How do I find a mentor?

[dietrying]

I am going to start BASE jumping soon and I wanted to know How do I find a mentor?

thnks

[Thijs]

I am going to start BASE jumping soon and I wanted to know How do I find a mentor?

If you haven't found a mentor yet, you will not start basejumping soon. To find a mentor, meet up with the local basejumpers at your dropzone. Talk to them, get to know them, go with them when they plan to jump, ground crew for them, buy lots of beer for them, be there slave for sometime. In the mean time they will teach you some things about basejumping, skydive with you and see how you do in the air. A mentor isn't someone you meet up with, and he teaches you in an afternoon everything about basejumping. Going to basejump is not like a skydive first jump.
Do you really want to basejump? How long have you been interested in base? I have been interested for the last three years in base, and have follow the sport upclose for the last year (reading the boards every day, searching stuff...) and I have changed my mind often about wether starting or not starting jumping. When you follow the sport from up close you'll read about people dieing, you'll be reading some-one post on the board, the next morning you'll get up and read that they went in that night. Even if I don't know him/her in person, I still feel sad about it (maybe this is just me). Every fatality or injury report makes me question if I want to start jumping. I've never lost anyone to the sport, but getting to know people that do jump, it will just be a matter of time before one of them gets hurt or worse (be safe guys). Base is a sport, where even if you do anything right, you can still die (and there are some fatalities related to simple, bad luck).
You're still young, how many skydives do you have? Get to know some more about base, read, read, read, read, until you're tired of reading and then continue to read...
Be sure to know what you get into, don't rush yourself in. Wait a couple of years to jump, base will still be there. The trick is that you'll be still there.
Base is still even far away from me, I'm still young, planning to start skydiving this summer.
Hope this helps a bit. Good luck.

[Mac]

I am going to start BASE jumping soon and I wanted to know How do I find a mentor?

thnks

Prove to people you are serious about BASE. This means doing all the research (alot of research), doing 100's of skydives with BASE in mind (canopy control, accuracy, CReW, drills) then buying gear, skydiving the gear, and then paying alot of money to do a FJC with a manufacturer.

This will stand you in good stead for someone experienced enough to consider you are serious about this sport - and even then it does not mean you will find a mentor. The next step is choosing the correct mentor for you - just because someone says they will take you jumping, does not mean this is a good idea for you to take them on as a tutor.

[dietrying]

I know that I am still young, i have been interested in BASE for ten years. I saw this guy jump off Lovers Leap when I was 6. I wanted to do it ever sinse then. I have read of people diying but I still wish to jump. i know that this takes time, and i didn't mean for my last reply to sound like i wanted to rush. I do value my life. I have talked to some BASE jumpers, and a lot of them tell me that I don't want to do it, but I do and i don't believe that anything could change my mind. At the moment I am finishing up my college finals, then I am going to be skydiving mor often.

Thanks for the help. And if there is any mor advice you have for me it would be great.

PS I cant buy them beer. I am only 16 ight. But that is a good idea.