Unconventional Athletes Issue 5

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Can you give us a brief background on
yourself and how you got into BASE
jumping? Are you self-taught?
I’ve wanted to jump ever since I knew
what a parachute was. Perhaps even
before, and I loved being up high. I
would climb trees, the mountain in
our backyard, our water tank, and our
house roof. I jumped from them with
umbrellas, when one didn’t work, I used
two, then 3. Although 3 were difficult to
hold, it kind of worked….
As I grew up, I let life get in the way.
Working Monday to Friday, a 9 to 5
job, saving for a rainy day, planning my
life away for some imaginary future.
One day, I was at a night class for an
electronics course I’d signed up for in an
attempt to change my career, and one of
the other students said he does some
work for a guy who owns a dropzone.
That weekend we went out there and
my classmate signed up for his tandem,
but my head was set…“Sign me up for
the course!” I said. "No tandems for
me, let’s get this party started!"
How long have you been BASE
jumping?
I started skydiving in 1999, and although I
met my mentor and started following him
around and helping as his “ground crew”
in 2001, my first BASE jump was in 2002.
Where have you jumped in the world?
Australia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia,
Hungary, Czech Republic, Serbia, Bulgaria,
Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Estonia,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain,
Greece, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Malaysia,
USA, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and
maybe a few I’ve forgotten.
Yet to be conquered is the African
continent... look out, here I come!!
All jumps are unique and have their
special memories THAT came with them.
Do you have a height range when
jumping? What is considered too
low or too high?
Well, my lowest jump to date was 31
metres from a monument in Bulgaria.
My highest BASE jump was maybe 700
metres, not quite sure. I prefer low stuff
to high stuff. It’s more challenging but
also, often less legal. In many
countries it's not exactly illegal and
we do not damage anything and leave
no traces, so I’m happy living in the
“grey area”.
You can go as high as you like, as long
as you can breathe/find an object that
high. Of course you can also go higher,
if you have a sponsor willing to pay
for all the necessary equipment.
Photo taken by ‘Abraham Hernandez Martinez’
my parachute myself, but I also only
jump with people I trust, so if for
any reason someone wants/has to
pack for me, then I have no
problem. If they pack it wrong and I
die, they will feel worse and for
longer than me….I’ll be dead!
Do you have a reserve chute, or is it
just one chute?
For BASE jumping we only have a
reserve. It’s the main parachute we
don’t have. It’s all about perspective.
There is no time for 2 parachutes (at
least not on the low stuff I do.)
Photo taken by ‘CAM TRACEY’
What equipment do you use when
jumping, this can include
safety gear if any, and do
you pack all this yourself?
PHOTO TAKEN BY ‘Karen Hardy’
Anyone can jump! I use a
parachute so I can do it more
than once! Haha. Depends on
the object, if it's difficult access
I will use a climbing harness
and various equipment to gain
ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1
access to the top. I mostly pack
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