BASE Jumping History « Base Jumping

BASE Jumping History

BASE jumping is a sport involving the use of a parachute or the sequenced use of a wingsuit and parachute to jump from fixed objects–with the parachute unopened at the jump. “BASE” is an apronym that stands for the four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump:

Building

Antenna

Span

Earth

The acronym “BASE” was coined by film-maker 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 (from El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park) to be made using ram-air parachutes and the freefall tracking technique. 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 more dangerous than similar sports such as skydiving from aircraft, and is currently regarded by many as a extreme sport.

In 1990, there were an average 500 base jumpers. Right now, in 2008, there are approximately 1300 base jumpers.

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 January 18th, 1981, they became the first to attain the exclusive BASE numbers (BASE #1 and #2, respectively), having already jumped from antennae, spans, 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.

The most popular spots of Earth base jumping are in Norway and in differents mountains of the world. The most popular Buildings are the

B for Building: