Firstly ....the vision of dread haired 'adrenalin junkies' is a myth.
Most jumpers I know are quite the opposite...calm, analytical and very careful.
Entry is via 'First Jump Courses' ( often prvided by the gear manufacturers) and usually off a bridge ( less risk of hitting something other than the ground)
Most courses will ask for a minimum of 250 skydives....frankly this is far far too low and we all know it.
These are short courses and teach you 'just' about enough to stay alive...and thats it.
You are fully expected to follow up on that course with an extended period of time back home with an experienced jumper.....and if you have rushed in to the sport without adequate preparation, the welcome from them wont be a warm one.
There are other routes in via mentorship with an experienced jumper....but entry criteria will be much much higher.....more skydives, more related experience over a year or two ground crewing for a jumper, before you get anywhere near jumping.
After I decided I definatly wanted to do it, it took me two years in preparation...and I had 600 skydives at the time.....and I still felt I could have prepped a little more.
Between the dude who slammed against a cliff side
The risk of these kind of things is present on every jump...every one.
The more prepared you are the better able you are to not just deal with it but also help avoid it by configuring your gear appropriately and walking away from the jump when conditions are bad.....but...the risk of something going wrong is present on EVERY jump not matter how prpped you are.
Thats something you have to accept before you do your first BASE jump....and we all said
'yeah I do accept that risk' before we started jumping....we all say that a bit too quickly and a bit naively when starting off I'd say
You have to 'really' accept the potential consequences...which is serious injury or death, and its really not an easy acceptance , but one you must have before you start jumping.
Standing on the exit point looking down at the ground, isnt the best time to be having some doubt about whether you have really accepted those risks or not.
and the one who got done in Dubai
One of the best experiences of my jumping career....I seriously, have absolutely no regrets.
I looked at a picture of it and said.
'I'm going to climb that and jump off it'....and did.
Everything before and after that decision was just details.
Again it comes down to knowing the risks and truly accepting the consequences of what you are doing...then you can enjoy the journey it takes you on.
Another jumper said it much better than I ever could...something that didnt make alot of sense to me before I was a BASE jumper
'BASE jumping has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, but something I wouldnt recommend to anyone'
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