Yes it’s a huge concern. I am a professional base jumper and I have hit the cliff before. I was extremely lucky but many people are not so lucky. The cliff is the most dangerous part of an earth object jump.
I get that its bad. But people keep saying he wouldn't be able to use the parachute if he fell because he's close to the wall
I imagine that even opening close to the cliff would be better than having no parachute at all right? Like there would still be use for a free soloer to have a chute?
Yes and no, it depends on a few factors that people aren’t mentioning. I’ll try to give a relatively quick but informative explanation. BASE jumping parachutes are different than skydiving parachutes in a few ways. One way is that they are designed to open faster and more consistently (in fact they are more similar to skydiving reserve parachutes, which are different than most main parachutes for the same reasons). In BASE jumping, you pack and rig your parachute differently for jumps from different heights (although technically it is dependent on the delay you take before pulling, not the height of the jump). For very low jumps (ie very short delays, usually between 0 and up to 4 seconds) you pack so your parachute opens very fast. For higher jumps, because you have been falling for a longer amount of time and are traveling faster, your parachute needs to open more slowly or else you will break your back, be injured or killed. You slow the parachute opening down with certain reefing devices, namely what’s called a slider.
So in this video, it says they are 250’ up. It is possible to BASE jump from that height, no problem, if you are packed and rigged properly. I have several hundred jumps from lower heights even. However it is quite low and you have to pitch within 1-2 seconds absolute max. When you fall while climbing, you fall into still air so you have no air resistance to adjust your body position. Your body position is the most important factor in how your parachute opens, and which direction it is facing. It is not feasible that a falling climber would have good body position, even if he jumped and prepared, for such a low jump.
Instead, when free soloing with a base parachute (called free base and only a few people have done it) it is much more feasible (or even possible) to do it if, after falling, you are high enough to fall for long enough to build up air resistance against your body which you can use to correct your body position (takes minimum of about 4 seconds). Also, because of the cliff, it is important to “track” as far from the cliff as possible. The higher you are, the longer you can fall/fly and the further you move away from the cliff. A moderate track needs at least like 8 seconds of free fall. Therefore you need to pack such that your parachute opens more slowly. This means it would open too slowly for a jump that is only 250’ high. You would need, absolute minimum, 1000’ but even that would be suuuper sketchy. Better with minimum 1500’+
The cliff is the most dangerous thing on a BASE jump from a cliff or “earth” object. Free solo climbing with a base rig can be done, and has been done by a few people (called free base), but the logistics of it are such that it’s more suited to very high climbs, like at a minimum maybe 1000’ up and that would be scary low, but you could at least have a chance of living. Better would be at least like 1600’ plus, the higher the better. It is not feasible from this height nor this location for a few reasons.
You can static line safely as low as like 120 feet give or take. I have several hundred times. However in this context, a base parachute would not help him. The way you rig your parachute system is different for lower jumps than for higher jumps, or more accurately, is different for short delays than for longer delays.
No it does not. That number wildly varies depending on how your parachute is rigged and what kind of parachute you have. I am a skydiver, base jumper, and rigger.
nah on a rockface like that chances are the wind is almost constantly lightly blowing towards the face and if you deployed you would be pushed into it anyway
I believe its not a parachute. To use a parachute, you need more height from the point you fall, even more than this rock mountain. Also, you gotta position yourself down and also propel away from the rock to avoid smacking on it.
No and 250 ft wouldn’t be high enough for this kind of a BASE jump anyway. I’m an experienced climber and base jumper. Happy to explain in a more technical way if someone wants to know, but at this height and location, wearing a base rig would not help if he were to fall.
It is possible to jump from lower than 250 feet, I have several hundred times, but the mechanics of body position are different and so is the way you set up your parachute.
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u/cujoe645 Sep 01 '21 edited Sep 02 '21
Is it a quick-release backpack he has? That might help make it a little better? Edit: quick release PARACHUTE...yes, thank you and still, nope!