Sunday, August 16, 2009

Switzerland 2009

I sit here now in a van heading for France for more BASE jumping after almost a week in Switzerland BASE jumping with Team ILL VISION. Three days of wet weather and slippery exit points was followed by bright blue skies and two jumps via helicopter from the Eiger Mushroom as the trip’s highlight.

I was fortunate enough to meet many incredible people and made close to 15 jumps total for the trip.

Switzerland’s Lauderbrunnen Valley is a place of dreams, not only for its remarkable access to the biggest mountains of Europe or it’s simple quite and beautiful laid back farming style, the food or the people but the opportunity to pursue whatever outdoor sport you wish.

The area is lush with forest and incredibly huge granite walls on both sides. Trains and cable cars allow sportsmen and families alike to reach trials and vista’s unimaginable by American standards. The beauty of the area is nothing short of breath taking in all directions and one could spend months in just this one area and never scratch the surface of what is truly offered.

The area is reminiscent of R.J. Tolkin’s “The Hobbit” and brings to mind the place he called “Rivendale.” Some of the farming family’s history is over 500 years old still tending to cows and grass pastures. Nomes, hobbits and elves? I get it now. You have to see this to believe it.

Traveling, another sense permanently embeding an area to memory is sound. The area is rich with the sounds of church bells ringing every 15 mins, the clanging of cow bells, helicopters echoing through the valley everyday, all day and the constant flow of waterfalls 360 degrees.

Water is never a problem. The weeping walls of the valley produce some of the cleanest and freshest water I have ever tasted. Public free flowing fountains can be found on many street corners flowing fast enough to fill a 2 liter bottle of water in a matter of seconds.

The outdoors is shared by everyone from hard core extremists to families, the old and young alike. Even at the most remote destinations all the comforts of home can be found complete with toys and parks just for keeping the kids entertained.

I am incredibly grateful at the opportunity to experience my sport and life in such a setting. Below are a few pics. I will have more up on my Gallery later. For now I must go. We are reaching our destination in France and should be at another incredible huge exit point soon, more to come.

Check out some more pics here of our BASE jumping.

HP



































Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Yes, I am still alive

Where do I begin. Many of you have written wondering why I haven't made any posts.
It's been well over a month, I know.

I made a last minute, risk it all adventure. An old friend and jumping partner offered the opportunity I have been attempting to create for several years now.
The opportunity to help bring his team, Team ILL VISION, to the next step. Now none of us know what that is, but he knew that it was time to push it to the next level. So, I signed on as Team Development, documentation and marketing.
I had three weeks to move years of baggage and stuff, pack my car and shut the house down ready for a Hurricane. Took a week to drive out West stopping at several friends places along the way. I finally made it to Perris Valley, CA for some work with world renown aerial cinematographer, Craig O'Brien. Those event posts are below.

My girl, Shireen, flew into Huntington and we took a week driving up the coast, which was awesome. The highlight being the Hearst Castle and two nights and threes day in Big Sur. We hiked, walked and took in the sights. I will post those shortly. The coast is amazing.

I eventually reached my destination of Northern California on May 16th. Shireen helped me settle in to my new place and then it was straight to work. And let me tell you, it's been busy. The calender is booked solid with travel and events.
I plan on posting pictures here as I move through them. Really just wanted to give you a quick update and start posting.

Current Project, Team ILL VISION
Enjoy the pics below from our recent trip to Twin Falls, ID and the Perrine Bridge where the team jumped with others four days in a row during great weather.
That makes two blogs I am running and of course my Facebook page. If you are interested and want to keep up on the latest. Those three outlets are where to look and all three will have slightly different postings and pictures depending on the audience.
My life has taken an incredible and exciting turn. One thing I really notice is the view. Completely different, as you will see.
Thanks for all the support. Look forward to seeing many in Sebastian coming this winter.

The ride out to Idaho was amazing. As soon as we made it through Reno the desert opened up, the cell phone slowly died and for the first time, in a long time, I let myself disconnect from the matrix. It was wonderful. Ten hours of just open country and the elusive "No Service" Sings, on my phone, on the road. Perfect. I could feel my breathing change, my mood elevate and the conversation took a different tone. It was by far one of the best mobile offices I've ever had.

All these were taken from the truck. Sometimes and open window, sometimes closed and then sometimes through the front window filtered with bugs and road stuff. To see some BASE jumping Pics go to Team ILL VISION.








Sunday, May 10, 2009

Perris 100 Way Camp COMPLETION

Want to check out all the pics, go to the low priced, easy download GALLERY.

Want to tag yourself, your friends? Go to my FACEBOOK profile.

The end is here. The camp is over. LAST jump and my group did it! They completed. The other group had to do a go around, lost floaters and had to land.

What a great weekend. Never before have I seen a camp this big where people generated so much big way experience. The learning curve was HIGH to say the least. Many of these peoples limits were pushed beyond their own expectations.

Any of you looking to take your RW to the next level should check out Perris Valley Skydiving

It's the end of the day, pictures n people are going crazy and I gotta pack up and get to the next adventure.

I will be on the road and not sure when I will post next. Stay tuned. It's going to be an interesting summer.

Make sure you check out the pics and leave a comment!





Aerial Pink Play House Breast Cancer Fundrasier, Perris Valley Skydiving

Gonna make this quick. It's early, I was up late, I'm late and on a 10 min. call. The party was great.
The organizers really did a bang up job on this party. The planning was top notch and it showed. From carny games to sumo wrestling to a spread of food it was all there. A great fundraiser for a great cause created by a an awesome group of people.

Here are the pics. I'm on a 5 minute call. Enjoy!

Want to tag yourself, your friends? Many more Pics. Just Go to my FACEBOOK profile.