Last Base for Gibson

An accident-prone Sydney BASE jumper has quit after two rescues embarrassed the fringe sport’s enthusiasts. President of the Australian BASE Jumping Association, Gary Cunningham, said 26-year-old Ben Gibson had given up the high-risk sport.

Gibson, of Darlington in Sydney, was fined $1000 this week after pleading guilty to risking the safety of a person in a national park.

Gibson was winched off a cliff-face by a helicopter crew after a failed jump in the Blue Mountains last September, his second retrieval by air in four months.

Mr Cunningham said the incidents had upset some BASE jumpers because of bad publicity.

“Ben had a lower level of experience but he should have had enough skills to be able to do it without a problem,” he said.

“The idea is to get as far away from solid objects as possible – it [getting too close] happens to every BASE jumper at some time, but it’s not an issue to turn the chute, it’s one of the first skills you learn.

“Maybe he was getting complacent in that area and was a bit slow to react, but I wasn’t there at the time.

“BASE jumpers are always disappointed when someone has an accident, and when rescue crews have to be called people get upset.

“It’s a big issue in the community because it becomes more difficult to do – for the most part base jumping goes on without a problem.

“Ben has quit base jumping – after his second accident he decided it was not for him and he was obviously doing something wrong that was getting him into trouble.”

Mr Cunningham, one of Australia’s leading BASE jumpers and president of the Australian BASE Jumping Association, says illicit jumps take place around Sydney every week and they should beofficially sanctioned.

BASE jumping is not permitted in national parks, a policy confirmed after a Department of Environment and Conservation review last year.

But Mr Cunningham, who recently set a world of 133 jumps in 24 hours in Malaysia, said Australia is lagging the world in not permitting it.

“I understand their view but the people who say it’s stupid don’t realise a lot of their everyday activities have the same risk – base jumping can be done quite safely,” he said.

“I can understand people think it’s too dangerous but look at canyoning and abseiling – I’m sure there’s a lot of deaths in those sports but no-one make a fuss about it.

“(The cost of rescues) is always brought up but no-one ever mentions the money spent on bushwalkers getting lost or hurt – if those people pay for their rescue we will.

“We would like to see it permitted like it is throughout Europe – in places like Norway, France, Switzerland and Italy – and the US.”

Mr Cunningham said the BASE jumping community was “going out every week”, especially around Sydney.

“It’s the only way you can do it – if you’re not seen or heard it’s generally not a problem,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Environment and Conservation Jenny Stokes described the chances of BASE jumping being permitted as “none”.

“It is inherently dangerous – it risks the lives of BASE jumpers, it risks the lives of people around them and it risks the lives of people who have to rescue them,” she said.