Base Jumping Events

BASE is an acronym for Building, Antennae, Span, Earth, and thus represents the fixed-objects from which BASE jumps are made. If you are considering trying BASE jumping without proper instruction - Beware: BASE jumping is a high risk activity and has resulted in serious injuries and death! Extreme Sports Cafe will not be held accountable for the consequences of the irresponsible use of information it provides.

B.A.S.E is a acronym for the four main fixed object categories to jump from:

• B - Building (Skyscrapers, Statues)
• A - Antenna (Radio antennas, Cranes)
• S - Span (Bridges, Cable cars)
• E - Earth (Cliffs, Caves)

Objects with a hybrid definition: Smokestacks, Dams, TV Towers

Malaysia’s First BASE Jump at Menara Kuala Lumpur...KL Tower

• The first BASE Jump in Malaysia was Sunday, 3rd October 1999 at Menara Kuala Lumpur. The event was one of the highlights of Menara Kuala Lumpur’s 3rd Anniversary Celebrations. This event is listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as the First Malaysian BASE Jump. Participants were Capt. Abdul Rahmat Omar, Lt. Aziz Ahmad and Martin Dumas, a Canadian. They jumped off the broadcast part of the Tower Head at Level TH05 from a height of 300 metres.
  
• On 1st February 2001, Malaysia and the world witnessed the first BASE jump on an international format at Menara Kuala Lumpur. 50 International Jumpers were invited to participate. The event gained recognition around the world and BASE Jumping fraternity. It took place in conjunction with Federal Territory Day celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. 

Malaysia was the first country in the world to host such a big BASE jumping event off a building. There were 434 jumps completed during this event. The event gained recognition around the world and BASE jumping fraternity.

• Execution of the jump - The jumper must allow a free fall of about three seconds to clear the tower-head section before deploying their chute. From a height of 300 metres, without a parachute, it takes only 10 - 12 seconds to reach the ground. A specific area has been targeted as the primary landing zone.
  
• The Risks involved - The safety margin in a normal free fall exercise is 800 metres, the minimum height at which a jumper may deploy the chute safely.At the height of 300 metres, the jumper would have approximately 12 seconds to react should a problem be encountered. 

Since that very first event in 1999 Malaysia and with the success of Kuala Lumpur International Tower Jump 2001, the event was extended in 2002 to include Menara Alor Setar in Kedah.These dual events made Malaysia the only country in the world to undertake two events of this nature.

'A WORLD FIRST, TWO TOWERS, TWO JUMPS'

• KL International Tower Jump 2002 and Alor Setar International Tower Jump 2002 - Over 40 jumpers from all over the world participated.
• Malaysia International Championship of Xtreme Skydive 2002 - 57 participants from 16 countries took part in the event.
• Malaysia International Championship of Xtreme Skydive 2003 - 43 competitors from around the world participated.
• KL International Tower Jump 2004 and Alor Setar International Tower Jump 2004 -  over 40 BASE jumpers from around the world participating. 
• KL International Tower Jump 2005 and Alor Setar International Tower Jump 2005 - 300 jumps were complete at Menara Alor Setar by 12 jumpers. At KL Tower 46 BASE jumpers completed 650 jumps
• World Record - Most BASE Jumps in 24 Hours On 31st December 2005 - Australian BASE jumper Gary Cunningham set the world record for the most BASE jumps done in 24 hours. He completed 133 jumps. Gary was assisted by a team of 12 people packing his parachutes.
• KL Tower International BASE Jump Merdeka Circuit 2006 - Malaysia became the first country to host a BASE jumping event which included 5 different buildings.
• KL Tower International BASE Jump Merdeka Circuit 2007 - 98 BASE jumpers from 18 countries join Malaysia in its golden celebration commemorating 50 years of independence or merdeka. Over 3 weeks and including 6 buildings in 5 different states of Malaysia. 2780 jumps were completed during the event.
• KL Tower International BASE Jump Merdeka Circuit 2008 - More of a training camp for 10 Malaysian BASE jumpers, to hone their skills BASE jumping off buildings. They were joined by 40 International jumpers at KL Tower. Over 4 weeks and including 6 buildings in 5 different states of Malaysia. Over 1200 jumps were completed during the event. 

