Objects Are Closer Than They Appear

February 23, 2011 5:34 PM

"The purpose of this video is to show the importance of spotting, no matter where you jump but in particular in the mountains. The group was the 2nd to exit, the drop was at the wrong place (not a pilot error though) and nobody noticed until it was almost too late. It was pure coincidence and only the quick reaction by the skydivers involved prevented injuries or worse." SLYT; 1.35

From the Youtube extended description:

"1. we know what went wrong so there's no need to remind us :-)

2. Audibles as well as AADs don't help in a situation like this as they are set to the pressure level of the landing area more than 4.000 ft lower.

3. Deploying the reserve would have been the right choice. However, as you can see, there was NO time for thinking and thus your body intuitively and automatically does what it always does: pull the main."

posted by bwg (28 comments total)

So, "look before you leap", because there's a big goddamn mountain right below you, dumbass.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:43 PM on February 23, 2011

Nuts. I had a feeling that video would have been only about 4 seconds shorter without a shoot!

So why was the reserve a better choice here? I'm not sure what went wrong other than maybe he hit a mountain on the way down?
posted by cjorgensen at 5:45 PM on February 23, 2011

Reserve is a better choice because it deploys faster than the main, from what I can tell.
posted by infinitewindow at 5:47 PM on February 23, 2011

Well, that doesn't look so -- HOLY SHIT!
posted by dirigibleman at 5:50 PM on February 23, 2011

I was expecting the skydiver to scream, or at least give me a good "Holy fuck." But no. Cool as ice, that one.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:55 PM on February 23, 2011

So he survived landing, but now he's in the middle of... nowhere? I'm assuming this video was followed by a very long walk home.
posted by GuyZero at 6:01 PM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Who could have guessed that jumping out of an airplane onto a pile of rocks could be dangerous!
posted by DU at 6:05 PM on February 23, 2011

So he survived landing, but now he's in the middle of... nowhere? I'm assuming this video was followed by a very long walk home.

Comment on the video:
"Guys, this was in the Swiss Alps.
I tried to walk down for 2 hours until there was no way out anymore due to rocks and trees, got picked up by a rescue heli then."
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 6:08 PM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm assuming this video was followed by a very long walk home.

He was helicoptered out, and paid for the rescue. From the comments ...

Guys, this was in the Swiss Alps.I tried to walk down for 2 hours until there was no way out anymore due to rocks and trees, got picked up by a rescue heli then.
nemoskyfish 2 days ago 53

Were you charged for the rescue?
Oneup110 1 day ago 6

@Oneup110 Yes, and the amount (almost) scared me more than the jump...
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 6:09 PM on February 23, 2011

I'm assuming this video was followed by a very long walk home.

It feels twice as long when you have soiled pants after nearly kissing a mountain.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 6:13 PM on February 23, 2011

It feels twice as long ... after nearly kissing a mountain.

I dunno. Getting under canopy four seconds before impact and walking away from it?

BEST WALK EVAR
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:21 PM on February 23, 2011 [6 favorites]

Audio: Whooooooosh. Tumble. Heavy breathing and exhale.

Me, in the same situation:

Woooshh - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Tumble. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Exhale.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
posted by zippy at 6:24 PM on February 23, 2011 [5 favorites]

Boy did that ground show up fast.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:25 PM on February 23, 2011

I really can't fathom jumping out of a plane and not keeping an eye on how far away the ground is at pretty much all times.
posted by jpdoane at 6:31 PM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

*pucker*
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 6:35 PM on February 23, 2011

Is it wrong that I thought the dude in white looked like he was popping a boner right before they jumped?
posted by msali at 6:53 PM on February 23, 2011

I really can't fathom jumping out of a plane and not keeping an eye on how far away the ground is at pretty much all times.

posted by unSane at 8:03 PM on February 23, 2011

Lots of good comments from skydivers in the thread over at Reddit, plus more details on exactly where in Switzerland it happened:

http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/fpl2l/skydivers_near_impact_and_landing_on_top_of_a/

(sorry, guess I can't use html tags b/c new member of MF)
posted by haley_joel_osteen at 8:29 PM on February 23, 2011

Were you charged for the rescue?
Oneup110 1 day ago 6

@Oneup110 Yes, and the amount (almost) scared me more than the jump...

Can you refuse to be rescued?
posted by Ad hominem at 8:35 PM on February 23, 2011

I really can't fathom jumping out of a plane

Stepping off a plane at 14,000 feet and watching it fly away without you is one of the most amazing things a featherless biped can experience.
posted by homunculus at 8:37 PM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Man, the view at 1:02 on that video is going to give me nightmares. They say that what separates the living and the dead in an emergency is who keeps their head about them and doesn't panic - and based on this video, I think we can add has fast reactions and good muscle memory. Pretty sure that in that situation I would have spent the last four seconds of my life crapping myself.
posted by Dasein at 9:02 PM on February 23, 2011

A video linked over at Reddit of a guy who couldn't get his chutes to open and just decided to wait until his automatic backup saved him. Good thing it's made in Germany.
posted by Dasein at 9:11 PM on February 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

In the Youtube comments, he says he called for a rescue after hiking downhill for two hours and then reaching a point where he could not being able to go further. He also says that at the pickup spot, the ground was at a 45 degree slope, so the helicopter hovered while he climbed aboard.
posted by zippy at 9:26 PM on February 23, 2011

Is it wrong that I thought the dude in white looked like he was popping a boner right before they jumped?

Stiffycam, obv.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:38 PM on February 23, 2011

Can you refuse to be rescued?

From the comments:

Guys, this was in the Swiss Alps.

I tried to walk down for 2 hours until there was no way out anymore due to rocks and trees, got picked up by a rescue heli then.

I'm pretty sure that in almost all cases of mountain rescue the person being rescued has asked for help. cases where there's been a storm or some other disaster that results in rescuers getting called in to look for people are less common rescue situations and often make the news.
posted by mexican at 9:40 PM on February 23, 2011

Hooooooly crap. So how far away was he from smacking into the mountain? It looks like a matter of seconds, if that..
posted by Drexen at 3:37 AM on February 24, 2011

My date would've been spasming like an electrocuted calamari ring.
posted by tumid dahlia at 5:41 AM on February 24, 2011

Guys? Remind me not to jump out of any planes, ok?

But DAMN the spot where he lands is gorgeous. Now I want to go to the Swiss Alps. Unfortunately I was born at sea level so bad things tend to happen when I visit mountains.
posted by threeturtles at 8:48 AM on February 24, 2011