BASE Course Comparison/Info

[guest]

I am trying to decide whether to take a base course and which one to take:

Any input would be greatly appreciated. If you have been to one of these courses, which course did you go to, and do you feel like it was worth the time and money you put into it?

I have experienced friends I can learn from, but they are not necessarily experienced at teaching. It makes more sense to take a course, but only if they are actually good courses!

Please post any info, or flame me if you prefer }>

Peace,
May

[guest]

I took BR's course a year ago. I would venture to suggest that the greatest value in the course lies in two things...

(1) It provides some contact time with a manufacturer. These guys are, in turn, in contact with a very broad range of jumpers. You may be exposed to ideas as part of a course which your local jumpers haven't given much thought to. Maybe you'll disregard them in the end, but the important thing (I think) is that you've been exposed to them.

(2) It provides some basic information on a broad range of objects and situations.

Of course, you can get the first by travelling a bit and generally keeping your ear to the ground, and the second by hanging out with the locals for a few months before you do your first jump. You'll do that in the end, anyway. Your call as to whether or not you feel a course is a useful addition to your BASE career :P .

[space]

Rigging!
If the base course does not teach this as number 1, find another course.
To become a BASE jumper you must know how to configure your gear for the delay reliably. Nothing else matters if your gear isn´t set up properly.

1. Rigging the BASE rig
2. Advanced tracking
3. Canopy control including not only object avoidance, but accuracy landings also.
4. Weather conditions
5. Exit techniques (normally from a balloon).


Unless you are already a rigger, step
one will take around 50hrs. a lot you can do wherever you are,
No other priortization IMHO of the above makes sense if you wish to become an all rounder BASEr. The best
exit in the world is useless with faulty rigging, The
best canopy control skills are useless if you don´t
have time to implement them because you didn´t allow time or track
well enough... etc..
Just request what your instructor´s priorties are
regarding the above, and you can see the ability of
the instructor.
Take care,
space
PS, You can request that your instructor uses the
above priorty.

[Jolly Jumper]

1. Rigging the BASE rig
2. Advanced tracking
3. Canopy control including not only object avoidance, but accuracy landings also.
4. Weather conditions
5. Exit techniques (normally from a balloon).

The best track in the world is useless with a bad exit!!!!!! could you please exp your priority of those two?
otherwise : good stuff!

[crwper]

I wonder if you can explain the high priority you put on tracking. I've only done 130 BASE jumps so far, but haven't done anything longer than a 3-second delay. Many of my jumps have been static line sub-200-foot stuff.

It seems like basic exit technique is the most important thing, and lays a foundation for more advanced exit techniques. If you're doing a delay of some sort, tracking is a good technique to learn. If you plan to do a lot of static-lines, your time may be better spent learning to exit with minimal forward momentum so the canopy rocks less on opening.

I'd like very much to hear your thoughts on this.

Michael

P.S. I should say I agree whole-heartedly with your prioritization of rigging technique, canopy control, and weather stuff as fundamental skills.

[guest]

Hi May!

Basic Research offers a comprehensive first jump course for skydivers with a minimum of 150 jumps. If you'd like our brochures, I'd be glad to send them to you. Email me at Br@inland.net and send me your mailing address, and I'll get information out to you immediately. Also you can see our website at www.basicresearch.com.

IMHO, taking a jump course is the wisest way to begin BASE jumping. Heck, when you're 6 seconds or less from impact, I'd say having formal training is a pretty good idea.

Good luck!

Karen
BR

[guest]

im responding to your comment regarding good teachers; I took cr's course. If you are the math sort of person take cr's course. You will be presented with a survey of base, outline form, kind of a number/data/computer symbolic logic course. If you are the writer/poet/philospher/thinker kind of person (like me) dont take their course. They know their stuff, and I cant brag enough about their gear, but I dont think they know how to teach (even to the degree that they would have no idea what im talking about upon reading this sentence). I think they have regurgitated stuff so long that they think its redundant to go over it yet again, and they are the sort that wants to show you something one time and expects you to get it down. They prefer to show you something, not teach it to you. Im not saying its a bad course, but if you are the person who understands the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher where both are good, knowledgeable, well intentioned people; then you would do well to shop around. In your eyes and mine, cr effectively makes you feel uncomfortable about pushing for more lengthy coverage of important areas like rigging and packing. They'll tell you once, then say, "ok you got it? any questions?" If you didnt get it then with much looking at watches, and glances at eachother they will literally repeat exactly what they just said, without trying to find another way to tell it or attempt to understand what or how you missed the information (the hallmark of a good teacher). You dont get an impression of patience. An example of the cr format: when cr gets to am antennas in their outline (literally) they say, "ok, am antennas arent good, they can electrocute you, but sometimes your can get on them by jumping on them (clear of any ground). You can identify them usually by insulators at the base or guy wires." But they never show you pictures or video of what all that means or what am antennas or insulators look like. Please note that all the manufacturers are in this for the money, and that there likely is little difference between courses, but your best bet is to call around to match personality types/expectations; take the course to pick up the big picture, get equipment, and then set up with a mentor/tutor for the specifics of your sport.Start jumping with youre local crew. Hope this helps and please understand this is not meant to discourage you from cr but to make you a part of the process in terms of expectations/involvement. cya. ps. another person from the cr course i was in, and i discussed the course afterwards and came to exactly the same verdict--but they were the same class of person as myself.

[space]

For your type of jumping, Maximum forward motion seems to be the way to go, canopy rocking should not be a prob, or if it is, I think you should consider it a gamble.
Granted that I now teach from high to low. Horizontal clearence from the object is always the goal. minimal forward momentum seems sucky, I can see no advantage in this.
Take care,
Space

[space]

On the contrary,
A bad track won´t get you away from a wall.
Simple,: bad exit, bad track, close to the wall. Bad exit, good track, cya wall.
Does this make sense?
Or try this; Great exit, no/bad track….
Take care,
space

[imported_mknutson]

Please add your comments to the BLiNC Review Section.

http://www.blincmagazine.com/reviews/Training/

[imported_mknutson]

Please add your comments to the BLiNC Review Section.

http://www.blincmagazine.com/reviews/Training/

[guest]

Hi friend, if you can take a real BASE course include real BASE jumps.
Ask to Vertigo
www.vertigobase.com
You find teory, experience, excelent rigs and real BASE jumps.
You find a Balloon course or a Buunge course???, NOO, you find a real BASE course.
The only way to learn BASE is jumping BASE.

NICO

[guest]

In my opinion "June" is way off "base." I took CR's course and it was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

The instruction was comprehensive and excellent in every way. I teach at a major university and, in my opinion, the teaching skills exhibited by those at CR would be considered at the top of the scale at my institution.

They effectively taught all the important elements of base jumping (packing, exits, equipment rigging, etc.). Importantly, however, they tailored their instruction to my specific skill level and safety was always paramount. Also, if I wanted to spend more time on something they spent more time on it. During the course you also get to go utilize what they have taught in an actual base jump.

I also want to add that your relationship with CR does not end after the course. They specifically tell you that taking the course means that you should feel free to use them as a consultant on future jumps. I have taken advantage of this service and their help has been invaluable.

In short, it is a great course and the information that I gained has played a large part in keeping me safe and uninjured. If anyone needs more info on the course feel free to contact me at jwade@bus.wisc.edu or better yet call CR and sign up!!
Jim

[speed]

:)

[base587]

Being relatively upright on launch is very important to minimize the pendulum action that can screw your landings on low S/L's over hard ground (from experience, Crwper and I are talking the 111'-140' range). An overly aggressive launch can mess you up.