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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. |