Rio hype is Nauseating

[guest]

What Felix did a few days ago is certainly one of the most spectacular of all BASE accomplishments. I admire jumpers who must use above average creativity, skill or intelligence to access objects or outsmart security.

However, after reading the news articles and looking at the photos and websites, I have lost most, if not all, of my respect for Felix. I'm now wondering what exactly his motives were for the jump?

You hear it time and time again that if a person jumps for attention or to impress someone then they are doing it for the wrong reason. Now I'm not against documenting a jump, but the fact that a helicopter was on scene with photographers at a very high-profile illegal site hints at Felix's ulterior motive. If a jumper feels the need to strut their stuff afterward, produce websites and is oh-so-eager to drop their name to the press, then I'd suggest they go jump something legal. Didn't we already go over this with Thor Alex in NYC and Jon Vincent in St. Louis among others?

One of the Rio jump organizers was even quoted in the press as saying that it was the first jump and probably the last from that object. What makes him so sure it hasn't been jumped before? Is this a case of "me-first-itis?" Did they ever consider that maybe this "Mission Impossible" had been completed before, numerous times even - by jumpers modest enough not to have to jump in broad daylight or whose intentions weren't on aggrandizing themselves in stills and video for www.hardcore-sport.com and CNN? Is it not possible to jump an object and not tell anyone? Yes it is, as hard as that may seem in this day of "extreme-sport-in-your-face" marketing. As for it being the last jump from that site, I doubt it. But it will probably be more difficult now for me or anyone else (even the persons who jumped it discreetly in the past) to experience that "spiritual" feeling Felix had while standing on that outstretched arm.

And for those trying to push for legalized BASE on certain public lands, keep in mind that many NPS officials form opinions of jumpers based upon their behavior OUTSIDE the parks as well. This is yet another classic incident in which anti-BASE folks can point to in making their case that BASE jumpers are brash and disrespectful.

Why can't jumpers just jump an object and let it be?

Three cheers to those BASE jumpers who don't "jump and tell." To those BASE jumpers who don't make access to high profile sites difficult for subsequent jumpers. To those BASE jumpers who are confident enough in themselves to keep wild stories of successful illegal jumps to themselves. And finally, to those two BASE jumpers who jumped the Rio Christ three years ago at night and afterward spent a wild evening immersed in the outrageous Rio nightlife relishing the fact that nobody in the world, not even those two beautiful Brazilian women they were dancing with, knew what was going on high above town just an hour before

Remember, no matter how "cool" you THINK you are, someone out there IS more "cool." And they're not talking.

Matt Moore
Moab, Utah

[guest]

I personally believe that all the pictures of him working out and holding his crossbow were kinda gay, but I would definately want to have stills/video of a personal achievement like that...And I think alot of people got something out of the stills/story of his jump. Most of us will never jump off of Christ, but we should be able to live vicariously through someone who has...share the wealth! Later. Arc.

[guest]

Many sympathize with your feelings.

I, and I'm sure others, often yearn for that small secret society we once where. We have all
experienced that feeling of, "man, this is cool, I hope nothing comes along and changes this."

But, of course, something always does.

In our case two unrelated events changed BASE jumping. One is the Internet and its explosion of BASE related sites. The other is we just happened to invent this sport right before the "Extreme" thing came into being.

In fact, if you go by the first used definition of an "extreme" sport, that is, pushing the limits of an already existing sport, we were probably the first (does anybody know of another) extreme sport. BASE jumping is often cited (in those days anyway ) as an extreme form of skydiving.

I believe modern BASE jumping is already ten years old the first time I hear the words "extreme" and "sport" used together.

I recall when "No Fear" became the first corporate or "outside of BASE jumping" vendor at the Bridge Day Trade Show. I asked the young reps (skateboard punks on their first jobs) if they would be jumping from the Bridge on Saturday and right in the mists of all those hung up shirts proclaiming "No Fear" they all said no, never, not in a million years.

A few jumpers later told me the shirts might have sold better if they had proclaimed "Big Fear." (These are jumpers being honest).

Prior to all this, BASE information, good and bad, is spread mouth to mouth or through small BASE jumping 'Zines like BASELINE, The TFOJ, and others.

