Then I would like to be be doing this...
When its cold outside and your enjoying a warm mug and have nothing pressing to do, the mind start to wonder.
What would I really like to do if i wasn't doing Xterra?
Well, BASE jumping has always fascinated me. The closest I've come to it has been tandem sky diving and bungee jumping. But I've always followed the sport and kept an eye out in the BASE world, wandering what its like to be part of there secret society of thrill seekers.. (like these guys!)
Base jumping isn't quite the secret club it used to be. The well know modern images make the sport seem easy and fun, with jumps performed by graceful athletes, backed up by pumping soundtracks and sunny weather, it just leave you thinking''''how hard can this sport be?
After all, its just jumping from a BUILDING ARIEL SPAN or EARTH with a chute to stop you splatting at the bottom. If your mad enough to jump then your half way there?
After scrolling the net I made a few interesting discovery's, that show its not such a free ride and in fact BASE jumpers and Xterra Pro's have alot more in common than I thought...
6 things about BASE and Xterra:
1,It not a case of buy a chute and jump! A recommended average of 150 skydives works well for BASE. More is often better.That's alot of training and learning to be good at your chosen sport
Theres also alot of commitment needed to master the skills,of swimming offroad riding and trail running
2, It's selfish and an accident can have big consequences. You can get injured or find yourself in a hospital bed for six months?
Just like mountainbiking accidents and even bad falls in running
3, You lose sleep to make night jumps? You will be at work the next day, overdosing on caffeine to stay awake.
Just like over training periods or when you have travelled home late from a race, to tired to even think straight
4, Your have to deal with being forced to climb down for the tenth time because security showed up, the winds got worse, or something just didn’t feel right? You have to deal with disappointments?
Injury's,Punctures,cancelled races, mechanicals etc etc can also make racing disappointing sometimes
5, Dispite the lack of plane rides needed most jumpers agree that BASE is more expensive than skydiving!(Up to £10k a year)
An average Xterra costs around £400 when you have paid travel/hotel/food/entry's etc
6, You need to be able to handle the confusion and misunderstanding from the non-jumping people around you? While a few may understand and support you, there is a good chance that some your friends and family-members will be disappointed, upset or even get angry with you for being selfish.
Probably the biggest similarity of all 20+hrs a week of training, plus travel and maintaining kit, takes a big toll on everyone else too
So I guess my BASE days will have to wait, with a sky diving course to see my ready to jump alone from a plane costing £1200 and then a further more 130 jumps to make at £50 a shot, its going to take alot more than this years winnings to cover that little lot, and more time to complete it than the spare 2weeks I have at the end of the season.
So for now its probably best for me to stay focused on exhausting my Xterra potential before moving on to a new addiction
