BASE jumping is considered one of the world's most dangerous extreme sports. Practitioners jump with a parachute from fixed objects as buildings, antennas, spans or earth. Unlike regular skydiving from an aircraft, there is no reserve parachute in BASE jumping.
This is because there is no time for a reserve to deploy. You have to keep watching yourself. We call it stalking.
You’re stalking your thoughts, feelings and everything. So if I find myself on an exit, and I am too comfortable, I realise that's weird. That's not right.
You shouldn't be too comfortable. Thank you. Just call me if you've got any questions.
Do you have my contact information? Yes. Hello, I´m Annelie, Confederation of Swedish Enterprice.
Great that you could join today. Almost every day for the last two years, I've been thinking about how it would feel to jump off a cliff. The experience I've had during my years as a skydiver makes me believe that I can do it.
I have only one chance to do it right, because in BASE, there's no room for mistakes. We will be at "Templum". Sure, but is it okay if I stay for only five minutes, because I have to run back pretty fast.
So you'll travel with him to these mountains and stuff? So weird. "To these mountains and stuff".
Exactly. That is what some people think about my leisure activities. I mean, your skepticism to what I do in my spare time probably wouldn't have been so great if you had experienced it.
You only have a preconceived opinion. This summer, you're going to drive through Norway and look for all the cliffs you can find, and throw yourself from them just to find out which one will eventually kill you. You're right until the last part - I'm not going to die.
I'm going to take a course in how to jump off of a cliff with a parachute. At first there's freefall, and then you pull out the parachute. So, what I just said about you searching for death.
. . How is that not true?
That's insanity! This will bounce when you drive. Yeah, I might place something there in between.
It's possible, but not finished yet. I usually check what he posts on Instagram and Facebook, and some movies. He's good at texting and telling what he's doing.
Because he knows that we are a little worried when he is flying and stuff. When I was a kid, i dreamed of flying but I've never been close to making any of it real. I do not know.
I'm not so excited about such flights and jumps and stuff. You don't have any interest? No, not at all.
Carl-Oskar didn't get that from me. Bye! Good bye!
Hi, I’m Carl This is the Swedish student. Okay, nice to meet you. Alright, we’ll start on Friday.
Have you made many basejumps? No Nice, then it will be as scary as possible. Have you made many jumps?
I just did 300 I think. I just did my fortieth jump here. And maybe 150 from low bridges.
Stunning! All the waterfalls. May I see your log book?
Alright. This is your registry card for the season. It means your registred.
Test, test. Do you hear me? I say always use maximum volume, cause it’s windy on the exit.
The main thing is that you need to see the boat driver, there’s always a boat when you jump. Hello? I’m taking the course.
Oh, you are aswell? Yes, I’ll see you over there. Alright, nice.
Do you have any tips for those who have never been BASE jumping before? The first jump is kind of weird, because you’ve got no reference, no prior experience obviously. You’re gonna do that hopefully, and see how it goes.
And then you've got a starting point to build from. You just need to know yourself really. And I think what you’ll find is that the desire has to be there.
You can't really do this sport without being completely into it. But there is a flip side of that aswell. You can become addicted.
There are plenty of guys who have become obsessed and spend their entire lives in the mountains jumping all the time. At the same time you don’t want to go too far. You need to keep the balance.
You need to have that nervousness. It’s getting out of balance where. .
. When I get really scared it’s almost like I’m drunk. It’s all a bit too much sometimes.
That’s past the tipping point, that’s not good. Or when I’m walking into a jumping exit and I find myself tripping that’s not right either. I’m not focusing enough.
Tomorrow? You’ll make a jump? Yes, if the weather is okay.
I’ve seen it on TV, but not in real life. What do you think about it? It’s exciting, but It's not for me.
My wife says she’d love to do that, but not me. It’s nice to see but I would never jump. Oh no, my God!
When I go to some amusement park, I just throw balls, not all the loops. That’s not for me at all. But do you understand the reason why they wanna jump?
Yes, I’ve been an assistant professor at the university, and I worked with groups that do extreme activities and I was their coach when they wrote about that. So I know a little about that. Some kind of people that might have trouble managing their lives are excited for adrenaline.
As soon as it's stretched, it will deploy. This is the small pilot parachute - about this big. It will deploy my main parachute.
That's the idea. It's kind of a good idea. It's crucial.
You could say it's a pretty important detail. Well, that's my opinion, but everyone is different. I leave nothing here, and in low jumps I leave a bit here.
Fill it with a little air to make sure it will deploy faster. Then I know it will open here. If you squeeze it all the way, emptying all the air, you can get a slight delay when it's stretching like this.
As soon as it's straight, it will deploy, but at low hights, tenths of a second can feel quite scary. So I'm pushing as much as I can. I've been given a thousand advice, all spinning around like a washing machine in my head.
