Blue Skies Magazine » BASE

A word with Robert Pecnik

Macca — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:50:23 +0000

Robert Pecnik talks to Blue Skies Mag

The man behind the legandary wingsuit company Phoenix Fly and some of the most jaw droppingly amazing proximity flying videos is not normally one for giving interviews, so when BSM got the chance to tag along on one of his recent BASE trips, we quite literally jumped at the chance – No, seriously, we took a BASE rig. Well, it would be rude not to.

Robert Pecnik normally shies away from the media spotlight, preferring instead to focus his time on designing new, more advanced suits as well as BASE jumping his ass off as part of Team Need 4 Speed buzzing walls and flying lines that’ll leave you screaming at your monitor.

In this slightly rare video interview, we get up close and personal with Robert and ask him questions such as: Who are you? What do you do? Where do you think BASE and wingsuit skydiving are going? Oh, and, what the hell was the deal with your hamster??

BASE Fatality at Perrine Bridge

Lara — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:21:43 +0000

Pete Certain, an Alabama BASE jumper, died at the Perrine Bridge in Idaho Falls, ID on September 3. According to the BASE Fatality List, this is the sixth known Perrine fatality.

From waaytv.com:

Madison County, AL – Pete Certain lived his life to the fullest. The 1991 New Hope High graduate not only climbed Mount Everest, but completed thousands of jumps from airplanes and fixed objects. “He did over 3,000 and he said, I quit counting after 3,000. He said, I don’t count anymore,” says Pete’s mother, Avis Certain.

“I asked him one time, Son, do you have a death wish. He said, no, I have a life wish.”

Avis says her son loved to base jump, which is an activity much like sky diving. When base jumping, a thrill seeker will jump off a fixed object like a bridge. Like sky diving, the activity involves deploying a parachute as the participant gets closer to the ground.

Pete’s final jump was from the Perrine bridge in Twin Falls, ID. We’re told there were complications with his parachute and it did not get enough air to sustain his fall.

Avis says Pete knew the risk involved with every jump. “He told me, he said, mom, one reason I don’t want to marry, is because I don’t want to get killed skydiving or base jumping and leave a wife and children behind,” says Avis Certain.

Despite her pain, Avis says she takes comfort in knowing Pete lost his life doing what he loved.
“You can learn a lot from Pete. Live life to the fullest. Don’t let the weeds smother out your flowers,” she says.

Source: waaytv.com
Photo by: Alaskan Dude

3-2-1 FLARE!

Kolla — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:45:56 +0000

This video was shared with us by a good friend, who normally plays ninja at night, but can be seen here with a small group of good people in SoCal having some fun with BASE jumping – in broad daylight! The owner of the land is cool with them jumping there, but as our Ninja friend put it – “legal, but stupid low”.

Triple 2-ways – Sub 200 feet from Espadarte on Vimeo.

Hopefully you enjoyed watching that, we sure did. And… if you are good boys and girls and go sign this petition to help BASE being recognizing as an appropriate recreational activity in National Parks in the US – we might be able to get the Ninja to send us some more cool footage. Click click sign, it’s that easy.

The Great Book of BASE

Lara — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 18:00:11 +0000

The Great Book of BASE poster

Matt Gerdes has a new book out, “The Great Book of BASE.” Awesome title, and awesome video from him with some of his recent escapades. That’s right, “escapades.” The word just rolls off the tongue so nicely. Much like the drool that comes after watching the video.

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Hot Girl Wanted and other news

Lara — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:18:25 +0000

Mirage ad. Thank Ward.

Mirage Systems has an open call for “a hot, experienced skydiving girl [who] would like to be on a National TV show filming in late July.”
Judge rules Skydive City, [Freefall Express] must coexist until trial. <Tampa Bay Online>
Nutty lady claims highest freefall jump, despite … well, every skydiver’s common knowledge. Bonus round – find all the ridiculously funny problems with this backstory article. <AOL news>
Italian wins that other World Cup. Jump4Heroes was also there with their poppy canopies. <ProBASE World Cup>
VA Beach firefighters rescue SEALs from trees. <WAVY>

BASE documentary: Gravity

Kolla — Fri, 07 May 2010 01:32:35 +0000

BASE jumping. The activity itself is often shrouded in mystery, especially for the uninitiated. We skydivers are vaguely aware of them, but the where/when/how is usually not shared and therefore rarely witnessed.
That elusive hour, just when the hint of dawn begins to color the sky, belongs to the BASE jumpers. At least here in Florida. As a sub-species of the People of the Sky tribe, I think we can all agree that responsible BASE jumpers are like, totally cool.

Director Marah Strauch of Scissor Kick Films is working on putting together a non-fiction feature film, aiming to capture what it feels like to jump off a building, cliff or a bridge, and walk away alive. She wants to capture the essence of life, of freedom, of what it feels like to defy gravity for a moment and fly.
This is a huge project and Marah and her team are currently working to raise funds to be able to complete the work – specifically they are launching a fundraiser focused on the restoration and transfer to HD of the Carl Boenish film archive.

Please visit their Kickstarter fundraising page, where you can also get more information about the project. In Marah’s words, this film is meant to be more than a simple history of BASE, it is to be a film that will inspire BASE jumpers and non-BASE jumpers alike to follow their dreams. And here is her brand new blog.

Best of luck to the Gravity film team, we look forward to see the final product!

Baffin Island BASE Expedition

Lara — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:46:30 +0000

Baffin Island, Canada

The month-long Baffin Island BASE Expedition is on right now! Check out that link for a lot of cool information, including an up-to-date blog, mission info, team member profiles and photos and videos from the last trip to the island in 2008.

The team includes some pretty big names in the BASE world, including the PD Factory Team’s own Jay Moledzki. We were also really psyched to see so many chicks on the team. Yay, chicks!

Good luck to the whole expedition!

Extreme Curry Eating

ChiefMischiefMaker — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:22:25 +0000

Jump 4 Heroes

Jump4Heroes are just back from BASE jumping in Switzerland. Supporting The Soldiers’ Charity they did some proximity flying and some extreme curry eating. Similar to the extreme ironing board concept where people take an ironing board to all kind of weird and extreme places, the gauntlet has been laid down for extreme curry eating. The Charity is looking for people to do better so, if you think you’re up for the challenge, then send them your pictures or video.

See the TV interview below and a short edit of the jumps below that.

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My Summer Vacation by Jonathan Tagle

Lara — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:16:28 +0000

Sick wingsuit BASE video from JT. It may not be possible to get any closer to getting out and doing it yourself—which, of course, we highly encourage.

“Did you feel it?”

Lara — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:36:07 +0000

60 Minutes had a great piece about wingsuiting this week—very decent looking boys doing very decent flying. If you’re into either of those sorts of things. Enjoy!