arizona accident/fatality

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michael schafer "schlefy" aged 30, from berlin, germany. died while making his second jump off courthouse rock, az.on friday the 29th of dec. he had an off heading opening after a good clean exit on a slider up jump, which resulted in an unrecoverable wall strike and tallis landing. he died from the injuries he received. paramedics pronounced him dead at around 4:00p.m friday.
the family and friends have been contacted but was known by many more.
this i believe was jump #57 and he was smiling as he left the rock...i miss you my friend

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julian, i am very sorry to hear of our friends loss.i recently got my camera back from sony and have many of the jumps we made together out in moab last year.many shots of schlefy,you and jeff.as we were watching all the footage we were laughing our asses off at schlefy and all his exuberent expresions after every jump."nuclear sick" is just one of the terms we still use today. i lost a good friend on christmas day due to health reasons and i feel for your loss. shane and i send our deapest condolences to you and everyone who was close to schlefy.enjoy life to its fullest people. c-ya kramer

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Courthouse is a serious site on several fronts.

First; any of the five approaches that I know are fifth class rockclimbing some of which is technicly sustained. The easiest has serious enough exposure that a fall would be deadly.

Second; The site may seem to be easily accessible, why you can see your car from the top! Believe me you're out there. This one is a wilderness jump. 911 doesn't have ANY idea what or where Courthouse Rock is. Someone in the party should be versed in triage and first aid. You've got to know the right number for the more local fire and rescue team.

Third; The shape and location of the volcanic neck known as Courthouse Rock renders it an extremely wind critical site. The safest jumps are in no; repeat, zero winds. The next safest is into huge rotors. There are subsidiary formations and ribs that cause very intense and strong rotors and currents.

Forth; There is already a standing prohibition on hanggliding so we can probably assume we are equally unwelcome.

It is sad that there was an accident. Our hearts go out to the family and friends...

Now to the business of what exactly happened...
1. What was the wind direction and speed on this second jump of the day and what time was it?
2. Which exit point did he take?
3. How long a delay did he take?
4. What kind of off heading, R or L or 180?
5. Where did he hit and was he stuck or accessible to help?
6. Who was called and how long did it take to get help?

Please leave out details that would enable the uninitiated to attempt this site. It's a big rock that takes serious committment and info. As a matter of fact, Keith just reminded me that it was demolished on Monday and condos put up. Honest; It's gone. Just like that...poof.

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Julian- I was very sorry to hear about Schlefy. I took some time after I heard to think about him and remember the good times we shared. Of course, I thought about Great America and riding all the roller coasters, he was so funny, screaming and laughing throughout the ride. He gave me a video before he left for the season of his collection of "the best of..." from the previous 12 months. There are other base jumps of his on the video and it was clear he thoroughly enjoyed jumping. Schlefy seemed to always push the boundaries, as do you. He enjoyed a variety of what are considered to be extreme sports and in my opinion, lived more in his short life, than most do in 80 years. I will miss Schlefy a great deal and was really looking forward to having him at the DZ again this season. Andy West said to me once, "...all these moments, are just spots in time, tomorrow we'll have other moments and they too will be just a spot in our memory.". Schlefy is a very colorful spot I will have with me always. Thinking of you Julian.... Jeannie

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In response to 593's posting:
<4. What kind of off heading, R or L or 180?>

I experienced a 540 degree off-heading from the lower of the two 30 meter downclimb exits on the predominately east facing side that is about 30 meters north of the spine buttress. I did this jump in a wind that was about 10 mph from the north with some eastrtly in it, coupled with a three second delay, (I thought a shorter delay would keep me clear of the spine buttress in the event of an off heading opening to the right).

This jump resulted in a single line twist - along with the 540 degree off heading opening - and three cliff strikes - one of which was into the top of the spine butress. I thought I was at least seriously injuried when I landed, but I escaped almost unscathed (just a few scrapes - thanks to a full face helmet, knee and elbow pads). In retrospect, I learned the wind direction and the "subsidary" rock formations created the rotors that made the whirlwind that I opened in - sending me into the 540 with a line twist.

Basically, I am wondering if Michael jumped in the same winds and if his opening was more than a 180. Also, I wanted to know if anyone else has had a cliff strike or more than a 90 degree off heading opening, and what where the wind conditions if someone did, at Courthouse Rock.

JJ

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Hello Julian,

Marcus here. Just wanted to let you know how much I'm going to miss Schlefy. He was the only one to go down in an inner tube in a class 4 rapid. He submerged for 7 seconds & came up from the depths with an Arnold smile.

This one hurts me, but I know his energy will carry on to me and all my Canadian friends that knew him.

He will be remembered always for his spirit...

Marcus

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Julian,
my thoughts are with you as well as Maja and Schlefy's family and friends. If I can help in any way, let me know. Schlefy's spirit, passion and unforgettable smile will stay with us!

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Shlefy did tandems in Northampton MA the year before last... I shared a lot of time with him sitting in the camera slot watching his interaction with the tandem jumpers. On behalf of myself, and friends in Northampton, we are going to miss you Schlefy.....

Blue Skies
~frank

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What a phucken serious bummer !!!
I had so much fun with both of you here in Moab

Jumping with Schleafy was such a giggling experience. I remember him talking to his container while in freefall and ordering it to "Work ! " or saying " Did you see that ! " with a big grin after getting a serious PC hesitation .

He was one of a kind .

The canyons of Moab will always echo your laughter Schleafy ... and tomorrow morning's jump is for you my friend.

Mario
Vertigo

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I lived with Schlefy for a year and shared some of the most memmorable times of my life with him. He left me with a lot of memories and dog that speaks german! Ober offen titten geil my funk soul brother. If anyone knows how to contact Boshti(his friend in Berlin) Please let us know. Remember Schlefy, "Put your goggles on your foreskin".

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As a
>matter of fact, Keith just reminded me
>that it was demolished on Monday and
>condos put up. Honest; It's gone. Just
>like that...poof.
>

How high are the condos?

:-) 532

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Warren, Chaz and myself are glad "schlefy" was smiling. Later.

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Schleefy always kept us laughing on the rides to altitude. He will be greatly missed. Hi jules

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I don't really know what to say, Schlefy is my friend and brother, we shared alot of time together. It was the best time of my life, I miss him dearly, I love you schlefy. peace my friend

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I am very sad an numb since I received these tragic news. I have known Schlefy for almost 10 years and we have met when he was still living in Berlin. Fast paced and intensive was what we called living, doing bungy jumps and racing our motorcycles through town. I have loved him for being spontanious and outgoing and I call myself a good friend. When he caught my first tandem jump we both knew that the future ment skydiving and I instantly signed up for a class! Though I haven't seen or heard from him since Jan. '99 my heart aches...- my thoughts are with his family and friends.