Unconventional Athletes Issue 5

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‘Holding hands before the jump? Guess
we do, like all the couples (laugh).’
-Ewa
150-250 km/h, it’s impossible to hear
each other without under-the-helmet
microphones.
can be divided in some sense. I think
it’s incredible no matter where I go in
the world, I can always find another
BASE jumper to help me find a jump.
Ewa: and despite differences between
BASE jumpers as individuals, at the end
we’re all bonded by being involved in
the same sport, exposed to similar risks.
Tim: Do land safely, don’t forget to
open your parachute!! (laughs)
How do you slow down to land????
Tim: We flare the wingsuit a little to
slow down, to have a slower opening
when we throw our pilot chute which
in turn opens our canopy.
Ewa: (laughs) I know… It’s a bit
disappointing we don’t actually land
the wingsuits on the ground, but use a
parachute for that instead.
What equipment do you use when
jumping? This can include safety gear
(if any). Do you pack all this yourself?
Tim: Normally, each BASE jumper
packs his parachute himself.
Sometimes Ewa packs mine, a lot of
trust there I suppose (laugh). We wear
helmets and suitable footwear, and in
the mountains we can fly with more
safety equipment such as harnesses,
whistles, water bottles, crampons and
ice axes.
You must be so close doing what you
do, does wing suiting bring you even
closer together? The community is
also one big family, you all have a bond
with each other and a high regard.
Tim: It is a very small community but
What’s it like post jump? Do you chat for
hours, how long do you buzz from this, it
must feel freakin' AWESOME!!!
Tim: We are learning a lot from each
jump, we talk about what we did,
how it went, what we can change,
anything to improve etc. Most of the
times a wingsuit jump results in big
smiles and satisfaction, as everything
went perfectly as planned. Other
times may be that one of us is not
entirely satisfied with the flight
performance and recognize it – so it's
corrected on the following jump.
Are there any dos and don’ts?
Ewa: Tons, the list can be endless! All
depends on your goals and objectives.
Most common dos and don’ts would
be: Do check your gear, plan the jump,
and make sure your skills are adequate
to the jump you’re attempting; Don’t
leave anything to luck!
Is there any technique you both use to
stay in control of the suit and flying?
Tim: Staying in control of the suit is
crucial, we learn this in the skydiving
environment which is a lot safer than
jumping off mountains.
Ewa: That would be reckless to take
a wingsuit up in the mountains if you
don’t have a full control over it. Mistakes
done in skydive can be forgiven with
no major impact, whereas you could
end up in a serious incident or even a
fatality in BASE environment.
ISSUE 5 VOLUME 1 Page 34