Apex First Jump B.A.S.E Course...

This course is for experienced skydivers only. If you are not an experienced skydiver with good accurate landing skills then please refer to our Skydiving Courses first. Thanks.

Apex - First BASE jump course.The BASE Course runs year round.  Just a note: December, January and February are very cold months and snow is a possibility. The number one requirement is that all students for the BASE course arrive with AT LEAST 100 skydives, with an emphasis on canopy control and accuracy. You also need to be current. Min 4 person booking per date. (individual bookings welcome) To start, contact us and we will let you know which dates are available. Min 4 person required for a course date to be confirmed. Once we have min 4 for a set date we then can get you booked in.....

• We begin by sending you the course outline and packing video tape. This will allow you to study and practice packing before actually beginning the course. By having a basic knowledge of the BASE pack job prior to arriving at the course, there won't be quite so much to absorb during the already very full 3 day course. We take 2 students max per instructor at any course, assuring you the utmost in attention to your individual needs. We move along at your pace, concentrating on the areas that you are most concerned with. 
• You fly in to Salt Lake City no later than 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning. We will pick you up at your gate at Salt Lake City International Airport. We will then drive up to a legal bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.  It is called the Perrine Bridge and it is 485 feet to the water.  We check in to our hotel rooms or at the KOA campground during the warm seasons and begin packing lessons, which will continue throughout the weekend. We then go over all malfunctions, how to safely jump this bridge, landing procedures and site assessment. We will do some practice exits into the pool at the hotel and answer any remaining questions you may have concerning this jump.

Throughout the weekend we will slowly go over what it takes to safely jump from the Earth, Antennas, Buildings as well as Spans and a host of other subjects that you will need to know to become a safe BASE jumper..

• We will also cover how to safely do static line, and pilot chute assisted jumps for lower objects.
• We will cover pilot chute sizes and delays, explain why you jump slider up or no slider, and how to pack for each one.
• We will go over how to determine whether an object is safe to jump, how to determine the altitude of the jump, how to best use the exit point, whether the conditions are safe to jump in, how to assess the landing area, and other factors to consider when jumping various objects.
• We will cover all possible malfunctions both slider up and no slider and how to best deal with each situation.
• We will also go into a detailed description of modern BASE gear and the options that are available and suitable for the various jumps.

You will begin jumping, starting with a pilot chute assisted jump and progressing to free-fall.  The reason we start with a static line is to give you plenty of time under canopy to get used to the canopy and set up for landing.  We will then hike out or get picked up by boat underneath the bridge and taken back to the public park on the river to pack. Each time we pack, you will be supervised and instructed on various methods that are used in BASE jumping.

The BASE Course includes at least 5 BASE jumps, weather permitting, although very few of our students have left with fewer than 6 jumps. On Sunday afternoon, we will drive you back to Salt Lake City Intl. Airport. Besides the 5 BASE jumps and the BASE Packing Video Tape our Course also includes free use of BASE specific gear.

• At approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday we will depart for Salt Lake City International Airport.
• You should schedule your flight to depart no earlier than 6 p.m. on Sunday night.
• The airport is approximately three and a half hours from the bridge.

Once you take the Apex Base course, you will be family for life. As a policy, we invite all of our past students to come join us at any future course that we hold at the Perrine. If it's only been a month or two and you simply want someone to look over your pack jobs and someone to jump with, there is no charge. If it's been longer than that and you really would like full time guidance, a nominal fee will apply. This is when we start working on 2-ways, going stowed, floater exits, etc... Once you have at least 70 jumps (provided you are solid at that point) you are then invited to come join us in Moab, Utah. We do require you go through our ABAT Course for additional training in how to assess and safely jump the cliffs that surround this area. 

• The Base course fee includes all of the above and more importantly, every time we return to the bridge for future courses, our past students are invited to join us for any further instruction desired at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU!  Gas for the car on the trip to and from the bridge as well as shuttle rides from the park to the bridge after each jump is included.
• It does not include airfare, your hotel room, food, or the boat rides. ($6.00 per ride approx)
• Additional packages are available for those who would like to stay longer than the weekend.

Accommodation info...

