BASEJUMPING - MOAB, UTAH USA - March 2001
written by Heather Singleman

Moab is the home of Vertigo BASE Outfitters and the place to indulge an adventurous spirit. Located in Southeastern Utah by the Rocky Mountain range of North America, Moab is about four hours comfortable driving from Salt Lake City.

Moab is the only town in Utah located on the Colorado River. Cradled in a valley surrounded by rich red cliffs the climate, geography and culture are perfect for adventurers.

We were in town to BASEjump, but we also found time for spectacular trail running and rock climbing.

Moab is BASEjumping heaven. There are literally hundreds of legal, jumpable cliffs within a one-hour radius of the town centre. BASEjumping Moab is serious though, you need to be experienced and current to jump there so we spent a couple of days back at Perrine Bridge refining our technique beforehand.

Also at Perrine and then Moab were Ann-Marie and Lena from Sweden, Brendan and Bryan from Colorado and Tom from Texas. With Jimmy, Mario and Richard from Vertigo, Glenn, Marta and I we had a 'BASE boogie' and a lot of fun!

Our first jump in Moab was from 'Tombstone', a 490 ft cliff just 10 minutes out of town. The significance of the name was not lost on me as we made the 40 minute hike to the top. I comforted myself by noting that, even if I decided not to jump, the hike was worth the effort, weaving a path through the spectacular desert landscape, it brings you to the top of a cliff range that provides spectacular views across the canyon.

At the top we assessed the landing area, winds and general conditions before jumping. Camera angles needed to judged and then setup which lengthened the wait and shredded my nerves. When our cameraman Ken Bailey was safely roped into a position providing the best view on the cliff, we were ready to go. Expert BASEjumper Mario Richards of Vertigo made it look easy, followed by Tom, Ann Marie and Lena. I was next. This was my first cliff BASEjump and my first running start - I was nervous - there was no water to soften the landing, there was a big wall behind me and for me, a tight landing area ringed by trees.

After a few comforting words from Marta I was ready. The running start helped me clear the cliff by 20 - 30 ft (according to Eric, filming from below), solid body position, solid 2 second delay, on-heading opening, and I am flying! I absolutely loved it! I will always remember how amazing I felt, how alive, how omnipotent.

As a climber I've often stood on the edge of cliffs and imagined how it would feel to 'fly' off the edge and now I've done it. Words are limited in attempting to describe how it feels. All I know for sure is that I love the sport, love to jump, love the sensation of the ground rushing up to meet me, the sound of the canopy exploding to life and the total satisfaction of putting it down on the target and looking up to where you have been.

The sport is also great for the camaraderie. There is no room for masks when you BASEjump so you quickly develop strong bonds with the people you jump with. In a male dominated sport it was great for me to be jumping with three other wonderful women. On a later jump from Tombstone Glenn was the only guy. He loved it for the obvious reasons but also because of the different atmosphere. Marta, Ann-Marie, Lena and I were very supportive of each other, there was always time for a final gear check, a word of encouragement and the shared understanding of where we were going and where we had been. What can I say other than - 'it's a girl thing'!

We jumped Tombstone on a number of occasions and also cliffs at Mineral Bottom and Day Canyon. In total we did about 20 jumps each and completed a very successful film sequence. New BASEjumping skills for me included jumping with a camera helmet, jumping stowed and a running launch.

In between jumping we managed to find time for rock climbing on Pottash Road. The road, along the river is breathtaking, with climb, after climb, after climb. This is a particularly good site if you like crack climbing. Its not my forte, but I followed Glenn up a number of classics, if in less than memorable style.

At night we tested all the local restaurants, with Moab Brewery and Poplar Place being favourites. For breakfast my favourite was Ecklectic at 352 North Main (they had great vegetarian options). Breakfast at Tiffany's was also good.

All in all, a great time was had by all... thank you Moab, we'll be back!