"Vesna Vulović holds the Guinness Book of Records world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 meters (33,316 feet)"

Said it through clenched teeth, I bet.

Once again, thrill seeking exhibitionist risks others lives and costs rescue services thousands/millions because they have to show everyone how cool they are.

/Suppose it's too much to hope they're insured for the rescue costs?
//Hope the guys alright though.

Slothie:
//Hope the guys alright though.

Yeah it sounds like it..

Slothie:
//Hope the guys alright though.

I'm sure he's fine.

Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius

"Stupid" tag? Someone gets hurt in a recreational pursuit and that means they are stupid...

Nanny State anyone?

FTFA: "An Emergency Management Queensland spokesperson says he fell heavily onto water at the base of falls after his parachute failed to open properly."

So the parachute probably partially deployed, slowing him down enough so that he could survive when hitting the water. Makes sense.

/Robert Langdon would like to have a word with this guy.

stupid tag must mean he/she got injured/died
/will not rta

CycloneArmageddon: "Stupid" tag? Someone gets hurt in a recreational pursuit and that means they are stupid...

Nanny State anyone?

As a skydiver, I agree.

I agree Slothie. The cost of a rescue operation can be incredible. Depending on the logistical demands it could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Not to mention risk to rescue crews. This isn't a accident. He didn't accidentally fall from the top.

He should get a bill.

CycloneArmageddon: "Stupid" tag? Someone gets hurt in a recreational pursuit and that means they are stupid...

Nanny State anyone?

I had no idea that considering an activity stupid was somehow endorsing a Nanny State. BASE jumping is idiotic. It's the equivalent of going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. You get one chance. You pack your chute wrong or jump too close to a cliff and you're done. There's no time for a reserve chute.

You want to do it, go ahead. Don't expect me to think it's a good idea though. Just play Russian Roulette in a bathtub next time. The cleanup is easier and cheaper.

Hello ground!
(I wonder if it would be friends with me?)

overCee:
I had no idea that considering an activity stupid was somehow endorsing a Nanny State. BASE jumping is idiotic. It's the equivalent of going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. You get one chance. You pack your chute wrong or jump too close to a cliff and you're done. There's no time for a reserve chute.

You want to do it, go ahead. Don't expect me to think it's a good idea though. Just play Russian Roulette in a bathtub next time. The cleanup is easier and cheaper.

Have YOU ever done it? Then STFU.
I don't like lacrosse and think it's the most stupid game ever, but I don't go around telling people that practice it that they are stupid.

BASE jumping is as safe as you make it. If you stick to jumping from bridges and you master a specific packing technique, you should have lots of hours of fun.

You'll always get hurt if your approach to sports is "Hold my beer and watch this"

Oh no, not again

Day_Old_Dutchie: Hello ground!
(I wonder if it would be friends with me?)

That's highly improbable, it just wants your towel.

tfm_copycat: Have YOU ever done it? Then STFU.

Have YOU ever played lacrosse? The STFU.

I don't like lacrosse and think it's the most stupid game ever, but I don't go around telling people that practice it that they are stupid.


You just did.

Benjimin_Dover: tfm_copycat: Have YOU ever done it? Then STFU.

Have YOU ever played lacrosse? The STFU.

I don't like lacrosse and think it's the most stupid game ever, but I don't go around telling people that practice it that they are stupid.


You just did.

According to yout complex logic, yes. Yes I did. But I *usually* don't.

The metric system always makes these headlines less amazing to me.

I suppose my nearly complete lack of knowledge of the metric system is to blame, but I'm an American so it's somebody else fault, not mine.

Dumbass

tfm_copycat: If you stick to jumping from bridges and you MASTER a specific packing technique, you should have lots of hours of fun.

When it comes to BASE jumping, you better master it the first time.

This reminds me of that video last year of shot by a man falling from 12,000 feet when his parachute failed (new window).

I heard he also got the bends from hitting the water so hard.
/knows what causes the bends

His chute failed to work properly, it didn't fail to work period.

260 meters into water? C'mon.

tfm_copycat: Have YOU ever done it? Then STFU.
I don't like lacrosse and think it's the most stupid game ever, but I don't go around telling people that practice it that they are stupid.

BASE jumping is as safe as you make it. If you stick to jumping from bridges and you master a specific packing technique, you should have lots of hours of fun.

You'll always get hurt if your approach to sports is "Hold my beer and watch this"


This. People do risky things. It's all about knowing how to be safe and control the risk. I ride a motorcycle, yet I know how to be safe while doing it. I have 200+ skydives (and two cutaways...), but like all skydivers, safety is always the first priority when I jump.

Anyone who tells me to "go play in a bathtub" is going to be told to go fark themself.

tfm_copycat: BASE jumping is as safe as you make it. If you stick to jumping from bridges and you master a specific packing technique, you should have lots of hours of fun.

So Building Antenna Span Earth jumping is okay as long as you stick to "Span." Got it.

3 hours on the ground while firefighters attended him, BEFORE he was taken to the hospital... This guy's 30 second thrill is costing him piles of agony.

Wouldn't be a thrill if there weren't any risk, but dayum. I like to watch people doing that stuff (except for the splatting) but I wouldn't strap one on (so to speak).

I also have a few jumps to my name. Not tandem jumps so don't bother insulting me in that manner. How any skydiver who calls themselves safe can look at the loss of the safety factors involved in BASE jumping and still do it is beyond me.

Again, I'm not against your 'right' to do it, but it seems awfully stupid from my (not entirely ignorant) perspective.

And to the skydiver above me with cutaways: How do you feel about jumping without a reserve? That's the number one reason why I think BASE jumping is just delayed suicide.

overCee: And to the skydiver above me with cutaways: How do you feel about jumping without a reserve? That's the number one reason why I think BASE jumping is just delayed suicide.


On one hand, jumping without a reserve might seem stupid (and on any non-BASE jump, it is). OTOH, the reserve probably wouldn't have time to inflate anyway on a BASE jump. Reserves take a finite amount of time to deploy...IIRC, they're required to deploy within 300 feet of freefall. Add this to the fact that you've already lost a significant amount of your very limited altitude to the initial malfunction, and you're probably screwed.

To put this in perspective, my B license allows me to deploy no lower than 2500 feet on a skydive. 2500 feet is a tad higher than most BASE jumps. Even D license holders must be open by 2000 feet.

853 feet? that must have been fun...

If your parachute is packed wrong (backwards) it will deploy and smash you back into the cliff. Theres a few vids of this happening out there.