• If you need a Hotel while in Salt Lake City, Motel 6 is pretty inexpensive ($35 for one person from Sunday through Thursday).
• There are also other hotels next to Motel 6 just in case you prefer to stay somewhere else. Toll free # for Motel 6 is 1-800-466-8356 or 801-364-1053 (1990 North Temple address).
• Days Inn Airport, toll free # 1-800-329-7466 or 801-539-8538 (1900 W. North Temple).
• You can take an airport shuttle to the hotels close to the airport for about $3.
• You should call or e-mail them for reservations: Xpress Shuttle toll free #  1-800-397-0773 (if in the US) or 801-596-1600. Their website is: www.xpressshuttleutah.com

How to get the most bang for your buck...

• Arrive with a working knowledge of the BASE pack job.
• Watch the video that you are sent prior to the course.  It is exactly what we will be teaching you at the course including both slider up and no slider pack jobs, how to put them into different containers, get familiarized with the BASE specific toggles and brake line system, and much more.

If you arrive with a working knowledge of packing, you will save a lot of time throughout the weekend, resulting in more jumps and a much better understanding of a BASE pack job because we will simply be fine tuning your pack job as opposed to starting from scratch.

• Read and re-read the manual you will be sent.  You will be given A LOT of information all packed into a 3 day weekend.  Having familiarized yourself with this information prior to arriving will make it much easier for you to digest.
• Watch your local rigger pack a reserve.  Most riggers pack almost identically to a BASE pack job up until it starts getting S-folded for the free bag. You can beg any BASE jumpers in your area to let you watch them pack.
• You can get some seven cell time under your belt. Ask the local CRW guys to take you up on some jumps. Crew is great for BASE jumping because you are always on your risers which will save your life some day. Landing a seven cell is also best practiced on a nice manicured lawn at the local DZ instead of the often less than perfect conditions found at most BASE sites. The bridge has an excellent landing area, but in the event of a malfunction, you may have to land in one of the alternate landing areas, which are good, but not great.

Here are some canopy drills you can practice at your dz:

When you jump from the airplane with your canopy, make sure that you use a sail slider with the brake lines through both the slider grommets and the guide rings on the risers.

• Practice turning your canopy around instantly with your rear riser both right and left on different jumps.  Do this immediately, before you unstow your brakes.  Then without unstowing your brakes, practice backing your canopy up with your rear risers.  You are not backing your canopy up until your pilot chute is in front of your canopy.  Stick with it. It is scary at first, but you need to become comfortable with this flight characteristic. You have plenty of altitude, as you really shouldn't practice this maneuver below 2000 feet while skydiving, although with BASE jumping you will be doing this sometimes below 200 feet.
• Next, unstow one brake and try to counteract the turn with the opposite riser.  This is simply an exercise to familiarize yourself with the flight characteristics of your canopy.
• You should now unstow both toggles and stick them on their Velcro.
• Practice flying your canopy around with your rear risers.
• Practice backing your canopy up with rear risers.
• Fly forward in full flight and pretend that it is time to land. See how little input is required (as opposed to a toggle flare) on both rear risers to flatten the canopy out to land.

It should be noticed at this time that the canopy goes from a flat glide to a stall almost instantly. If you are near the ground, this could have very serious consequences. This is the biggest problem with landing on rear risers. You can only flatten the glide slope out, you really can't do a nice flared landing. Expect to run out your landing. If you're feeling really brave and have good boots on, you can actually practice a landing or two with just your rear risers. It is better to just practice this up high and find the stall point. Save the actual landing if and when you actually need it, as it usually isn't very pretty.

• You can arrive with the necessary equipment for your own safety. These items include a helmet, knee pads, and boots.  
• Apex can supply you with the best boots available.  They are specifically designed for paragliding and have maximum support as well as many other great features. (Han Wag Fly 2000 boots) Please contact us if you have any questions.

If you are considering trying BASE jumping without proper instruction - Beware: BASE jumping is a high risk activity and has resulted in serious injuries and death! Extreme Sports Cafe will not be held accountable for the consequences of the irresponsible use of information it provides.

This Base course is for experienced skydivers only! If you are not an experienced skydiver with good accurate landing skills then please refer to our Skydiving Courses first. Thanks.

