Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community  

Go Back   Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community > Chatter > General Discussion


 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-17-2005, 12:24 PM   #1 (permalink)
Crazy
 
Parachutist jumps from the Eiffel Tower. SPLAT!!

Base jumping has to be the stoopidest hobby ever.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/france_eiffel_death_dc
CShine is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 12:26 PM   #2 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
story: for the clicking impaired like me...

PARIS (Reuters) - A Norwegian man died parachuting off the Eiffel Tower after his parachute became tangled up in the metal structure, a French police source said on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old jumped off the second floor of the structure on Monday night, planning to descend safely to the ground. But his equipment became caught in the monument and he landed on the floor below.

"The jump didn't happen quite as he wanted," the police source said. "He died on impact." It is illegal to parachute from the 300-meter (980-foot) high landmark. The police were not aware of the man's plan and have opened an investigation.

Hundreds of people, most of them committing suicide, have jumped to their deaths from the tower which was built in 1889 for an exhibition celebrating the French Revolution.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best quote from the stry...
Quote:
"The jump didn't happen quite as he wanted," the police source said.
Well, gee, maybe he was trying to go splat, and then it did happen exactly as he wanted... pretty presumptious of the police to assume he wasn't a jumper...
__________________
Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
maleficent is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 12:48 PM   #3 (permalink)
Submit to me, you know you want to
 
ShaniFaye's Avatar
 
Location: Lilburn, Ga
do "jumpers" carry parachutes?
__________________
I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!
ShaniFaye is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 12:52 PM   #4 (permalink)
Junkie
 
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaniFaye
do "jumpers" carry parachutes?
he wanted it to look like an accident yeah, that's it...

I was just amused by the comment-- it was more like a thank you, officer, for stating the obvious
__________________
Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
maleficent is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 01:22 PM   #5 (permalink)
Tilted
 
Location: Southern California
What a waste of a perfectly good human. What makes people want to do crazy things like that? To take those risks. You have people who are terminally ill, praying to get well, or to receive a new heart, or liver, these people, fighting to stay alive, then this guy, taking the ultimate risk - and losing.
MsNobody is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 01:33 PM   #6 (permalink)
©
 
StanT's Avatar
 
Location: Colorado
Quote:
Originally Posted by MsNobody
What a waste of a perfectly good human. What makes people want to do crazy things like that? To take those risks. You have people who are terminally ill, praying to get well, or to receive a new heart, or liver, these people, fighting to stay alive, then this guy, taking the ultimate risk - and losing.
BASE jumping isn't my thing, but riding a motorcycle at 135mph and jumping off cliffs on skis is. Sitting on a couch sucking down beers isn't exactly safe, either. He knew the risk, he took a chance, and he lost. Personal choice, not a waste.
StanT is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 02:00 PM   #7 (permalink)
Comedian
 
BigBen's Avatar
 
Location: Use the search button
I heard an old veteran talking one time:

"We don't need all that risk taking stuff. We found out just how lucky we were when we came back from the war."

I think that these extreme sports tap into a primitive need to feel that adrenaline rush. I believe that humans are wired to take risks, and when they have pushed enough limits, they can sit back the rest of their lives and remember all of the cool things they did when they were young.

Thoughts?
__________________
3.141592654
Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.
BigBen is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 02:18 PM   #8 (permalink)
Deja Moo
 
Elphaba's Avatar
 
Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA
Perhaps not humans in general, Ben. As a woman, I've never felt the desire to seek physical risks. We were the "gathers", you men-folk were the "hunters."
Elphaba is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 02:29 PM   #9 (permalink)
loving the curves
 
kramus's Avatar
 
Location: my Lady's manor
The riskiest thing I do is drink milk from the fridge without checking the past due date. My choice. This guy knew things could go wrong. They did. He lost.
__________________
And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ...
I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca
kramus is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 03:35 PM   #10 (permalink)
Pissing in the cornflakes
 
Ustwo's Avatar
 
Mmmmm Darwin.
__________________
Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host

Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.
Ustwo is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 06:29 PM   #11 (permalink)
Junk
 
I'm sure someone will call him a hero. Somewhere.
__________________
" In Canada, you can tell the most blatant lie in a calm voice, and people will believe you over someone who's a little passionate about the truth." David Warren, Western Standard.
OFKU0 is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 06:34 PM   #12 (permalink)
loving the curves
 
kramus's Avatar
 
Location: my Lady's manor
That wouldn't have been the tenor of the conversation among the cleanup crew.
__________________
And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ...
I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca
kramus is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 06:36 PM   #13 (permalink)
Insane
 
akito's Avatar
 
Location: Colorado
he'd be a hero if he didn't have the parachute.
akito is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 06:37 PM   #14 (permalink)
Mulletproof
 