Not to sound too political, but are we better off now than we were five or ten years ago?

I think we are from one standpoint. If someone wants to BASE jump nowadays they don't have to sell their soul to do it. (Endless ground crewing for someone who keeps promising you "one day" or kissing up to the local BASE guru you don't particularly like, or who abuses their power).

Today, for better or worse, you can simply purchase the BASE experience.

This of course adds to the number of people jumping and also adds a burden to an already limited number of sites. However, as more people BASE jump, I’m pretty sure site access will catch up with demand. It's the American way. As soon as there is some money to be made, someone will find a way to make it happen.

When we teach a First BASE Jump Course here at BASIC RESEARCH we try to present our students with enough history to make them realize they are riding on a ticket already purchased by brave and courageous jumpers who came before them.

This is important as BASE jumpers seem to be at their worst in the first few years. If they are going to damage the image of the sport, the sites, or themselves it usually happens before a jumper knows enough about the sport to appreciate his or her place within it.

Some poor souls never find their place . . .

On the other hand, the sport does remain the same in many ways because the basis of the sport hasn't changed. You still (in general) don't need anyone's permission or support. So like so many do, you can still continue to jump and keep your activities close to your vest.

Your basic premise is a good one though. I do remember jumps I’ve done alone, and kept to myself, much more vividly than ones I’ve done in groups.

Nick_BR

[Yuri]

Yo!

Matt, thanks for a thoughtful post and for signing with your real name. So far everybody who tried to criticize the subject (re: Thor Alex, Felix etc) has stayed anonymous - a funny detail if you think about it

In my experience the driving force in all these cases is neither ego nor publicity. Such high-profile jumps require a lot of work and a lot of risk to be taken. This is why most of highest-profile sites stand there up high for many years without being jumped. When somebody does invest a lot and gets the jump, it is only fair that he/she is rewarded for it. Okey, okey, let's not talk about fairness but in many cases the great jump itself simply isn't enough fun to make that enormous work and huge risks worthwile. If you didn't notice, people like Thor Alex, Felix or Frank have been making a living doing what they love and do best - jumping. Just like IPBC is hoping to do, and gear manufacturers have always done. Jumps like Felix'es bring in a lot of money - that's what makes them possible. To make a point, would BR make you a rig for free ?

To sum it up, the real motivation between high-profile jumps and the work that IPBC does is the same - it is making a living off what you like and do well. It's about media exposure, attracting sponsors and making money while having a lot of fun. Whether it is good or bad - i guess, to each his own... I don't want to judge it for other people. At this point of my life i would rather spend money on BASE, but if it turns to where i need to make some... we'll discuss it then

As far as site access becoming harder because of such jumps, in my experience it has not been the case. In fact, for the jumpers involved future site access became much easier

Then again, Arc had a very good post on the subject, and Thor Alex has said the same thing once - a lot of people get to enjoy this beautiful and unreal experience that most of wuffos (and even jumpers) would never even dream of by themselves...

bsbd!

Yuri.

[guest]

Mr. Moore, your comments make sense within the narrow context of BASE ethics, but they ignore the larger issues that come into play with a well-publicized -- and well-documented jump.

Absent your personal discomfort with publicly presenting evidence of BASE accomplishments, the effort put forth by Mssrs Baumgartner and Walker and their crew was executed with aplomb, great skill and a sense of respect and humility for the "subject matter" of the performance art they created.

In this day when spreading excrement around a sidewalk is considered "performance art," we have someone who put his life literally on the line to create some incredibly powerful images. One need only look at the photo libraries to see what I mean: It is my prediction that those images will be with us for years on inspiring posters, on greeting cards, in a dozen different applications.

And each time, they will remind us -- collectively, as a planetary culture -- of the inspiring and daring things people do.. whether for fun, self-aggrandizement, and/or profit.

Moreover, images like the ones Felx & Co. created in Rio will remind us -- through their ubiquitousness -- of the sport we love so much. Those images will remind us that BASE is here to stay, that it is an inspiring and powerful sport that reminds everyone of the best within us.

I have no argument with your interest in _generally_maintaining a sense of decorum and quietude about our accomplishments, but there are circumstances and venues which almost demand a different approach. I do hope you will see fit to re-examine this issue with a little more grace and a little less anger.

