It is one of the most risky sports in the world: base jumping, a specific form of parachuting. Yet some in the Netherlands venture, like Wednesday in Oss. Basejumper Ronald Overdijk got into trouble there when he became entangled in an antenna mast. What about the rules surrounding this risky sport?
At BaseJumping you do not jump from an airplane, but from objects such as a building, bridge, mountain or mast. There is a risk, Bob Draijer knows. He has been a parachutist for forty years, has a company that gives parachute demonstrations and made his 20,000th leap last month, which also contained base jumps. “The jumping itself is not forbidden,” he says. “It is illegal to enter sites or objects without permission. I think that is a bit hearing in the ’15 kilometers ‘category driving’.”
According to the experienced parachutist, there are enough places in the Netherlands that you can legally jump. “Even from a balcony. But of course you jump in a place where you can land well.” There is no specific legislation that prohibits base jumping. “As long as you are not on forbidden territory, do not form a danger to others and do not cause any damage, it is in principle allowed. Base jumpers, it is a general rule to leave everything neat and not to destroy everything.”
Other kind of parachute
A base jumper usually jumps from around 80 to 100 meters in the Netherlands and only has a few seconds to open his parachute. Unlike regular parachutists, base jumpers do not have a spare parachute with them. “But the parachute of a base jumper is super stable and opens very fast and quickly. It is also much larger than normal.”
According to Draijer, the greatest danger lies in opening the parachute. “It is possible that the parachute does not straight up, but opens in the direction of the object.” The base jumper must then respond quickly to not fly against the object.
Kick
Despite the risks, people still choose to jump. “Well … why? Why do people climb Mount Everest, are they looking for tension? There is of course always the chance that things are not going well, but you overcome yourself and you become mentally stronger. It gives a huge kick.”
About the situation in Oss, where Ronald Overdijk was arrested by the police on Wednesday morning after his failed jump, Draijer is not worried. “I know Ronald and he is a very experienced jumper. I don’t know what exactly happened, but luckily it ended well. I am more worried about a ride on the highway than about Ronald who jumps from something,” he concludes with a smile.