But when I'm standing there, about to jump off that cliff, it's all about me. Of course all the advice are valuable, they have been given to me for a reason. But, in that moment I hope that my routine and instincts will work properly and that I will know what to do.
Okay, guys. We’ll make our way to the pendulator to do some exit training. Okay, guys.
So this is your pendulator. And here we’ll do some exit training. About 30 feet.
Just like you would do in a BASE jump, double check your gear. Last year two of my students were rocket scientists, standing on a level that I never will. Privileged people and people without any money are still coming base jumping and having a good time.
For me it’s 20-30 seconds of nothing, no taxes, no traffic, no one nagging at me. It’s just peaceful. It’s my own time, and I love it for that reason.
When I land I get to look up at the exit point and I appreciate the fact that I get to be one of the few people to do this today. Maybe one of the few people to do it ever. I think it’s something about being a part of that minority that is very special.
They said that we’ll do our first two jumps at a running exit. And then our third jump as a positioned exit. It would be nice to have a mental advantage off the edge.
Yes, for sure. Just spectacular! What are you thinking right now?
I'm very focused. I don't think so much. I mean, I think that I have to do this correctly.
What's going through your mind? Just enjoying what's around me, enjoying the whole feel of it. Yes, that’s about it.
How long have you been planning for this? I have been wanting to do it for a few years, but this trip popped up about 4-5 days ago. That was spontaneous, that's the way I like it.
Soon I will look at your pins, your bridles, and if you're happy with your pilot parachute. Are you starting to get scared yet, because I'm a bit worried. Have you got just a little twitch in there somewhere?
No not yet, I'm pretty steady. I'm just thinking about, well I hope I know when it's time to pull. -You'll know.
I'm going on instinct here. I don't know if it’s a good idea or bad. The survival instincts will kick in, right?
Three, two, one, see you. Perfect! That’s the best one!
Best one dude, killed it! F***ing killed it! So great man.
Perfect opening, come on! That jump we got here from exit 7 two, it was perfect! How are you feeling, Nick?
Good. Cool. Easy.
Very good. When you ready for a gear check, just come to me. How are you feeling, bro?
I'm good. Turn around for me. Reach around and grab your hackie for me.
Okay, and one more time. Happy? Yeah.
Cool. Just relax, nice and easy. Positive push.
One, two, three, four, and you are going home. Carl-Oskar is getting ready, and he’ll be good to go in a couple of seconds. I will let you know.
Whenever you're ready to go is okay. First seconds. .
. How did it feel? It felt so damn good, shit!
Just jumped of a f***ing cliff! That was amazing! Give me five!
Yeah! That was awesome! Oh man!
What a thrill! You are really brave! I don't know I'm just like the rest of these guys.
Just a little crazy at times. That's the way we are, we live life. By any means we may see fit.
What’s happening next? Take the boat back, pack the canopy and have a beer! Celebrate surviving.
So I have done a couple of BASE jumps before but only low ones. So I can expect the initial few seconds when your weightless. But then the feeling of turning that into a track, and seeing the mountain behind you, it's pretty awesome!
It's better than I thought it would be. Magical, it's a magical feeling. There's nothing else that comes even close to how awesome it feels to fly the wingsuit.
It's human flight! It is a blast! Everyone should do it!
Base is for me is not just about the jump. It's about all the preparations - all the people who are the same and think the same. For me it's about the whole social group.
Just meeting like-minded. . .
Without judging anyone, different cultures. You start jumping because you think jumping is fun, but then you realize that the people are much better. Priceless, not for sale!
Think of someone who collect stamps and after ten years of looking for the one, it apears at an auction. And then there's another person who also wants it, and they fight for that stamp. And then he gets it.
Can you imagine what excitement that is? So everyone has their excitement one way or another. Some people collect stamps and some jump from the mountains.
I like base jumping because i like to be in the air. Everything I do, flying whatever. And I like it also because your not taking some plane to go up you just manage exactly what you want to do, and you prepare your rig and your base jump pack.
You do exactly what you want and no one is behind you to tell you what you have to do that, that and that. You’ll just be free and if you do something wrong it’s your fault. It's probably the most intense feeling I've experienced throughout my life.
For many people, this is extraneous and completely remote. But it also tells us what it's like to be a human beeing. .
. To do the impossible, thanks to sacrifices, industriousness. .
. and basically the search of being a happier and better person. Congratulations for your first "tracking suit".
Yesterday we lost another two basejumpers aswell. Two? I thought.
. . John Florence and one more.
In Switzerland? I don't know any details. But unfortunately this is our sport, this is what we do, the way we play.
We play hard. My friend says we play hard, and when we get hurt we get hurt hard. Just take it easy.
If you go jumping at any other place, make sure you talk to the locals. Just ask as many questions as you can. Take care of yourself, that's what's the most important.
