What Is Base Jumping
Base jumping is an extreme sport where participants parachute or wingsuit from fixed objects. The acronym BASE stands for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth. Jumpers exit from these objects and deploy a parachute to land.
Base Jumping vs Skydiving
Unlike skydiving from aircraft, base jumping uses lower altitudes and shorter freefall times. This leaves less margin for error, requires precise parachute deployment, and increases exposure to obstacles such as cliffs, structures, and terrain.
Risks, Gear, and Training
Participants study equipment, weather, and landing zones to manage risk. Common gear includes a parachute, harness, and often a wingsuit or drogue. Many jumpers train with experienced mentors and review incident data from organizations that document accidents.
For a detailed overview of risks and safety practices, see the Base Jumping entry on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_jumping.
