Mexico BASE with Damien Dykman

By Damien Dykman


Beautiful mountain deserts would be a good 3 word description of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. It's only a few hours away from Texas and an easy drive from Houston, home of Gee and David, my partners in crime for this trip. But wait, I should be a little more cautious using those words given all the sad events happening in that part of Mexico. For us gringo, apart from having to pay a "muelta" in cash, here and there, to a local corrupted cop, it really wasn't that bad. Maybe when it really gets bad, you can't tell the story... I just hope things will get back to normal, those people are so nice, they really deserve a little more peace.

First stop, la Popa. One of the classics. The hike is steep but if you pay attention, there is a trail marked with yellow dots, all the way to the summit. The exit point, is right there, next to the cross made out of 3 pipes welded together. Gee and I did a 2 way flying our wingsuits but quickly realized that the air was turbulent and the winds strong over the LZ. Opening over the LZ was a bad idea. Gee went straight to the alternate LZ, down wind from the main one. I decided to stick to the plan, but the wind was too strong for me to move forward. Luckily, I had a graceful landing in the boulders, between bushes and cactus. A few minutes later, we joined David who was watching the jump with Ezequiel, the ranchero who owns the land and old friend of Gee.

The 2nd cliff on the list is a few hours away and requires to go through Monterey. The local soccer team was playing: so barely any traffic! We made it to the mountains above at night and took possession of our local cabin. After 2 hours through the bushes and cactus, we got to a little pass where David set up the camera to have a side view of the jump.

An additional 20 min took us to the Exit point where Gee decided to be the wind dummy. The cliff is amazing: massively overhanging limestone cliff. The tricky part is if you decide to fly into the canyon in which case, you need to clear the narrow section to be comfortable to open and land on the beach down the river. But how to we get back to the cabin from this gorge? Just follow the river and 1 hour later we were "home", ready to enjoy a local meal. But David made it back at least 2 hours later, beat up and dehydrated. It took him 5 hours to go down, twice as much as going up! Obviously, the new alternate route he tried is not to be repeated!

Our third and last day didn't allow enough time for the exploration of an other cliff that Gee had scoped on his last trip. Never mind, we went for that same beautiful cliff again with David shooting from the bottom this time. Similar conditions than the day before, but more light due to our early start. What a blast again. But no time to chill, Houston is a long drive back.

Wingsuiting the North West Coast Terminal Cliff

By Damien Dykman

Summer's too hot? What about those mountains up North of the West coast to get a little fresh air? Four of us and our close friend Arnel Sanchez decided to go for a quick weekend trip before the end of the season. Not the perfect place for a first wingsuit BASE, but decent enough given his experience wingsuiting and BASE jumping. With Tom and Bill, two friendly locals, we had a good crew going.

Saturday, the weather was great. Low winds, cloud patches. Perfect conditions for Arnel's attempt. But first, you have to earn it with a healthy hike. From 3 years ago, I had remembered it as a mellow 2 hr hike...


Well, at least it wasn't too hot. Perfect hiking conditions. At the exit point, Bill and Tom opened the game by a sweet 2-way to show the visitors how it's done. Brian, Jimmy and Dingo followed with a red & purple 3-way, so that they could shoot ground footage of Arnel's first.











I could feel a bit of tension, but mainly concentration. He was ready to do it. Last radio contact with the boys at the bottom to make sure the cameras were rolling. Arnel did a powerful push that got him flying almost immediately. He took a nice conservative line, carving right towards the dry part of the lake where we land. What a great smile he had on his face after landing, walking towards the rest of the group!

After a quick hike back to the car, we went for a great lunch in the local post office / grocery store / hardware store / restaurant. From the campers hanging out on the lake People to the local shop owners, everybody seemed so nice and friendly.

We took a digestive hike... back to the exit point. That one felt even longer... but again, it was worth it! Though, we had to wait for maybe an hour for the fog layer to clear before being able to jump.

The following day, conditions weren't as cooperative. Good thing there's a small cliff in the vicinity. And what a good excuse to relax instead of going for a long hike again!









To end-up the weekend, our buddy Doug and 2 of his friends took us for a night bungee jumping session from a 200+ ft local bridge. Super quick to set everything up. How do you get back up? Well, what do you think the pickup truck is for? We'll pull from right back on the bridge!

The Great Book of BASE

If you or anyone you know has ever wondered what BASE jumping is all about, this is the book. Who is the audience you may ask? The Great Book of BASE was written in a way that appeals to a wide demographic. Whether you are an experienced jumper already or are simply intrigued by video you may have seen on TV or the internet and want to know more, this book has something for everyone. The photography alone is worthy of owning a copy to be placed on your coffee table.

While there are many other BASE related resources out there, this book is special in that so much information has been organized and illustrated in one place. It is hands down the most comprehensive reference you will find about the sport of BASE jumping. Author and fellow BASE jumper, Matt Gerdes, has done a phenomenal job capturing the essence of the sport in his own descriptive and entertaining writing style. The Great Book of BASE is a huge contribution to the sport carrying more positive impact than any other action attempted to since the days of the CJAA. It's brutally honest and portrays the sport in an educational and realistic capacity.

Purchase your copy of The Great Book of BASE or download free sample pages.

Team ILL Vision is honored to have been given the opportunity to contribute photography and writing for this project.

Revive Carl Boenish's Work!

by David Royer

All,

We have an amazing opportunity to support a project that will give the world a first window on the birth of of BASE jumping, right here in Nor Cal. The story of Carl, beautiful and tragic, is one all jumpers have heard, I can't wait to experience it the way he chose to share his dream, through his cameras.