If you want to learn to skydive we have lot's of options and many many more locations..

So, what’s it to be and where’s good for you? 

• A Skydiving Tandem Jump: Where you can be in the air and jumping out of a plane strapped to an instructor quicker than you can say 'I'm not sure about this....'
• A Skydiving I.F.F.  (Introduction to Free Fall) Course: This 2 day Level 1 Course is designed to give you a taste of our sport: Ground Training & an AFF level 1 Jump with two instructors.
• Or perhaps a Skydiving A.F.F. (Accelerated FreeFall) Course: where on your first jump you leap out of a plane 2.5 miles up in the air with two highly experienced instructors, quickly followed by your cameraman. 
• Learn in a Wind Tunnel...Vertical wind tunnels ("indoor skydiving" or "bodyflight"): You can always improve your skydiving freefall skills, or simply start to learn to skydive in a Wind Tunnel...you can always improve your skydiving skills, or simply start to learn to skydive in a Wind Tunnel...  

Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

Because the door opens ;-)

Skydiving Courses and experiences from Extreme Sports Cafe

All of our skydiving courses and experiences can be booked online.

Skydiving Certification - National parachuting associations exist in many countries, many affiliated with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), to promote their sport. In most cases, national representative bodies, as well as prudent local dropzone operators, require that participants carry certification, attesting to their training, their level of experience in the sport, and their proven competence. Anyone who cannot produce such bona-fides is treated as a student, requiring close supervision. Skydiving Certification - All Extreme Sports Cafe Skydiving Courses follow the relevant skydiving guidelines set by the governing body for the relevant area/country. The USPA (United States Parachute Association) and The BPA (British Parachute Association) are 2 of the most common skydiving bodies, issued certifications and affiliated centers found all over the world.

Who runs our Skydiving courses?

Extreme Sports Cafe and it's partners run Sky diving courses & experiences in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, U.K., Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Canada, Zambia and Venezuela. We are quite confident that we have Europe, Asia and Africa covered with a range of exciting, challenging and fun courses or experiences for you to learn to skydiving in most parts of the world and will have more drope zones (skydiving centers) elsewhere soon...

Where do I take it from here?

You can go on to improve your sky diving with more practice and advanced courses allowing you to, take part in competitions worldwide, become an instructor and teach others, join a club and buy your own sky diving equipment and go skydiving whenever you want. Let us know how we can help...

Skydiving books we recommend...

Skydiving in Eight Days

Fully illustrated with photographs and diagrams. "Skydiving In 8 Days" is the first book ever published on this modern approach to sport parachuting. It provides a unique introduction to one of the world's most thrilling sports, and describes in detail the mental attitudes and techniques necessary to master it.

Parachuting: The Skydiver's Handbook

The newest, most up-to-date, complete jumping text available. In 400 pages and 260 illustrations you are taken from first jump through advanced skydiving and canopy flying. The chapter on emergency situations is full of statistics and reveals the best solution to possible challenges. Learn all about your equipment; what to look for, what repairs you can make, and when to take your gear to a rigger. This book will be your basic text and constant reference. Completely revised, softcover, 5.5 x 8.5, 400 pages, 260 illustrations, four-color cover.

From the Author - Parachuting / Skydiving is continuously growing & evolving.

Dan Poynter and I have attempted to bring to you, the reader (novice or experienced), the latest information available which covers many aspects of the sport. It is our hope that this book will be used by you as a tool to increase your learning about the sport. We have addressed several training and controversial issues openly and honestly, attempting to give full merit to both (or more) viewpoints when more than one right answer is available. This book is a "living document" and will continue to change as the sport changes and grows. Each successive issue (from the very first one that I used to study the sport over 21 years ago) has been written with that philosophy in mind; one of continuous improvement.

We hope you like the book, and if you can think of anything else to add, please feel free to contact one of us with your suggestions! Blue, Clear, and Calm Skies to y'all.

If you have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to get back to us – we’ll be only too pleased to help. After all, the team at ESC are passionate about our various sporting disciplines – we want you to be, as well!

GET IN TOUCH WITH US NOW TO START YOUR SKYDIVING ADVENTURE…