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"BASE jumping is a sport involving the use of a parachute to jump
from fixed objects. "BASE" is an acronym that stands for the
four categories of fixed objects from which one can jump:
- Building
- Antenna (an uninhabited tower such as an aerial mast)
- Span (a bridge or arch)
- Earth (a cliff or other natural formation)
The acronym "BASE" was coined by film-maker Carl Boenish, his
wife Jean Boenish, Phil Smith, and Phil Mayfield. Carl was the real catalyst
behind modern BASE jumping, and in 1978 filmed the first BASE jumps (from
El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park) to be made using ram-air parachutes
and the freefall tracking technique. While BASE jumps had been made prior
to that time, the El Capitan activity was the effective birth of what
is now called BASE jumping. BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous
than similar sports such as skydiving from aircraft, and is currently
regarded by many as a fringe extreme sport or stunt.
BASE numbers are awarded to those who have made at least one jump from
each of the four categories. When Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield jumped
together from a Houston skyscraper on January 18th, 1981, they became
the first to attain the exclusive BASE numbers (BASE #1 and #2, respectively),
having already jumped from antennae, spans, and earthen objects. Jean
and Carl Boenish qualified for BASE numbers 3 and 4 soon after. A separate
"award" was soon enacted for Night BASE jumping when Mayfield
completed each category at night, becoming Night BASE #1, with Smith qualifying
a few weeks later.
During the early eighties, nearly all BASE jumps were made using standard
skydiving equipment, including two parachutes (main and reserve), and
deployment components. Later on, specialized equipment and techniques
were developed that were designed specifically for the unique needs of
BASE jumping"
{read more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASE_jumping}
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