Direct Control

Direct control using two elastics

Direct control is a technique used to promote a staged deployment in slider-up BASE jumps. The purpose of both direct and indirect control is to prevent the slider from descending until the canopy has come to line stretch.

Direct control involves attaching an elastic at or near the attachment point of one or both center C lines. Each elastic is then wrapped two or three times around a bight of the slider. In the picture to the right, the tail of a cigar-rolled canopy has been lifted to show direct control using two black elastics (tan elastics would be a safer choice, though they need to be replaced more often). Wraps should be taken with the slider pulled against the stops on the canopy.

The remaining details — such as how to take the bight, whether to use one or two elastics, and whether to larkshead the elastics through the attachment point or just below — are largely irrelevant to the safety and effectiveness of direct control. As with choosing a slider, those who have not used direct control before would be well advised to start conservative (say, with one elastic, two wraps, and a small bight) and work from there. The most effective configuration varies with jumper, canopy, and delay. Even an overly-conservative choice (or omitting direct control altogether), however, will generally result in a hard, but not injurious, opening.