!

I can remember my first jump from an airplane, d a m n, what a rush it was, looking out the door at 3,000 feet, balls in my throat, couldnt talk, scared to death, and when the chute opened, i thought i was king of jumping, well i jumped 485 free falls since, with two malfunctions, it took me 350ish jumps before my first melfunction, want a rush, thats one for sure, but the most unbelivable rush was BASE jumping, i have been to the bridge twice in 3 years, and i can still fell that awsome rush when leaping off the platform, those who havent done it have no reason to condem it, its a sport thats going to stay and sure it will be legal in other states and bridges, and towers sometime soon. Want a RUSH, try it:) be safe and always dont forget to PULL.