gurbir singh brar
I'll be Back!
Bridge Day, the largest BASE jumping event in the world, is held on the third Saturday in October every year in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Over 450 BASE jumpers and close to 200,000 spectators attended this year’s Bridge Day on Saturday, October 18, 2008. The New River Gorge Bridge is the world’s 2nd longest single arch bridge, providing the launch point for six hours (9am -- 3pm EST) of legal, safe BASE jumps. This year the Governor issued an executive order to extend the time by one hour.
Jumpers from all over the world lined up to take their turn leaping from the 876’ tall New River Gorge Bridge. Although 876 feet is extremely high it is a quick 8 seconds from the bridge to the water of the New River! Most fall from the bridge for 3-4 seconds before deploying their parachute and spending the next 20-30 seconds floating down to the designated landing zone located at the water’s edge.
"BASE" is an acronym which stands for the four categories of objects from which one can jump – Building, Antenna, Span (the word used for a bridge), and Earth (the word used for a cliff.) BASE Jumping is known as being the world's most extreme sport. Bridge Day is the largest extreme sports event in the world, and is West Virginia’s largest one-day festival, rated one of the top 100 in North America. The festival is unique in that it is the only day visitors may walk across the bridge, BASE jumpers can parachute from the railing and rappellers are allowed to descend and ascend fixed ropes. Vendors line both ends of the bridge selling crafts, shirts, photos, souvenirs and refreshments.
The Bridge Day BASE Jumping Coordinators and parachutists around the world are requesting permission to make legal, safe parachute jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge catwalk on the two days before Bridge Day. A three-day window of jumping would permit parachutists from the US and many foreign countries to participate in their valued sport in a safer manner, while guaranteeing that weather would not be a factor. The small six hour jumping window currently in place at each Bridge Day proved to be a problem at past Bridge Day events. The proposal would not conflict with the current Bridge Day schedule and jumping would not interfere with the normal traffic flow on top of the bridge. There is also a proposal for additional weekends of jumping throughout the year, and eventually legal jumping every day of the year at the New River Gorge Bridge. Local businesses are strongly supporting the jumping expansion plan.
A similar bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho brings millions of dollars each year to the local community. BASE jumpers from around the world flock to the 486' tall Perrine Bridge to make year 'round legal BASE jumps.
© Gurbir Singh Brar 2008 all rights reserved.
Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.
I'll be Back!
Bridge Day, the largest BASE jumping event in the world, is held on the third Saturday in October every year in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Over 450 BASE jumpers and close to 200,000 spectators attended this year’s Bridge Day on Saturday, October 18, 2008. The New River Gorge Bridge is the world’s 2nd longest single arch bridge, providing the launch point for six hours (9am -- 3pm EST) of legal, safe BASE jumps. This year the Governor issued an executive order to extend the time by one hour.
Jumpers from all over the world lined up to take their turn leaping from the 876’ tall New River Gorge Bridge. Although 876 feet is extremely high it is a quick 8 seconds from the bridge to the water of the New River! Most fall from the bridge for 3-4 seconds before deploying their parachute and spending the next 20-30 seconds floating down to the designated landing zone located at the water’s edge.
"BASE" is an acronym which stands for the four categories of objects from which one can jump – Building, Antenna, Span (the word used for a bridge), and Earth (the word used for a cliff.) BASE Jumping is known as being the world's most extreme sport. Bridge Day is the largest extreme sports event in the world, and is West Virginia’s largest one-day festival, rated one of the top 100 in North America. The festival is unique in that it is the only day visitors may walk across the bridge, BASE jumpers can parachute from the railing and rappellers are allowed to descend and ascend fixed ropes. Vendors line both ends of the bridge selling crafts, shirts, photos, souvenirs and refreshments.
The Bridge Day BASE Jumping Coordinators and parachutists around the world are requesting permission to make legal, safe parachute jumps from the New River Gorge Bridge catwalk on the two days before Bridge Day. A three-day window of jumping would permit parachutists from the US and many foreign countries to participate in their valued sport in a safer manner, while guaranteeing that weather would not be a factor. The small six hour jumping window currently in place at each Bridge Day proved to be a problem at past Bridge Day events. The proposal would not conflict with the current Bridge Day schedule and jumping would not interfere with the normal traffic flow on top of the bridge. There is also a proposal for additional weekends of jumping throughout the year, and eventually legal jumping every day of the year at the New River Gorge Bridge. Local businesses are strongly supporting the jumping expansion plan.
A similar bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho brings millions of dollars each year to the local community. BASE jumpers from around the world flock to the 486' tall Perrine Bridge to make year 'round legal BASE jumps.
© Gurbir Singh Brar 2008 all rights reserved.
Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.