> I've managed to have a somewhat clean track record in my two years in the sport, with only two broken bones
...
> It does, and most BASE jumpers that I know / have met / have taught
2 years in the sport, already broke yourself twice, and already "teaching" other jumpers?
Don't forget to burn some sites on youtube and facebook, to complete the package. Remember - if you didn't get any likes for it, the jump never happened.
Watching people discuss BASE on a tech forum feels like watching technology being discussed on a knitting forum.
To clarify, it was one landing where I broke two bones. Made a bad decision at the bridge on my 9th jump and broke both sides of my ankle smoking into the side of the canal. I tell everyone I know exactly how I ended up in that situation, what my decision making process was, and how I assess jumps now in order to not put myself in the same situation again.
Also, I work at a large dropzone and with a well-organized group to help coach new jumpers along the way. Me breaking myself on my first weekend is a pretty strong coaching moment that I've watched shift people's view on the sport.
Happy to let you know who I am in real life if you feel this strongly that I'm part of the problem.
"Watching people discuss BASE on a tech forum feels like watching technology being discussed on a knitting forum."
I'm not so sure: BASE is expensive. Think about the demographic in here: tech workers, probably a lot of them doing reasonably well financially, and probably quite a few are outdoorsy.
Any of these hobbies is expensive when you really get into them: BASE, mountain-biking, motorcycling, climbing, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, skydiving. Yet you find lots of techies doing all of them because they can actually afford to.
Except, I wasn't talking about whether or not people could afford to do it (though, BASE is only expensive if you make it expensive - or get arrested), or whether it was likely that some people in the tech industry were jumpers (I know for a fact that many jumpers work in tech).
I was talking about the actual content of the many cringeworthy comments coming from people who were clearly trying to sound informed on a subject they don't understand. Like a knitting circle discussing cryptocurrency.
I see it constantly when anything about flying comes up as well. One or two actual pilots will show up, and 500 people who did an intro lesson or got to take the controls in a friend's plane once, will start trying to share their vast knowledge of the finer points of powered flight.
