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Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

nationalgeographic.com

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Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#51

Post by crocal »

enriquto wrote: post #48
dvcrn wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nowhere near that close for me and a lot more soft, but still one of these “oh shit” moments was when I decided to go swimming when waves were bigger than usual due to a coming storm. It was all fun until I realized I wasn’t able to swim back to the shore to where I can stand. Every time I tried, a wave knocked me further into the ocean and my leftover stamina kept dropping. I was freaking out and had no idea how to…

It is better to swim parallel to the coast until you find an easier place to approach. Fighting the currents is exhausting.

I confirm. I grew up near the Atlantic Ocean, in an area of high current. It is something that was taught to us as teenagers.

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#52

Post by tudorw »

tootie wrote: post #24

Extreme sports like this just feel so dumb. Why are you risking your life for a momentary thrill? You'd get a better rush and be safer taking heroin.

I'm with you, it seems like confused macho posturing from people who seem to have little comprehension that they have responsibilities beyond their immediate desire for excitement, I have no statistics but I'm going good to guess it's a predominantly male sport, the mother's, fathers family and friends and responders they leave behind might have expected more, just because you can does not mean you should.

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#53

Post by Simon_says »

cpncrunch wrote: post #29

Proximity flying is just inherently dangerous. Even with power, many people have died. Sparky Imeson, who wrote the "bible" of mountain flying, died from flying too close to terrain. The strange thing is that he was actually flying back to somewhere that he had had an accident in the past (the first time he just got seriously injured, the second time he died). If you look at the accident location, there is a valley a…

> died from flying too close to terrain

Is that a euphemism for crashing into the ground?

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#54

Post by Simon_says »

corporateslave2 wrote: post #47
base698 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a challenge mentally? Overcome fear see different places, have different experiences? I've been skydiving and base jumping longer than I've not been and it's led me to some of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

But those experiences are just self induced near death experiences. It's an illusion of meaning

> It's an illusion of meaning.

Sure, but to be fair, so is everything else.

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#55

Post by WalterBright »

base698 wrote: post #40
WalterBright wrote: post #31

Flying is not natural for humans. Our instincts are wrong, and our senses misinform us. This is well known among pilots, and why one has to fly regularly to keep the license, and why a large part of pilot training focuses on trusting the instruments rather than your body.

Pilot training only focuses on instruments during IFR training. Private pilot and most VFR is done without emphasis on instruments. Aerobatics rely on senses and no instruments. Source: Skydiver, BASE jumper, paraglider, aerobatic airplane pilot, private pilot land and sea.

> Aerobatics rely on senses and no instruments.

But I bet you check the airspeed and altitude before doing any maneuvers that'll take you near the ground. I've seen the videos of pilots at airshows pulling out of a dive and having not quite enough altitude to do it.

Also, stall recovery is well known to be something that runs counter to every natural instinct a person has.

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#56

Post by marze »

eternalcode wrote: post #36
damnfine wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bet its even closer than you think. Nobody I know who does BASE is still alive. Some quit, others died. Everyone just kind of expects to die doing it. Blue skies, black death.

Why is it not banned?

Freedom.

On the other hand, in many states it is banned and illegal to sign a waiver stating you understand the risks, then buy and consume unpasteurized milk.

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#57

Post by tarsinge »

dvcrn wrote: post #32
chrissnell wrote: post #16

I had a close call this summer whitewater rafting on the Upper Animas River in Colorado and it has caused me to re-think every serious risk I take and has changed me in a big way. I was participating in a multi-day trip run by one of the local guiding outfits through the Upper section of the river, a much more difficult and serious undertaking than the Lower Animas, which is frequently run by average day-tripping tou…

Nowhere near that close for me and a lot more soft, but still one of these “oh shit” moments was when I decided to go swimming when waves were bigger than usual due to a coming storm. It was all fun until I realized I wasn’t able to swim back to the shore to where I can stand. Every time I tried, a wave knocked me further into the ocean and my leftover stamina kept dropping. I was freaking out and had no idea how to…

Also waves come grouped in series of 3-10 (at least in the Atlantic Ocean) so the strategy is usually not to panic (easy to say) and wait for a small calm moment

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#59

Post by pacaro »

tootie wrote: post #24

Extreme sports like this just feel so dumb. Why are you risking your life for a momentary thrill? You'd get a better rush and be safer taking heroin.

YMMV — anecdote territory

For me, it was probably for the same reasons that some (many? Most?) do drugs, for the moment of mental escape when your entire attention is truly needed in the moment.

While I thoroughly enjoyed adrenaline sports and got off lightly (one clavicle, boxers fracture, one ankle, and a couple of separated shoulders) what actually helped me was years of therapy and mindfulness

I still enjoy the sports, but not at the edge, just being on the mountain/wave/rapids is enough these days

My father was an abusive alcoholic FWIW

Re: Increasing numbers of wingsuit jumpers are dying (2016)

#60

Post by coldtea »

>In researching 2016’s dramatic rise in BASE jumping deaths, I was almost unable to keep up with the pace with which people were dying.

Perhaps something to do with the increased popularity of social media and action cameras -- thus attracting a large body of non-seriously committed, in it for the views, darwin award nominees?

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