BASE gone wrong epic

[Dru]

Rescued from cliff near Golden

[iain]

Go Don!

[Dechristo]

The chute caught a small lip about 90 metres below the top of the cliff...

 

sounds like he prematurely ejected his parachute.

[Weekend_Climberz]

sounds like he prematurely ejected...

 

Typical male...oh wait ejection. Nevermind, carry on!

[catbirdseat]

That was one ballsy rescue.

[jmace]

when his parachute malfunctioned and pulled him backwards.

 

Sounds like one bad ass parachute.

[Dru]

Yeah no kidding, a properly functioning parachute should pull you FORWARD, right

[Dechristo]

or he hadn't allowed enough time to get himself far enough away from the wall, hence, the premature chute ejection speculation.

[PaulB]

Cowan was also helped by Don McTighe, a pilot with Alpine Helicopters who had taken the 25-year-old and his two friends to the cliff about 3 p.m. Sunday.

 

McTighe, who accompanied the search and rescue team on their Cormorant helicopter, said he was amazed by what he saw.

 

"The military did an absolutely tremendous job," he said. "It's amazing the skills they have and everybody in the country should be appreciative of what these guys can do for us."

That's some high praise coming from a pilot with Don's experience. Not sure that he does long line rescues though.

[Stemalot]

good training exercise for the military!

[JaapSuter]

The entire team (SARtech, Don, Golden locals) did an incredible job rescueing this guy. The speed, skill and professionalism with which this rescue was carried out speaks to the quality of our Canadian SAR forces. We should be proud and thankful we have such incredible people available to us.

 

As far as the incident itself goes; the jumper did not eject prematurely...

 

90 meters below exit is average for a BASE jump of this type. The real problem was stability problems in freefall because the snowboard hit an exposed rock at the exit point. Ultimately this caused the canopy to deploy facing the wall, rather than away from the wall. The jumper wasn't quick enough to turn the canopy around, bounced against the wall several times and ultimately got hung up on a little ledge.

 

Last year, several successful jumps were made from the exact same exit point (video here).

[JoshK]

Do BASE jumpers ever get fined for rescues as climbers and skiers have occasionally?

[JaapSuter]

Do BASE jumpers ever get fined for rescues as climbers and skiers have occasionally?

 

Do you mean fined for illegal or reckless behavior, or do you mean getting a (partial) bill for the rescue cost?

 

In BASE both have happened on occasion. This particular jump was entirely legal, and reckless behavior is really hard to prove in court. Is an experienced and well-trained BASE jumper more reckless than a hiker who gets lost in the woods because he can't use a compass? The line between stupidity and calculated risk-management is hard to define. The jumper talked to the RCMP afterwards who didn't mention anything about potential repercussions.

 

I do know that the jumper will be making a significant donation to a Canadian search and rescue fund, as well as to a local Golden charity. He's also making sure the rescue personnel involved is rewarded for its heroic actions.

[sobo]

...Last year, several successful jumps were made from the exact same exit point (video here).

 

Nice vid, especially the "BASE-cam" shot.

Could use a better soundtrack, though... rap music is an oxymoron.

[Dru]

Snowboard BASE? Why not just call it Baseboard like the heater