Category Archives: BASE Jumping

Posted on July 8, 2010 | 4 comments

Over the past year I have had the privilege of interviewing some truly inspiring people from the sport of BASE jumping: Jeb Corliss, Clair Halliday, Tracy Walker, Matthew ‘Calvin’ Hecker, Lee Hardesty, Chris ‘douggs’ McDougall, Hank Caylor, Jevto Dedijer, Mike Pelkey and Randy’s brother, Rick Harrison.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Canadian BASE jumper, Lonnie Bissonnette, and although he will state infuriatingly that he is not an inspiration and grumble that he “hates” that word. The fact remains that Mr. Bissonnette life story is an inspiration to many jumpers and non-jumpers alike; not because he still jumps today following his 2004 accident which left him a paraplegic, but rather his undying passion for the “big picture”.

The “big picture” being living each day as if it was your last while committing to the life investing, death-defying, sport deemed BASE jumping. If ever there was a man who summed up Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”, it is Lonnie Bissonnette.

When Lonnie speaks about his BASE jumping adventures his voice changes tone and the emotions fly left and right as if he is a composer creating a musical score. He described his Angels Falls, Venezuela jump as such, “That place called to me. I am so glad that I did that jump; you know the tallest waterfall in the world. Angel Falls was a magical place for me that held so much in a spiritually emotional way. The place spoke to me; it was so gorgeous and majestic. I fondly recall the first jumps off of the KL towers in Malaysia. Seeing the hundreds of spectators cheering for us which was different than skulking around in the dark to jump was a great experience. Niagara Falls was a big jump; there are so many jumps that were amazing for me for various reasons.”

His BASE philosophy reads as if its the tag-line for a BASE recruitment poster:

“My philosophy is to just enjoy. Enjoy the experience. You know, it’s not… I don’t think BASE jumping is about numbers. It is about the experiences and the friendships you make. You know a lot of jumps I don’t remember and those are just number jumps. Then there are tons of memories and stories that are more important than the numbers. I think you should just try to get the most out of every jump that you do.”

The BASE jump that stands out as one might expect is his 1100th jump at Perrine Bridge, in Twin Falls, Idaho which resulted in his paralysis leaving him with an every present reminder of what can go wrong. He tells me, “That one, of all my jumps, replays in my mind the most often and is the most vivid.”

When asked if he had any regrets, “Yeah, I regret that on that particular jump I tried to do too much, I was organizing it, I designed the dive, I was taking care of some of the lower experienced people who were on the jump, I basically was doing everything including being the guy who was going to do the quad gainer. I was the last person to climb over the rail even though I had the most difficult job on the jump. I guess the regret is, that I regret that I didn’t let someone else take care of the organizing the jump, and let me focus on the task at hand, the jump itself.

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Posted in BASE Jumping

Tagged Canadian BASE jumping, Lonnie Bissonnette, Newbie's in BASE

Life on the Edge with Chris ‘douggs’ McDougall

Posted on May 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

On May 21, 2010 I conducted an Internet radio show interview with 34 year old, Australian Adventurer, Chris ‘douggs’ McDougall. Normally I would have done the standard question and answer interview via emails, telephone calls and instant messenger, however nothing about the professional Base jumper nicknamed, ‘douggs’ follows “the norm” as I learned quickly.

I had exchanged emails with him before Bridge Day 2009 where he agreed to the interviewed. I told him to let me read his book first as I really knew nothing about him and then we could work on the interview. He agreed and I honestly figured by the time the book arrived from South Africa, 3 months later, that I wouldn’t be able to pin him down for an interview. I was wrong.

Sticking to his word, we chatted a couple of times via Skype while he worked and lived on a ship offshore in the oil drilling industry. It was during one of those late night chats where I naively suggested, “hey we should do a radio show interview”. Little did I realize that he would agree to it and the next day I wanted to scrap the notion. Months passed and the day arrived that I received an email saying he was heading to the states before leaving for an expedition to Baffin Island, “let’s do the interview mate”. He uses the words “mate and buddy” a lot, along with “hugs and cheers”. Chris has a natural friendliness to his demeanor even when it’s being transmitted through cyberspace, it is one of the first things you notice. His book could easily be titled, “Confessions of a really humble and sincerely nice person”. As it turned out our schedules didn’t mesh and I had to ask him if we could postpone the interview until he returned from Baffin Island. His reply as is so often the case, “No worries mate, it will be fun and I’ll have my trip to chat about.” If ever I met a person who could take a negative and turn it into a positive, it is he. Life has given him lots of practice at this and let him with the ability to share this trait with others.

Finally after 8 months, I scheduled airtime and the rock star of all BASE jumpers, Chris McDougall, called into the show from Switzerland. I was so nervous before going on air, I confided in him that I thought I might vomit. He shot back, “no worries mate”. We taped the show live, with me attempting to speak, read the screen and type simultaneously and he hitting every question out of the park with his answers. Fielding my questions along with the those posted by listeners in the shows chat room McDougall showcased himself as a true professional and ambassador of the sport.

He offered his opinions on: You Tube videos, new jumpers to the sport, where he sees the sport of BASE heading in the next 10 years, what it was like to write a book for mass consumption, his favorite BASE jump, on dialing it back as a jumper, Baffin Island, what it’s like to work a “regular job”, receiving hate mail, having his book banned and why he wouldn’t want to be a father while still an active BASE jumper, among other topics.

The interview is available for download or play in its entirety at: Chris ‘douggs’ McDougall A must listen for anyone contemplating entering the sport of BASE jumping. His comprehension of himself and relationship to BASE jumping is undeniably impressive.

Mr. McDougall may seem to be a bit outside the norm to the masses and for that I say “hallelujah”. I will never know the feeling of standing with my toes on the edge, free-falling or flying through the air, but through his kindness and shinning spirit he held my hand and walked me to a different fears edge. The connectivity he shares with nature, his family, friends and the no holds bar passion for life in its simplest terms is what makes him “no idiot” and a stellar example of what being a rock star of a human being is all about.

**My sincere thanks to Chris ‘douggs’ McDougall for his unwavering support and encouragement. Also to Dan, Bryn, Joseph, Paul, Princess Amanda, Icasrus, Rigger Lee, Mac, Hookitt, Lonnie and Rick and Joy Harrison for tuning in.**