Do you know what BASE jumping is? It's an extreme sport where the jumper leaps from a building, antenna, cliff or bridge and must deploy their parachute after a few seconds in freefall.
Ricardo Navarro is a skydiver who one day decided to go further and threw himself into the void from just metres high. Without doubt he's a true expert in the field, representing Spain in 7th position worldwide. In an interview with Yumping he tells us how his career began and what each jump means to him. Fancy getting to know him too?
Yumping.- How did you get into BASE jumping?
Ricardo Navarro.- I started 3 years ago, after completing my sport skydiving course and doing several jumps from planes. Later I decided to take the first step from a bridge using a friend's parachute. Some time after that I bought my own BASE jumping gear and it's been a constant learning process ever since - every jump is a different world...
Y.- How long have you been skydiving?
R.N.- Truthfully, not that long - since mid-2007... But I did do a tandem jump back in 2000 and that's when I knew this was my world...
Y.- To specialise in this type of skydiving, you need considerable experience first. Why did you decide to take it further?
R.N.- Honestly... because it was always my main goal. I've got more experience in BASE jumping than sport skydiving - meaning my time in skydiving was just to learn canopy control, aerial stability, wingsuit flying... Though I should say my path wasn't the most advisable - they recommend 150-200 plane jumps before starting this sport (laughs).
Y.- What does it feel like when the ground is so close during a jump?
R.N.- It's hard to explain the feeling - I think most BASE jumpers would agree... it's a sensation of freedom, speed, wellbeing - everything depends on you, your movements, decisions...
Y.- BASE jumps can be made from buildings, antennas, bridges or cliffs. What's your preferred launch point?
R.N.- Blimey!!! Tough question... I think anywhere with sufficient height, a good landing zone and especially doing it with good mates to share the experience. But frankly, cliff faces are my weakness, particularly pioneering new openings - new jumps where my friends can enjoy themselves too.
Y.- What does your family think about you doing this sport?
R.N.- At first, quite normally given their lack of knowledge about it, they were a bit scared. My dad comes along whenever he can to feel more at ease (and because he enjoys it too) - he helps with recovery and is the official ground support for AESBASE... (laughs).
My wife however isn't too amused - she respects it because she knows I'm passionate, but she doesn't usually come along, though she has done occasionally; most recently at the Base Jump Extreme World Championship, but she only saw two live jumps - it was hard for her. Whenever I go jumping, I call her after landing...
Y.- Do you think it's a risky sport?
R.N.- There is some risk compared to other adventure sports, though it's not the most dangerous... The accident/incident rate isn't exactly low, but I believe with refined technique, training, doing things properly and not pushing your luck, you can reduce the risk. That said, you must never drop your guard - the danger is always there...
Y.- What does it take to become a BASE jumping world champion?
R.N.- "World champion" in BASE is very debatable terminology - it would just mean someone who performed best at specific objectives in a competition with limited international participation. It's hard to call it a world champion (in my view) - I came 7th but don't consider myself the 7th best in the world, not by a long shot... It's not a mainstream sport yet and competitive BASE has only existed a few years.
For me, the world's best would be an all-round jumper - good at tracking, wingsuit flying, canopy piloting... In the Hotel Bali championship you had to meet certain conditions like canopy skills (quickly finding the right traffic pattern to approach the target), good launch position to avoid unexpected spins... and of course a bit of luck... (laughs). That day I didn't hit a single bullseye - out of 5 competition jumps, I was metres away on 4, way off on one, and only nailed the centre in the final jump when it no longer counted... Typical Murphy's Law (laughs). Next year if I compete, I'm sure it'll be different...
Y.- What's the most difficult place you've jumped from?
R.N.- I've never "had to" jump anywhere... I've jumped because I wanted to in that moment, but I do remember the most impactful jump was my first from a windmill at night in fog... with zero visibility. Imagine that!
Y.- Being a risky sport, it's prohibited in many places. How do you train?
R.N.- Well here in Spain there's no explicit BASE jumping ban, though some national parks prohibit flying - whether paragliding, parachuting, ballooning... Otherwise it's currently an unregulated sport, but there are plenty of places to jump and enjoy it.
Y.- We've seen you've done night jumps. How do they differ from daytime?
R.N.- There's added difficulty: visibility, obviously... You don't enjoy the visual aspect the same way. Personally if I've done night jumps, it's been to avoid drawing too much attention and stay more discreet (laughs)... But I prefer daytime jumps.
Y.- Do you do other adventure sports?
R.N.- Yes, since childhood I've always been into mountains and nature: trekking, climbing, MTB, canyoning, scuba... Is Kick Boxing not an adventure sport? (laughs).
Y.- What would you never dare try?
R.N.- Probably cave diving... It really intimidates me - I don't know if I could dive in caves beyond cenotes...
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Y.- What's your next big challenge?
R.N.- I'm planning to do Angel Falls (Venezuela) - a personal dream. If I succeed it would be a huge personal achievement: I could be the first Catalan to do it.
Y.- Where do you see yourself in ten years?
R.N.- With my wife, kids, friends, and if health allows, still jumping, flying, travelling...
