Originally Posted by
Yorkshire Thug
Fellrunning is about freedom (not politics, rules, power, prizes etc) and about the sense of freedom you get from running unencumbered where you will, in lovely scenery with views of the mountains to take your mind off the effort sustained by your legs so that your mind travels relaxed – a happy passenger inside a willing body.
Other sports give you that same sense of freedom. Mountaineering, rock climbing and diving are all brilliant in their own way, and I have used them all often in the past to reach a state which borders on the euphoric.
Some sports, however, go that one step further. They seem to bring you face to face with the final thrill ... the final freedom.
When an ex-bloke introduced me to bridge-jumping in the eighties, I was initially captivated by it. I did loads, Monsal and Britannia being the most memorable, but the sheer mechanics of the sport limited its scope, and I’m sure this is the main reason for it’s loss of popularity. I also tried bungee jumping, while in NZ not long ago and, although this seemed more like what I was after, the whole set-up and apparatus is in itself very limiting, and the jumps get pretty repetitive. This is probably the reason why people resort to stripping off to spice it up.
But now current bloke has introduced me to base jumping, and, suddenly all the restrictions, all the limitations are gone. Here is a sport with fairly minimal requirements which gives you truly the freedom which normally can be only enjoyed by birds.
Having done some great jumps from antennae and bridges over in Belgium last year, we took a trip to Idaho this last month to try the Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls. It was great, as is the attitude to base jumping in the states (among some!!) - I hope to attend the big jump fest at Fayetteville later this year.
I can really recommend the sport to any freedom seeker. Although you’re supposed to jump from each of buildings, antennae, bridges (spans) and the earth, doing all that as your main aim in life is really for the fetishists among us. The real excitement and freedom comes from flying down, with the wind howling in your ears and controlling your direction, and your destiny, with your canopy.
My ultimate aim is to organise an unofficial uphill-only race on the Ben followed by a jump over Coire Leis. I’ll keep you posted.
