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Where it's at
The Bridge Day Festival takes place over the New
River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia.
It started in 1980, with just five participants, to celebrate
the completion of New River Gorge Bridge, the world's
second longest single arch steel span bridge and the second
highest bridge in American at 878 feet. On the third Sunday
of every October, 200,000 people come here every year to watch
over 300 BASE jumpers dive from the bridge down into the churning
so-called 'River of Death' below - all in the name of adrenaline.
What is base-jumping?
BASE is an acronym for Building, Antennae, Span, Earth
- the fixed-objects from which BASE jumps are made. BASE
jumping is the unusual practice of jumping from a fixed
point, for example a cliff, freefalling for a short time before
releasing a parachute and (hopefully) landing safely at the
bottom. The difference between sky diving and BASE
jumping is that skydivers deploy their parachute at around
2,000 feet, but BASE jumper only start their jump from 1,000
feet, so the quick deployment - within six seconds - of their
parachute is necessary to avoid an unpleasant run in with
the ground. Jumps involve a liberating sense of weightlessness
followed by a rapid and exhilarating fall. Extreme sports
fans say that skydiving can change your life but BASE jumping
will make you appreciate your life. High adrenaline sports
don't get much higher than this!
There are a few examples of BASE jumps dating from the early
1900s: Frederick Law jumped from the Statue of Liberty
in New York in 1912; Michael Pelkey and Brian Schubert
jumped the cliff "El Capitan" in Yosemite
Valley in 1966; and in 1976 Rick Sylvester jumped Canada's
Mount Asgard for the opening sequence of the James
Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me", giving
the wider world its first look at BASE jumping.
When a jumper completes a jump from each of the four categories
of objects they may choose to apply for an individual BASE
number which are awarded sequentially. In 1981 Phil
Smith of Houston, Texas, was awarded BASE-1; in March
2005 the 1000th application was filed.
First-time jumpers are advised to take jumping and packing
classes before they go for their first dive. In jump class,
the teacher takes you through essentials like packing, malfunctions,
and landings and you can go up and watch jumper prepare for
their plummet into the vast unknown.
What happens at Bridge
Day Festival?
Bridge Day Festival is not only risky because of the
crazy nature of the sport, the festival itself is illegal
as no one is allowed to close down the state highway which
runs over New Gorge Bridge. But every year so far officials
have agreed to turn a blind eye during a small window of just
six hours a year. There are few places in the world where
base jumping is legal and it is only on the festival day that
the dangerous sport is tolerated in West Virginia. But Bridge
Day is not an easy festival to participate in: jumpers must
register months in advance and make 50 prior skydives. Jumpers
must show up several days before the festival for gear checks
and mandatory meetings.
Despite the hard work, danger, and costs involved, over 450
jumpers took part in the 2005 festival. There have been two
fatalities at the festival, although thankfully none since
1987, but safety comes first a strong ambulance presence and
river rescue is mandatory. BASE jumpers are danger seekers
and eccentrics - in 1990 Tom King and Vivian Taylor
held their wedding on the bridge during the festival. They
kissed passionately before beginning their married life by
jumping into the river!
The New River Gorge offers jumpers the tricky decision
of where to land - the river itself is the 'softest' land,
the shoreline offers a small 150 by 20-feet runway to land
on, which is reduced if the water level is high. On top of
this, jumpers have to negotiate several trees, small boulders,
and a few hundred spectators near the landing area.
For spectators, the festival includes a trampoline launch,
packing exhibitions, and a diving board launch
where up to 50 jumpers utilize the board to do impressive
twisting front flips and roll-over jumps into the gorge. Since
its inception the festival has expanded to include parachutists
leaping into the river and rapelling (rock climbing)
from ropes dangling down from the high bridge. There are 200
vendors selling food and crafts, plenty of entertainment,
and the festival date is chosen to offer the optimum views
of the beautiful fall landscape around New River Gorge
- perfect for hiking. |
