About BASE

BASE jumping, also sometimes written as base jumping, basejumping or fixed object jumping, is an activity that employs a

parachute

Parachute

or the sequenced use of a

wingsuit

Wingsuit

and parachute to jump from fixed objects, with the parachute unopened at the jump (else see

paragliding

Paragliding

).

"BASE" is an acronym that stands for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump:
* Building
* Antenna
* Span
* Earth

The acronym "BASE" was made up by film-maker

Carl Boenish

Carl_Boenish

, his wife Jean Boenish, Phil Smith, and Phil Mayfield. Carl was the real catalyst behind modern BASE jumping, and in 1978 filmed the first BASE jumps to be made using ram-air parachutes and the freefall tracking technique (from

El Capitan

El_Capitan

, in

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite_National_Park

). While BASE jumps had been made prior to that time, the El Capitan activity was the effective birth of what is now called BASE jumping. BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous than similar sports such as skydiving from aircraft, and is currently regarded by many as a fringe

extreme sport

Extreme_sport

or

stunt

Stunt

.

BASE numbers are awarded to those who have made at least one jump from each of the four categories. When Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield jumped together from a Houston skyscraper on 18 January 1981, they became the first to attain the exclusive BASE Numbers (BASE #1 and #2, respectively), having already jumped from antennae, Spans (Bridges), and earthen objects. Jean and Carl Boenish qualified for BASE numbers 3 and 4 soon after. A separate "award" was soon enacted for Night BASE jumping when Mayfield completed each category at night, becoming Night BASE #1, with Smith qualifying a few weeks later.

During the early eighties, nearly all BASE jumps were made using standard skydiving equipment, including two parachutes (main and reserve), and deployment components. Later on, specialized equipment and techniques were developed that were designed specifically for the unique needs of BASE jumping.

See Timeline for more historical details of BASE Jumping.

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