News last night - wingsuit BASE

[ryallm]

Anyone see this on the beeb news last night? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7596528.stm Scary stuff - the guy survived with just a broken leg.

Mark

[GregR]

complete pillock.

Not having a go at adrenaline sports or anything, but it does irk me when you see a helicopter, x number of mountain rescue/paramedic types having to be brought in because someone's ego trip went wrong

[r055]

something similar.... kind of...

did anyone see this shallow diving guy in the paper this morning?

[ryallm]

complete pillock.

Not having a go at adrenaline sports or anything, but it does irk me when you see a helicopter, x number of mountain rescue/paramedic types having to be brought in because someone's ego trip went wrong

Unlucky rather than a pillock I would say. I have met quite a few base jumpers and they were all entirely calm, rational people who are into base jumping for their own reasons, not to prove anything to anyone else. I don't think they are generally are on an ego trip any more than, say, rock climbers. They just like challenge and excitement and are prepared to accept the risk that goes with it, and wingsuit base is in some ways less dangerous than base without a wingsuit.

[GregR]

Why was he filming it then?

[tenkfeet]

complete pillock.

Not having a go at adrenaline sports or anything, but it does irk me when you see a helicopter, x number of mountain rescue/paramedic types having to be brought in because someone's ego trip went wrong

Its was not ment to go wrong and he was not doing something reckless , its a calculated risk no different from driving your car , mountain biking or even crossing the road .

The mountain rescuers do a great job helping people enjoying the hills in what ever way they wish.

[GregR]

Tenk,

I respect your opinion. My opinion is that driving my car is far less of a risk than jumping off a mountain, in a leotard with wings and flying in between other mountains at speed in a remote location. That's probably borne out by the fact I've never wasted any paramedic/rescuer/helicopter time due to my own fault, or the fault of my equipment.

I'm not on the other side of the fence from you and your paragliding (sorry if its got a different name) or Mark and his jumping out of planes - I used to throw myself down hills at great speed and crashed often, and I've scaled a clutch of munros unroped going up the hard way but never required the services of anyone else than a first aider (or a welder! )

I just think this guy did this as either a publicity stunt or an ego trip - that's why the camera stayed on during the rescue. If he donates a nice chunk of his wedge to the rescue services for their time and effort saving his backside, then I've not got a problem with any of it. If he does, I'll eat my shoe.

If this was a report of another flip-flop wearing student that got benighted on Ben Nevis - I'd be typing the same post.

[graeme]

You'd think that in all the time it took you to type that you'd twig what utter pish it was...

[GregR]

You'd think that in all the time it took you to type that you'd twig what utter pish it was...

I'm sorry?

[meatball]

I can't believe this but I'm with the lawyer......
His accident meant other people had to risk their lives and lots of dosh was spent on the rescue?

Not sure what a compromise is though!
Its his life, his risk....but if it goes wrong?????

[BiggestNizzy]

Accidents happen, I don't see any difference between him and someone driving along a country road with a bullet cam attached to their car, luckily it happened in a place where the services and people are available to help you out when you make a right pigs ear of it, although I do think if your going to do some of these things then some insurance wouldn't be a bad thing to help pay for when it goes wrong. that way you get improved services if it does.

[pete]

So where do we draw the line Greg?

Mountain climbing, hill walking, yacht racing, power boat racing, motor racing, trackdays or just stuff that is filmed?
Is that like a Heisenberg thing that the very act of filming it changes the outcome?
Maybe anything with a worse than 5% chance of injury. No 1%. Oh this is hard. You decide.

Oh god I feel a Daily Mail editorial coming on BAN THESE SPORTS NOW. (Followed the next day by "It's Health and Safety gone MAD!!").

As an aside mountain rescue types do, I expect, recognise that there is fun to be had in them there hills which is why they volunteer to pull people off them when they run out of skill on them. But I could be wrong maybe they do it becasue they hate mountains and the deaths they cause...

[mac]

Perhaps if the base jumped hired safety crews, as required in motorsport, then perhaps some of the folk who don't get it (and I include myself) might be less peeved with the waste of resources?


Mac

[meatball]

Mountain climbing, hill walking, yacht racing, power boat racing, motor racing, trackdays

This wasn't addressed to me, however, to me (IMHO) the first two are very different to the rest, are they not?
There are no safety measures in place for the extra risk involved (compared to normal day to day actions), as opposed to the later in which case you PAY for the extra services available and measures are taken so others lives aren't risked!
I work day in day out with mountain rescuers......it is their love for the hills that makes them do it (they get paid to rescue people/recover bodies).
Again, this isn't a dig at extreme sports as I enjoy doing/watching them too!

[meatball]

I meant to ask......how much do you reckon that rescue cost?
Who paid for it?
Out of curiousity.