People are reinventing the wheel that we invented, but they’re not necessarily taking the time to get it right. There are a lot of people who just try to learn by watching videos off the Internet. But that’s not training, it’s entertaining! When we learned things like flips it took 5 years or so, now guys are trying it within a couple weeks. The only problem here is when they haven’t properly progressed in a manner that’s safe. B.A.S.E. jumping is easy when it goes well. It’s not until something goes wrong mid-air that your training really pays off. How is the sport viewed worldwide? Back in Australia, there are currently about 90 different laws I would be breaking. In a span of ten days last year I went from being an athlete in Switzerland to being a rock star in China, to a criminal in Australia. Describe the moments before a jump: I have a strict routine. First I check the wind again. Then I mentally prepare. I try to get myself at a 70% stress level—too calm and you’re asleep, too anxious and you’re foolish. Then 3 deep breathes, and on the last, I go. That first step of commitment… nothing beats that. Describe the fall: 54
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Because all the elements of the fall itself are calculated on the fly (pun intended), it requires a lot of quick decision making, calculating and recalculating on the way down. As for how I know when to pull the shoot, the phrase us Aussies use is “get scared—then wait a second!” Any near death experiences? Only once, I was in a wing suit and the strap for the shoot wouldn’t open. I had a bad grab. As I started to pull at the pocket that wasn’t opening I basically closed down [or essentially pulled in the wingshis arms- to mess with it, effectively cutting off his forward flight and turning all his forward speed into downward speed]. In doing so I almost immediately changed my 20 seconds of remaining flight time, down to about 5 seconds This just serves to illustrate how dangerous this can be without the right training. When you are about to die there are two things you can do, you can either panic, or you can take a deep breath and deal with it. For a guy as calculated as he is, McDougall states that this near death experience shook him. Just a short three months later, this same problem would turn fatal for a friend of his.
The folks over at Camco Global Events have worked tirelessly with Chris from start to finish to make sure this event happened. They were instrumental in bringing him here, getting all associated permits etc., and keeping the plan on track. For that, Chris says he is grateful. For their part, they say that have many more big events planned for the future—so stay tuned! By the time you are reading this, Chris will have already moved on. He will have successfully B.A.S.E. jumped from the peak of Al Hamra Tower not once, but twice, in an effort to bring this sport to a new nation (despite the fact that it is still illegal in his own). That is where his head is at these days, travelling the world as an ambassador for the sport he loves, preaching positivity with a relentless belief in following your dreams; one giant (and sometimes scary) step at a time. Follow Chris “Douggs” McDougall on Instagram @douggsbase or via his fanpage on Facebook. Follow future Camco Global events on Twitter at @CamcoEvents. Images courtesy of bazaar magazine and Camco Global events.