If you think flying squirrels are cool

  • Thread starter Thread starter fluidistic
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Cool Flying
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the excitement and risks associated with wingsuit jumping and related extreme sports, including base jumping and rock climbing. Participants share personal experiences, opinions on safety, and the thrill of these activities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses enthusiasm for wingsuit jumping, describing it as breathtaking and awesome.
  • Another participant notes the high death rate among base jumpers, suggesting that the pursuit of adrenaline leads to increasingly dangerous jumps.
  • A different viewpoint criticizes wingsuit jumping as one of the worst ideas, indicating strong disapproval.
  • Some participants mockingly refer to those who use parachutes as "wuss" or "weenies," implying that they view the activity as less daring.
  • One participant shares a personal anecdote about technical rock climbing, highlighting the thrill and fear associated with heights and the challenges faced during the activity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions, with some finding wingsuit jumping thrilling and others deeming it reckless. There is no consensus on the safety or desirability of these extreme sports.

Contextual Notes

Participants' views are influenced by personal experiences and perceptions of risk, which may vary widely. The discussion reflects differing attitudes towards thrill-seeking behavior and safety in extreme sports.

fluidistic
Gold Member
Messages
3,934
Reaction score
286
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
yeah, heard of it, seen the vids. also saw a doc on a few days ago about base jumpers. seems they've got a fairly high death rate because they can never get enough. once something becomes routine, they've got to push the envelope just a little more to take a once relatively safe jump and make it adrenaline-producing again. so they start flying closer and closer to obstacles, until one day, an unexpected gust of wind sends them crashing into a cliff.

looks fun, but i like my crashes a little more controlled.
 
I think it is one of the worst ideas in the history of bad ideas.
 
What a total wuss! Those guys used parachutes!
 
I’ve seen it before and each time I see it I think of trying one of them, the thrill would be great.
 
Chi Meson said:
What a total wuss! Those guys used parachutes!
What weenies!
 
My next-door neighbor in college talked me into technical rock climbing because he had a project to finish for the AMC (a climbing guide) and his climbing buddies had graduated. I have never been one for heights (unless I have good footing under me), so traversing cracks on a granite face was pretty *exciting* to say the least. Between getting dive-bombed by an overprotective mama hawk and trying to avoid the poison ivy, there was plenty of entertainment to distract me from the raw fear of being about 200-300 feet up on a near-vertical granite face. Les told me that the foliage was "Boston Ivy". I convinced him to chimney up a crack to get us home ASAP and bought some Fels Naphtha soap. The next morning, I wandered over to his place. His wife let me in and let me visit Les. All swollen up, eyes too see clearly, and in great distress.
 
the_corliss_resolution.png
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
5K
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
10K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K