Jump of courage

Last updated on Aug 25th, 2008 | By The Star Metro North

EAGER necks craned skywards to catch a glimpse of local and foreign BASE jumpers leaping one after another from the soaring 65-storey Komtar tower amidst a clear blue sky.

BASE jumping is a sport which uses a parachute to jump from fixed objects. ‘BASE’ is an acronym that stands from the four categories of the objects – building, antenna, span and Earth.

One of the BASE jumpers leaping off Penang’s 65-storey Komtar tower.

The event was part of the KL Tower International Jump 2008 with its tagline ‘The Ultimate Test of Courage.’ Nine local and 11 foreign jumpers from as far as United States, Japan, France, Brazil, Norway and Australia took part.

From Penang, Mohd Idrus Mohd Yusop, 41, said he enjoyed the jump because the height was very ideal although the landing area was limited.

Another BASE jumper descending down from Komtar tower.

“Jumping off towers is safer than the antics of Mat Rempit because it is a form of sports which requires discipline to ensure a safe jump,” he said on Saturday after his feat.

When asked about its dangers, the full-time BASE jump co-ordinator said he had a brush with death in 2006 when his parachute broke as he was coming down from KL Tower but he managed to land on a tree branch.

“I don’t blame anyone, only myself. I was careless. The good thing about this sport is how it puts discipline above everything else. Thus, it’s good for youths,” he said.

He also said he had done 280 BASE jumps and 1,850 sky dives, adding that one needed to do at least 150 sky dives before being able to take up BASE jumping.

Australian Gary Cunningham, one of the world’s top BASE jumpers, said he liked the view of the inner city as he was gliding down from Komtar.

When asked what his thoughts were at that time, his automatic reply was “opening the parachute at the right time.”

The 36-year-old, whose first jump was at age 16, had performed similar feats in at least 10 countries including France, Switzerland, China, United States and Norway.

He said the lowest building he had jumped from was the 87m Menara Pelita in Kuching.

Also present were KL Tower chief executive officer Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad and Penang Development Corporation general manager Datuk Rosli Jaafar.

Besides the thrilling jumps, local artistes at a mini-concert also entertained the crowd throughout the day.

The event’s finale will be at Menara Kuala Lumpur (Aug 29-31) and Menara TM (Aug 31).

This article is courtesy from The Star Metro

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