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BASE jumping facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

BASE jumping is an exciting and challenging sport where people jump from a fixed place and use a parachute to land safely. The word "BASE" is an acronym that stands for the four main types of places jumpers leap from:

  • Buildings
  • Antennas (tall towers)
  • Spans (like bridges)
  • Earth (like cliffs or mountains)
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Jumpers from a cliff
BASE jumping - Perrine Bridge
A BASE jumper leaving the Perrine Bridge in Idaho

It's known as an extreme sport because it involves high speeds, great heights, and a lot of skill.

How it's Different from Skydiving

BASE Jumping from Sapphire Tower in Istanbul
BASE Jumping from the Sapphire Tower, Istanbul.

BASE jumping grew out of skydiving, but it's much more challenging and dangerous than jumping from an airplane.

One big difference is the height. BASE jumps are usually made from much lower places than skydives. This means jumpers don't fall for as long and don't always reach very high speeds. When you fall faster, you have more control over your body in the air, and your parachute opens quicker. So, a shorter fall means less time to react and less control.

Another challenge is the landing area. After a skydiver opens their parachute, they might have several minutes to guide themselves to a large, open landing spot. But a BASE jumper, especially from a lower height like 500 feet, might only have 10 to 15 seconds under their parachute to find a small, safe place to land.

Safety and Risks

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BASE jumping from an antenna tower

BASE jumping is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world. It has a much higher risk of injury or even death compared to skydiving from a plane. This is because of the lower heights, limited time to open the parachute, and often difficult landing spots.

Many people have been seriously injured or died while BASE jumping. For example, in 2015, a well-known rock climber named Dean Potter and another jumper, Graham Hunt, died during a BASE jump in Yosemite National Park. They jumped from a very high cliff and hit rocks on the way down. Another jumper, Ian Flanders, died in Turkey when his parachute didn't open correctly.

These incidents show how quickly things can go wrong in BASE jumping. Even experienced jumpers face high risks because there's very little room for error.

BASE Jumping in the News

Sometimes, BASE jumps make headlines, especially when they happen in unusual places. In 2013, three men jumped from the One World Trade Center building in New York City while it was still being built. They filmed their jump and shared the video online. This jump was not allowed, and the jumpers were later arrested.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Salto BASE para niños

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BASE jumping Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.