I moved to Twin Falls in January and if we're being honest, I didn't even know what BASE Jumping was until I moved here and learned about it in the visitor's center. If you're new to the Magic Valley or unfamiliar with the term, BASE is actually an acronym for the different things you can jump off of (building, antenna, span, and earth (also known as a cliff)).

This past weekend, while my family was visiting the Magic Valley from Iowa, I decided to take them out to see the Perrine Bridge. What I didn't expect to show them was BASE jumpers--but we got super lucky!

A BASE Jumper goes off of the Perrine Bridge on March 16, 2019. Credit: Michael Felton
A BASE Jumper goes off of the Perrine Bridge on March 16, 2019. Credit: Michael Felton
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It turns out because the weather was SO NICE on Saturday, some people were actually being taught how to BASE jump. We got to listen in a little bit and I thought it was super interesting. My dad was talking with some of the guys that were there prepping all their gear and one had said he had come up from Colorado. The guy said he had been jumping for OVER 30 years. Call me crazy, but that's something I'd never do!

BASE jumping is pretty awesome and I give anyone credit who's willing to risk their life to jump off the Perrine Bridge with a parachute. I was able to get one of the jumps on video - but soon after this, a guy actually jumped off with the backpack kind of parachute (of course my camera died right after taking the photo below). He did a flip BEFORE pulling his cord.

A BASE Jumper jumps off of the Perrine Bridge on March 16, 2019. Credit: Ellyn Felton
A BASE Jumper jumps off of the Perrine Bridge on March 16, 2019. Credit: Ellyn Felton
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It was pretty awesome, but it's safe to say BASE jumping isn't for the faint of heart and you really need to take those informational classes first because it's key in having a good flight and landing.

You can watch the video I took Saturday below.

 

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