Felix may not do things the way you prefer, but he did something magnificent, with class and style, and long after those Brazilian babes you mentioned are dead and gone, the images he created will still be out there, delighting and taking away the breath of the people who see them.

[space]

Why can't jumpers just jump an object and let it be?

there are different motivations for the disclosure of a jump, this one was one of sponsorship. It worked.
If the sponsor had withdrawn support, Felix would have jumped anyway. It (the jump) was Felix´s idea anyway to do with or without support.
hope this helps.
cya
space

[guest]

Hi Robin,

My discomfort with publicly presenting evidence of BASE accomplishments mainly pertains to ILLEGAL jumps. You can bet that if I jump the Rio Christ there'll be some documenting going on! However, I will view that documentation only with my friends and others who I think would enjoy it and not be offended by it. No matter how good our intentions may be, realize that the general public currently does not understand BASE jumping nor the motivation behind it. I would hesitate to quickly post the evidence of an ILLEGAL jump to the world for fear my intentions be misinterpreted. It's all a matter of presentation, too, and in my opinion Felix's website exudes too much swagger considering the "subject matter." That's my opinion, anyway, and I'm glad everyone agrees I'm entitled to it

Another delicate area is the broad publicizing of jumps which may be offensive to certain citizens. Now I don't mean to get religious here. To me, it's just a statue of some guy. But to others I realize that it's much more than that. And I'm definitely not against jumping it. As I've said earlier, I have the utmost admiration for jumpers who must use above average skill, creativity and intelligence to access objects and outsmart security. That, to me, is what makes BASE so exciting! But you mention that this jump was "executed with a sense of respect and humility." This is certainly Felix & Co's opinion of their effort, as well as the opinion of many others I'm sure. However, did Felix & Co gather thoughts from the citizens of Rio regarding this jump? How about from other (local?) BASE jumpers, the park's officials and local law enforcement agencies? How much respect and humility do they feel Felix & Co REALLY gave, especially in light of the illegal nature of the jump and its resultant promotional, sponsor-driven hoopla? Humility is a state of being humble. To me, Felix & Co are not. Furthermore, did Felix & Co solicit the opinion of the billions of religious people of the world who revere this monument at spiritual levels which you, I or other BASE jumpers cannot even begin to comprehend? I doubt he did. And though it's just a statue to me, what does it mean to those billions to have a man illegally climb on that monument and then have the audacity to boast to the world of succeeding in his and Red Bull's "Mission Impossible?" I know you're thinking that I'm being a bit extreme here but there are some seriously religious folks out there who probably aren't too thrilled. Considering this, was Felix & Co respectful? Putting flowers on the shoulder probably doesn't cut it, really.

Judging from the "off the board" emails I've received relating to my first post, I'd say that I'm not in the minority on my opinion. As a member of Search and Rescue in the Moab area, our overriding concern when responding to an incident is: "First, do no harm." I think the same should hold true with publicizing ILLEGAL BASE accomplishments. Ask yourself, "by publicizing that radical ILLEGAL jump I just made, will I benefit or harm BASE?"

Please don't allow the lure of money, sponsorship, fame or publicizing your incredibly powerful images, lead you to do something which may inadvertently harm BASE.

I'm happy he jumped it. I'm jealous, even! That's the kind of jump I dream of. But for Christ's sake(!?), let's keep these kinds of illegal jumps to ourselves.

Matt

[guest]

You are making good points, Matt. And you are making me think.

I'm trying to figure exactly where our interests do lay?

If we all followed a strict non-disclosure rule would it help or hurt the sport in the long run? I'm not sure. I'm leaning toward the fact that it would hurt.

Here's why:

No matter who does these high profile jumps, and no matter the reasons, it shows the world at large what we can do. I've said this before, but I'm almost sure we aren't the generation of BASE jumpers who are going to be accepted by the world, it's going to be a generation or two down the road.

If you believe that, and you want this acceptance to come as soon as possible then it could be argued that our best course of action is to shove BASE jumping down the public's collective throats as hard and as often as we can. I'm already seeing signs of this acceptance. For instance, when was the last time you really had to explain BASE jumping to a whuffo from scratch. Most people know the sport exists and that's half the battle. And it's the first step to acceptance.

