6.B.A.S.E. JUMPING
BASE jumping is without doubt an extreme sport which uses a parachute to jump from a fixed position. There are 4 categories of fixed object -
Building
Antenna (an uninhabited tower such as an aerial mast),
Span (a bridge, arch or dome),
Earth (a cliff or other natural formation)
- hence the name.
For Base jumping the parachutes are designed to open more quickly and at lower airspeeeds than normal parachutes. There is no reserve parachute as there would be no time to use it. A freefall from 150m takes just 5.6seconds. At the other end of the scale there have been jumps from peaks and cliff which are over 6000metres high.
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