Fly like an eagle....

I'm afraid of heights.

Moreover, with a vivid, overactive imagination I'm the type of person who would work himself into an absolute state in the hours leading up to a jump rendering me utterly incapable of actually going through with it.

But, jeeze, don't I wish I could do this!!



Don't let the ease and antics of these fellows fool you: base jumping is one of the riskiest activities you can engage in.

From Wikipedia:

BASE jumping grew out of skydiving. Although both share certain similarities, there are three main technical differences between the two. First, BASE jumps are generally made from much lower altitudes than skydives. Second, a BASE jump takes place in close proximity to the cliff or tower which provides the jump platform. Third, the BASE jumper generally has a lower airspeed than a skydiver throughout the jump, because a BASE jump starts with zero airspeed, and due to the limited altitude, a BASE jumper very seldom approaches the terminal velocity (airspeed) of a skydiver. All three factors have significant implications.

The BASE parachute system is designed to open very quickly at low airspeeds. Second, the cliff or tower presents a risk to the BASE jumper if, for example, the parachute opens facing backwards. An off-heading opening is not considered a problem in skydiving, but has caused fatal impact injuries in BASE jumping. Off heading opening resulting in object strike is the leading cause of serious injury and death in BASE jumping.

An experienced skydiver is recommended to deploy their parachute no lower than 2,000 feet (610 m). At that time, if they have already been in free-fall for at least 1,000 feet (305 m), the jumper is traveling 120 miles per hour (54 m/s), and is 11 seconds from the ground. Most BASE jumps are made from less than 2,000 feet (610 m). For example, a BASE jump from a 500 foot (152 m) object is about 5.6 seconds from the ground if the jumper remains in freefall. On such a jump, the parachute must open at about half the airspeed of the skydiver, and more quickly (ie. in a shorter distance fallen). Standard skydiving parachute systems are not designed for this situation. Many BASE jumpers use specially designed harnesses and parachute containers, with extra large pilot chutes, and jump with only one parachute - since, with a total freefall time of 5.6 seconds, there would be no time to use a reserve parachute.