Marah Strauch and Eric Bruggemann are producing Gravity



In the early eighties Carl Boenish coined the acronym “BASE” (standing for Buildings,
Antenna, Span, and Earth, the objects jumped) and invented a sport. Carl was the catalyst
behind modern BASE jumping; an electrical engineer and filmmaker who believed that
BASE jumping would allow mankind to overcome artificial physical limitations. He
religiously chronicled the early days of BASE in beautiful 16mm film, a filmmaker who filmed himself inventing a lifestyle and a sport.

If you want to see the journey, please support by clicking on Marah and Eric's name above.

Perrine 09 - With special interview with Chuck McFly

Perrine 09 from David Royer on Vimeo.

Rockn' Da Potato Bridge

Team ILL VISION teams up with Asylum Designs for a four day weekend of summer BASE jumping fun. Showing up in force with over nine team members and a host of Asylum reps and instructors, ILL VISION took over the Potato Bridge the last week in june
Asylum brought out demos of their new canopies, the Seven and the Feather. Everyone was stoked jumping newly designed canopies at will.
If I leave anyone out, forgive me it's been over a week now.
Everyone who showed up was treated to free boat rides and a dinner or lunch from Team ILL Vision's Avery Badenhop who coordinated the teams event.
I believe the Asylum group, including Blake, Nikki and Chris and others took over eight students to their own edge for first time BASE jumps. And, continued to jump as hard as they could for the entire time, learning to pack and progressing on their instructor laid out skill sets. Fun to watch and be a part of their challenge and triumphs. Nothing like watching a first timer make that commitment to actually jump. The energy is hard to describe and easy to get caught up in. Happy.
The more seasoned jumpers were insatiable and hiked to the top forgoing the boat ride in favor another quicky. Many jumps were made on an unpacked parachute. The "Unpacked Parachute Jump" method ends the days of that annoying packing. We can all thank Shane McConkey for eliminating the tired and worrisome experience of having to pack.
It was an excellent celebration of summer as July 4th approached. Visiting jumpers just showing up for some BASE jumps rotated through the weekend. At one point I know I counted more then 30 BASE jumpers.
The locals were in full force as well. Some of the locals who showed up were Abbie from Spatual Rigging and Snake River Skydiving, Sean, Tanner and Holly.
Also making an appearance from France, please meet Matt Gerdes and Liv Sansoz. Two rock star celebrities from France. Keeping a low profile with Matt totally dedicated to teaching Liv to BASE jump. These two are a hard core adrenaline duo. Just check out their web pages. You think we live it up?
It was a great time had by all complete with plentiful jumping and an abundance of friendship. A nice summer reunion back to the roots of what we do, JUMP!
From Team ILL VISION, Thanks to everyone for all the smiles and good times.

I was going to upload some pics but there are just too many. To see a whole bunch in just 3.5 minutes, put your earphones in, close your imaginary cubicle door closed and check out the slide show below.

Make sure to check out Harry's facebook profile and The Teams Facebook profile and Tag yourself and your friends.
To see ALL the photos check out the Gallery over 400 in all. I'm sure there is one of you in here.
Comments are greatly appreciated.
ENJOY!

Moab, turkey, and parachutes

Photos: Will Viktora

For many Thanksgiving is reminiscent of gathering with family, over eating and watching college football. For several members of Team ILL Vision a unique tradition has taken shape in recent years. Due to the great distances that separate us from our families, a new destination has quickly become the norm – Moab, Utah. With an amazing landscape decorated with red cliffs not governed by the National Park System, this place has a reputation for being a BASE jumper’s paradise.

As were preparing for our annual pilgrimage to the desert last Thanksgiving, I received a call from long-time friend, Seth Warren. For the past few years Seth has been working on a project called "Oil & Water" and his on-going mission has been to educate the world about renewable energy sources and ultimately reduce society’s reliance on petroleum. He's driven from Alaska to the tip of South America in a 1987 Japanese fire truck powered by vegetable oil sharing his message with countless school groups and politicians. The underlying theme of this leg focused on the value and importance of water in the natural environment, which foreshadowed the "Nature Propelled" theme of their next big trip, now well underway.

This second phase of the journey shifted focus from the rivers to the sky where "air" took center stage. After a week of filming with hang glider pilots near the Grand Canyon, Seth was looking for a finale to this segment before moving on to the next. At this point fellow Team ILL Vision member, Damien Dykman, Frenchman Arnaud C., and myself joined the party. What followed were 3 entertaining days of bouncing down the back roads of Moab in the fire truck and BASE jumping from many of the area’s most classic cliffs.

A second movie including this and other airborne, palm-sweating footage is in the works and is scheduled to debut in early 2010. The “Nature Propelled” film documents Seth’s journey, the people he encountered, the relationship these sports have with the overall health of the earth, and the responsibility we all share as inhabitants of a fragile natural environment.

For all you of on Facebook you can check out the trailer of their upcoming film here at Elements Tour.

Awesome weekend in Twin Falls!

Thanks to everybody who showed up! It was beyond what we expected. From first time students to seasoned jumpers, everybody had a good time. Hundreds of jumps, and barely a scratch. The variety of people was very cool and it was great to see old friends and make a few new ones. Looking forward to the next TEAM ILL VISION BASE adventure as we forge ahead. Peace, love and joy. Avery Badenhop