The next question is who do we need to be true to? Do we take on a USPA type strategy of, "we must present ourselves in a good light, lest the powers that be will shut us down."

I think not.

We (the collective we) made BASE jumping out of nothing more than our own blood, sweat and tears. We are beholding to no one, except to the BASE jumpers who went before us and the ones that come after us. We own no explanation, justification or apology to anyone. We, each of us, are jumpmasters of our own fate. You can almost stretch this a bit more and say nothing BASE jumper "A" does here really effects BASE jumper "B" there. And if it does, it's just a momentary blip in time.

Let's look at what we may have missed, if everybody had kept their secrets:

Nick Feteris jumps from the Statue Of Liberty. (And at the same time reminds us what freedom is all about)!

Phil Smith jumps inside the Houston Astrodome.

Mike McCarthy jumps the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Blank Blank (Name withheld, as I think they are still looking for him) jumps the "Whispering Gallery" in St Paul's Cathedral.

And it goes on and on. No one these days remembers or cares why these people did those jumps, but they do remember they were done. These jumps served to motivate a whole new generation of BASE jumpers. And the same will happen with the Jesus leap. The fact it is done and in the books can only help the cause in the long run.

We will never be accepted by explaining. We will only be accepted by being.

Nick _BR

[guest]

I agree with Matt Moore on this subject.

To me going and doing these high profile illegal jumps for the cameras is nothing more than a person looking for attention, and I have no respect for that. I believe that probably 80% of the active BASE jumpers out there today are as equally talented as Felix or Thor Alex was, but the majority of that 80% aren't stupid enough to to do these high profile jumps and hurt the professional image that many in the sport are trying to achieve.

To me a person that deserves respect is one that does these amazing jumps, but does them in complete secrecy and doesn't blabb about them later.

Yes, I know there are those that say "well maybe Felix or Thor Alex are trying to earn money doing what they do, but come on, is this the way to earn money from BASE. I can think of many people who earn a RESPECTABLE living from BASE. People like Moe Viletto or Dave Barlia. It seems like every time I turn the TV on I see Dave Barlia doing something amazing -- Snowboarding off of the cliffs in Norway, Skiing off a huge cliff on Baffin Island, riding motorcycles off of cliffs, launching off of a bridge with a giant slingshot, etc, etc... Doing all of this legally and portraying a positive image for our sport -- That I respect!!

To me there is nothing at all wrong doing jumps for cameras, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. Running around the world doing illegal jumps and evading authorities is the wrong way. It is a just a cheap way of getting attention.

If you want to make a career out of BASE take the REAL challenge and try to do it legitimately -- legally and professionally. Otherwise keep your mouth shut and stick to the dark like the rest of us.

Jeff C.

[guest]

And what Mr. _BR said is a perfect example of what I mean.

[Shaun]

A couple of months ago , Felix came to Cape Town , did'nt bother to contact any of the jumpers down here , gained access to one of the buildings we had been lining up to jump , called the local newspapers and tv stations and blitzed the building for us . Redbull called me some weeks ago and asked me to show Felix some of our jump sights . I told them to forget it , if he wants to come and jump he can find the sights on his own.
Shaun.

[guest]

You are right man. Felix is working for his own advantage and he are not interrest to work with locals

[guest]

I have to say that I agree with those who believe that this jump was an excellent example of the intelligent planning base jumpers are capable of. But I also agree with Jeff C. and the others that feel that this jump has done more harm than good for the image of BASE. A picture is worth a thousand words and the picture of Felix with the crossbow tells me alot. I felt pure ego coming off of my screen. Spiritualty in the making??? NO! The idea of sponsership with this jump is also a contradiction. Where exactly would this money be spent? Would it be used to evolve canopy design or hire lawyers to fight for the access we desire etc., I doubt it!! I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. A true spiritual person could never be paid in dollar bills for a pilgramage of this sort. If it was the jump he wanted and it was so spiritual why taint it with the almighty dollar. BASE and skydiving have changed my life incredibly and I would never involve money with this pleasure. I just seems to me that certain jumps take us one step forward but two steps back. And to Nick(with total respect), I used to be one of the so called punk skateboarders who rampaged around town. We never helped skateboarding that way, we only pissed off all the local judges. They would tell us to enjoy our sport in the proper environment, not busy streets or schools.When skating became more underground, it was then recognized as a sport with longetivity. It then was saturated with sponsers!! Careers like Tony Hawk's then emerged in full force. Skating is now a big sport. This didn't happen over night and it didn't happen by doing what ever we wanted whenever we wanted. Some limits have to be established to help further the sport of BASE. We will never gain access to all the sights we want, so I say we push for a site at a time. I agree that the future generations will be the ones to accept BASE because they will be born into a world were this idea has already existed with reality. When it is nothing ne