Psycho Dad's Avatar
 
Location: Some nucking fut house.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StanT
Sitting on a couch sucking down beers isn't exactly safe, either.
Damn! I'm a risk taker!
__________________
Don't always trust the opinions of experts.
Psycho Dad is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 06:38 PM   #15 (permalink)
Upright
 
Location: New Yorker, by way of Southern California
Risk? He jumped from the second floor. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but maybe it went something like this:
Hmm, I want to do something cool and "risky"-looking, without the actual risk. Maybe, if I jump off the Eiffel Tower (with a parachute) people will think I"m cool, and one day say I'm a hero. Anyway, if anything goes wrong, like my parachute getting tangled in the metal structure, I'll be fine since I'm only jumping from the second floor.
__________________
Friends can listen to "Endless Love" in the dark.
tashawasha is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 07:02 PM   #16 (permalink)
Junkie
 
greytone's Avatar
 
I am no expert at base jumping, but it seems to me that an ideal base would not flare out at the base (you would have to have a standing lateral jump like a flea to clear the tower....If I remember correctly a flea can jump 30 times its own length). It also would not be an open structure with lots of beams to snag a parachute.
__________________
I was there to see beautiful naked women. So was everybody else. It's a common failing.
Robert A Heinlein in "They Do It With Mirrors"
greytone is offline  
Old 05-17-2005, 08:26 PM   #17 (permalink)
MSD
The sky calls to us ...
 
MSD's Avatar
 
Super Moderator
Location: CT
Quote:
Originally Posted by greytone
I am no expert at base jumping, but it seems to me that an ideal base would not flare out at the base (you would have to have a standing lateral jump like a flea to clear the tower....If I remember correctly a flea can jump 30 times its own length). It also would not be an open structure with lots of beams to snag a parachute.
Ideally, a structure would look like the Space Needle. Regular skyscrapers can give you problems because of updrafts and crosscurrents. Somethign like the Eiffel Tower is for Grade-A idiots only. You would need to jump from near the top and wait quite a while (relatively speaking) before opening the 'chute to clear the structure. It sounds like this guy jumped way too low and didn't check for wind, because even a slight breeze can do a lot to a huge piece of cloth at that altitude.
MSD is offline  
Old 05-18-2005, 05:04 AM   #18 (permalink)
Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It!
 
Daniel_'s Avatar
 
Location: Southern England
He tried.

He died.

It's sad for his family and the clean up crew, but I'm not gonna lose any sleep.

I MAY make sure my daughter knows how to stay safe if she ever decides to Base Jump though.....
Daniel_ is offline  
Old 05-18-2005, 05:26 AM   #19 (permalink)
Devoted
 
Redlemon's Avatar
 
Donor
Location: New England
Quote:
Originally Posted by tashawasha
Risk? He jumped from the second floor. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but maybe it went something like this:
Hmm, I want to do something cool and "risky"-looking, without the actual risk. Maybe, if I jump off the Eiffel Tower (with a parachute) people will think I"m cool, and one day say I'm a hero. Anyway, if anything goes wrong, like my parachute getting tangled in the metal structure, I'll be fine since I'm only jumping from the second floor.
"Second floor" was probably a mistranslation in the original news reports. Here's a
quote from a more recent article:
Quote:
When the man reached the tower's second deck 380 feet up Monday evening, he jumped, but his parachute evidently got caught on the tower's structure and detached. He landed on the 182-foot-high first deck.
__________________
I can't read your signature. Sorry.
Redlemon is offline  
Old 05-18-2005, 07:44 AM   #20 (permalink)
Smithers, release the hounds
 
ironman's Avatar
 
Location: Guatemala, Guatemala
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBen931
I heard an old veteran talking one time:

"We don't need all that risk taking stuff. We found out just how lucky we were when we came back from the war."

I think that these extreme sports tap into a primitive need to feel that adrenaline rush. I believe that humans are wired to take risks, and when they have pushed enough limits, they can sit back the rest of their lives and remember all of the cool things they did when they were young.

Thoughts?
Many times i've found myself in this exactly scenario, where although i know what i'm doing is risky and perhaps even stupid, there is an ulterior force that drives me to do it anyways. The pleasure of the adrenaline rush is amazing, but the remembrance of the act itself is a neverending feel of empowerment.
__________________
If I agreed with you weŽd both be wrong
ironman is offline  
Old 05-18-2005, 09:17 AM   #21 (permalink)
I aim to misbehave!
 
rockogre's Avatar
 
Location: SW Oklahoma
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ustwo
Mmmmm Darwin.
My first thought exactly. Once again the herd thins itself automatically.
__________________
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you,
Jesus Christ and the American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom
rockogre is offline  
 

Tags
eiffel, jumps, parachutist, splat, tower


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:05 AM.

Tilted Forum Project

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2
© 2002-2012 Tilted Forum Project

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76