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Imagine
the scene.
Driving up the
Sheikh Zayed Road
with the spectacular
Emirates
Towers
coming into prominence on the right. The
sun is shining and the sky is blue but
then all of a sudden something catches
the eye.
A small speck – surely
it’s a bird – comes hurtling off the
top of the tallest tower plummeting
towards the ground at 100 miles per
hour, seemingly out of control. Imagine
the horror when you realise that tiny
spec is actually a human being; and then
imagine the relief when you see a
parachute unfurl just yards from the
ground to break the fall.
It is a moment that would
stay with you for life, but one that is
being experienced across the world as
the adrenalin-fuelled - yet illegal -
sport of BASE jumping spreads.
There was a time when
throwing yourself from a building was
reserved for shirtless Wall Street
bankers and members of the SAS attached
to ropes but not anymore. BASE jumping
has become the golden ‘challenge’
for thrill seekers looking for that
ultimate rush.
BASE jumping takes its name
from the selection of structures that
these seemingly insane people like to
throw themselves from: B.A.S.E. –
buildings, antennas, spans (or bridges,
but BABE would sound a bit odd) and
earth (or cliffs to be more precise).
The ethos of the sport is simple: do not
get killed and do not get caught.
The official line is that
this extreme sport is yet to make its
way to the
United
Arab Emirates
but the rumour mill is full of a story
claiming that one young man has already
taken the plunge. This, however, is
strictly rumour and no confirmation is
available.
The basic score is to throw
yourself from a great height and then
open a parachute to slow your rapid
descent to the floor. Some of the venues
that have been conquered by jumpers in
the past are the Hilton Hotel on Park
Lane, Canary Wharf, Cheddar Gorge and
even the inside of St Paul’s
Cathedral.
No-one is certain when the
first BASE jump took place although it
can be traced back to the late 1970’s.
The world’s best BASE jumpers have
become folklore heroes to an army of
extreme sports fans and some of their
feats have become legendary. The recent
Hollywood
blockbuster Triple X showed heart throb
Vin Diesel BASE jump off a bridge in a
senator’s car and
Hollywood
has also captured this sport before in
movies like Drop Zone and Terminal
Velocity.
The 1990
St
Paul
’s
Cathedral leap was carried out in the
Whispering Gallery by Russell Powell.
The stunt catapulted the sport into the
world headlines and the former Royal
Marine managed to avoid prison stating:
“
St Paul
’s is open to the public and I have not hurt anyone!”
Powell may have escaped
unhurt but the sport has claimed its
fair share of victims. One of its most
famous daredevils, Xavier Bongard, died
during a BASE jump in
Switzerland
while one Swedish skydiver with 2800
jumps under her belt died on her first
BASE jump off a 3,000ft Norwegian cliff
after hitting a ledge. It is widely
believed that she ignored advice from
experienced BASE jumpers.
Authorities the world over
have been quick to condemn the sport and
some participants have been treated
harshly. Fines of up to $2000 have been
handed out and equipment confiscated.
One of the most tragic stories happened
in 1998 when ‘professional’ BASE
jumper Frank Gambalie successfully
jumped off El Cap in
Yosemite
National
Park
in
Arizona
but found park rangers were waiting for
him in the meadows. He tried to escape
by swimming across a river but
eventually drowned.
Although it sounds like
this ‘sport’ depends on nothing but
the insanity of the person taking part,
there is a great deal of skill involved.
Experts say that first time BASE jumpers
should have carried out at least 200
freefall skydives as all jumpers should
be trained in freefall skills so that
they can assume the correct body
position when jumping. Flying a few feet
in the wrong direction can put you in
all sorts of trouble when jumping in
confined areas.
Top draw canopy skills are
also required. The ability to turn and
land in areas where there is not a lot
of room for maneuver is no mean feat.
Packing your chute is also an essential
part of jumping. Reserve shoots are not
really used when BASE jumping, so there
is only one chance to get it right.
By the time a BASE jump is
completed there is more adrenalin in the
veins than blood. People who have done
it talk about being more sensitive to
the environment around them and noticing
much more of what is going on. Not
surprising that a new found love of life
is discovered having spent a mere 80
seconds in freefall leaving 10 seconds
to pull the chute and break the fall. It
is probably time for a change of
underwear when you finally touch down on
terra ferma!
The sport has taken a grip
world-wide as more and more daredevils
look to push themselves to the brink.
But a word of caution: throwing yourself
off buildings is not something to be
taken lightly. It appears that the
majority of BASE jumpers are not just
reckless individuals who jump off things
without a care in the world for the
safety of others or themselves. They
take a great deal of time over planning
and preparing for jumps and only people
who are prepared properly should take
part in this sport.
American BASE jumpers have
made several bids to be recognised as a
legal sport. Three years ago, they
struck a deal with park authorities to
do a mass jump in front of an organised
media without prosecution. It backfired
though. Jan Davies, a veteran with more
than 70 jumps over 16 years, was using a
borrowed chute and gear that had a chord
on the leg, unlike her chute which had
the chord on the back. She used borrowed
gear because she feared it would be
confiscated by rangers. Unfortunately,
she could not deploy the canopy and she
died instantly. Her death worked against
the sport and supported the view that it
was dangerous.
So while the UAE waits for
its first BASE jumper, you can be rest
assured that someone driving down that
Sheikh Zayed Road will be eyeing up the
Emirates Towers, and it won’t be to
marvel at its architectural brilliance!
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