BASE jumping is parachuting from a fixed location. From buildings, antennas, bridge (spans), a cliff (earth), the top of the Olympic stadium mast or even a crane! At JACKALOPE, it is almost mandatory to jump from the mast of the stadium but this year it will be under repair, the orange cones go that far up! That means that this year the jumpers will take off from the top of a crane and in some cases in tandem too! What does it change? It changes everything. We spoke with Cath V.Roy, one of the jumpers who participated in the organization of these future crane jumps. Read on to find out what will be unique for 2022.
Not the first time
Cath V Roy: “During a shoot for JACKALOPE TV, we jumped from a crane from the Gaétan Roy company. He lent us a crane that is 330 feet high. We’re doing it again, this time in front of your eyes! It is this same crane that we will use to jump on the esplanade and we will land near the Vans skatepark. Sherbrooke Street will be closed and we will position the crane according to the winds that day so it will be very cool. It’s a little lower than the stadium mast, so more difficult: we have to get ready quickly , and it is also somehow more exciting and spectacular for the public. »
The first time
There will be a first this year: the tandem jump. This is a first in Canada. It is just like you see in a parachute when someone jumps for the first time and is attached to an experienced jumper. Some people from the public will have the chance to jump with the famous Andy Lewis! (He slacklined during the Super Bowl halftime show with Madonna and innovated a lot in both BASE Jump and slackline.)
Cath: “There will be three winners of a contest organized by Videotron. There are still height and weight criteria to be respected for safety reasons, but it is open to everyone. We invited Andy Lewis because he is one of the only people in the world to do that. He has a small business in Utah where he does it so he has a lot of experience but it will be the first time here in Canada and in an urban setting. »
A gang of adrenaline junkie who compete for fun
The competition will similar to what we have already seen at JACKALOPE, it is a question of landing on the target of about 20 feet in diameter and as close as possible to the center. There will be 15 jumpers in addition to Andy Lewis and then if the conditions allow it, they will try to jump about 8 times each. We will have the opportunity to see them make several variations before the big moment of the precision competition presented by the Voltige skydiving school.
Cath: “The people who will be there are the coolest among the BASE Jump community which is very small and tightly knit. It’s a nice bunch who meet often to do a sport so intense that it creates a special bond. We are all going to live together in a loft for the weekend and I know that will generate an energy that will be transmitted to the crowd who will watch us jump. »
All the jumps are not equals
Catherine explains that there are different types of jumps: “waterfall”, “rollover”, “tard” and there are others. The difference is in the ways of deploying the parachute and in the ways you take off. In summary, you can launch your parachute with your hand, jump over it, ask your friend to deploy it for you or even attach it to a fixed point from which you jump. In this video on JACKALOPE TV, Cath explains and performs the different types of jumps mentioned above!
The challenges
If you’ve ever seen the competition you know that these flying humans are very precise when they land. Imagine, firstly there is a sea of humans which under no circumstances at all should anything happen to the spectators, secondly, the flags on the esplanade are a considerable obstacle and finally the skatepark is also one of the obstacles to be avoided at all costs. To win, you have to land on the center of a small 20-by-20-foot target and it’s usually very, very close if not on it. It remains to be seen who will win this year!
Base jump lexicon:
Pouch – extractor: Very small parachute a little less than 1 m in diameter which has the function of allowing the main parachute to deploy well.
TARD (Totally Awesome Rapid Deployment): This is the jump that jumpers will do most often. That is to say that the extractor is in the hand of the person who jumps. Upon taking flight, the puller is quickly launched and this causes the parachute to deploy.
Roll-over: It is a rather spectacular type of jump that involves the parachute being deployed before the jump while the person is on the platform. The latter will jump over it and deploy a parachute by doing a flip over to align the feet down under a wide open sail. Note that you need a headwind to make this jump otherwise it is risky to jump into the sail which could be fatal.
Boogies: It is a gathering of base jumpers around a location. There are boogies all over the world but there are none in Quebec. You need a suitable place and where it is tolerated so it is often cliffs or bridges but there are none like that in the Quebec province so it remains punctual. The Jackalope is a temporary boogie.
Will you be one of the people who will jump from the crane this year? Here is the official contest invitation by Videotron:
Videotron offers you the chance to win a base jump in tandem! What better than a Base Jump tandem jump from a 300-foot crane to experience an adrenaline rush? The winner will jump with professional base jumper Sketchy Andy Lewis in the middle of the festival. Unheard of in Quebec! To participate, complete the form here. Note that you must be 18 years of age or older. The contest ends on Monday August 15th. The winner will be announced on our social media on Tuesday, August 16. The jump will take place on Saturday August 20, 2022. Cancellation according to the conditions. If there is cancellation, the jump will be done in Vaulting. Value of $600.
