BASE jumper Erica Johnson from Littleton , Colorado was spending her vacation time in Twin Falls to BASE jump off the Perrine Bridge .
Rayann was in Twin Falls for one night and had booked the trip solely for the experience of the 30-second jump . In tandem BASE jumping , a person is strapped in front of an experienced jumper who directs the course of the single parachute that supports the two individuals . Being in front offers the passenger an unobstructed view of the fast-approaching ground until the chute pops open with a loud “ crack ” and a more leisurely descent begins . Based on the video we saw later , Rayann never stopped smiling from the time the jump began . There was little doubt she will soon be BASE jumping solo .
Following the tandem jump , Sean took time sit and talk with the two of us about his experiences in BASE jumping , a sport that has become his occupation . Sean has BASE jumped over 7,400 times , 80 % of which have been in Twin Falls . But he has jumped all over the world and says his favorite location is the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy . One of his favorite jumps is off the 1,000-foot KL communications tower in Kuala Lumpur .
Of the four categories of BASE , his favorite is jumping from buildings . Before the jump he enjoys sitting on the edge and taking in his surroundings realizing he has a different purpose than the people he observes below . During the jumps he particularly enjoys the free fall prior to the parachute opening but says “ The jump is one thing , but enjoying everything along the way is most important .”
While the degree of danger is greater , Sean sometimes does acrobatics such as somersaults during his jumps . It helps that at a younger age he was a competitive gymnast . He also does Wingsuiting , an especially dangerous form of BASE jumping in which he dons a special suit that adds surface area and allows him to glide like a flying squirrel . Unlike a flying squirrel , jumpers wearing wingsuits also carry parachutes .
56 Winter 2022 Thomasville Scene