[guest]

Sorry

I just keep wandering aimlessly. . .

Hopefully forever!

Nick_BR

[guest]

Robin,

Oh, now I know what you meant. Sorry about that.

I guess my underlying concern with the media hype of this jump deals with its effect on the overall image of BASE and the public's perception of BASE jumpers. Felix & Co probably wasn't concerned with whether or not this jump was a step towards public acceptance, but that's the perspective I'm analyzing it from.

Nick made an interesting point. Shoving as many jumps down the throats of the world's citizens is certainly a great way to get "exposure" for BASE, whether that exposure is positive or negative. Even bad publicity is, after all, publicity. And yes, the countless malfunctions and accidents that have aired on RealTV and similar shows have made it easier for me to explain BASE to wuffos. But is voluntarily exposing the negatives of BASE really a necessary approach we should take towards public acceptance of BASE?

Swaying the public's opinion towards acceptance of a product or service (or BASE) often involves marketing. Bare with me here.

With marketing, you're not trying to win over the folks who already accept your product, rather you're out to win over those who don't accept it. Maybe they don't accept it because of a previous bad experience or perhaps they're just not familiar with the product at all.

Currently, there are many folks out there who do not accept BASE. For lack of a better name I'll call these folks "important people." And many of these "important people" love to find any fault they can with BASE jumpers because they, unfortunately, own tall buildings and radio stations or hold positions of power within the NPS, state parks, state transportation departments, etc and they are always looking for another excuse to exclude BASE jumping from their respective properties. These "important people" are the ones we need to sway towards accepting BASE. But with the manner taken in publicizing the illegal Rio jump, BASE jumpers have once again perpetuated that negative image of being brash, disrespectful, law-breaking, egotistical, selfish hooligans. The manner nauseates me, not the pictures or the feat itself. And for what reasons did we publicize this jump? Inspirational pictures? Money in Felix's pocket? We can get plenty of inspirational photos from a legal jump. And while Felix can make money any damn way he pleases, don't expect me to congratulate him when he financially gains from promoting yet another illegal jump in which "important people" can hold against us.

And you know what? So what if we ARE a bunch of brash, disrespectful law breakers? We can be as obnoxious as we want to be. Yeeehaaaa! But the point is we don't need to publicize that to the "important people." The beauty of marketing is that it's all about carefully creating a PERCEPTION within the public's eye, not necessarily showing the TRUTH. After all, how many corrupt companies out there are still viewed in a positive light by the public simply because of a well executed, touchy feely marketing campaign?

Since we have the ability to choose which jumps get widespread publicity, lets put some of that same careful thought into BASE marketing. If you're gonna flaunt a jump, at the very least flaunt one in which the "important people" can not find ANY-ZERO-ZIP-NADA fault with.

Consider the benefits to BASE awareness and promotion (and the beautiful, inspirational images too!) that can be derived from legal, well publicized jumps from, say, the Eiffel Tower, Space Needle, CN Tower, Statue of Liberty, Gateway Arch, Petronas Tower, New River Gorge Bridge, Auburn Bridge, Canyon deChelly, Superdome, WTC, Totem Pole in Monument Valley, El Capitan, Half Dome, Kjerag, that millenium wheel thingy, Trango Tower, Las Vegas Stratosphere, Angel Falls, etc... Many of these and many, many, many more natural and manmade sites have been jumped legally. We don't need to (and shouldn't) market ourselves as law-breakers to find acceptance.

Beautiful pictures? Oh Yes! Amazing accomplishment? Without a doubt! But personally I think Felix's apres-jump promotions dealt a blow towards acceptance by those "important people" and the public.

Matt