Base Jumping: A Truly Extreme Sport
Gray Rollins
BASE jumping is not a sport for the faint of heart. Athletes
who practice this extreme sport climb to the top of tall
buildings, canyons, or other structures; jump off; enjoy a
period of free falling; then open a parachute and coast to the
ground.
The acronym BASE stands for building, antennae, span, and
earth; which make up a comprehensive list of what kinds of
fixed objects BASE jumpers plummet from. Span is a term that
includes all sorts of bridges, or any other structures that
span over a valley or chasm. Earth means anything from cliffs
to mountains to canyons.
BASE jumping is very dangerous for a variety of reasons, but
the most common causes of injury and death have to do with
failure to maintain a clear area around the athlete during the
jump and/or the landing. If the wind is against them or if they
make a mistake during the launch of their jump, athletes
sometimes collide with the object that they have jumped from.
Because BASE jumping areas are usually not designated for this
guerilla-style sport, the makeshift landing targets that
jumpers aim for are rarely large enough to allow for a safe
jump. As a result many BASE enthusiasts meet with serious and
sometimes fatal injuries because they haven’t been able to
steer themselves to the landing area in time.
Many people compare BASE jumping to bungee jumping without a
bungee cord, but it is actually much closer to skydiving
without an airplane. Jumpers practice many of the same
techniques that divers use to maintain stability and altitude
awareness while they are in the air. Before becoming a BASE
jumper, an athlete must complete a full course of skydiver
training. Once they have their full skydiving certification,
the next step for anyone interested in BASE is to find a mentor
in the jumping community who can teach them how to take on these
ambitious freefalls. Only experienced divers can even
contemplate a BASE jump because this kind of unguided and
somewhat unpredictable activity requires razor sharp awareness
of altitude, along with stellar free fall technique.
BASE jumping is one of the most dangerous sports practiced
today. Every year, BASE jumping leads to several fatalities,
and most major BASE societies and clubs have seen at least one
member perish in pursuit of the sport that he or she loved.
Because no two jumps are alike, it is very difficult to predict
what will happen once you start plummeting towards the ground.
This means that to survive a BASE jump you need to have a very
level head, an ability to react to surprises without panicking,
and lightning speed reflexes that will allow you to make
instantaneous adjustments in your position or your trajectory.
However, no amount of experience can guarantee that you will
complete your jump without mishap, so even very accomplished
jumpers are taking serious risks every time they prepare to
hurl themselves off of a building, antennae, span, or natural
cliff.
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for
http://www.rednutsports.com/ - a site about extreme sports. To
learn more about base jumping, visit
http://www.rednutsports.com/basejumping/
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