This was Lance’s fifth season BASE jumping and his focus was to fly more technical lines with the Onesie Power while developing his wingsuit skill set and camera flying.
He exited around midday from Fatal Attraction, Walenstadt on the 13th September. The camera was not found but with the information provided from REGA they picked him up at 1900msl and the exit point is at 2170msl. He was laying between the first and second ledge. Identification was done by his tattoos.
He was found the following day on the 14th September in the afternoon and could only be accessed by helicopter. We have also been asked by REGA to not attempt to get to the area to search for cameras as it’s high risk.
Lance had previously jumped Fatal Attraction in the Onesie Power and he shared the video with close friends. He explained that he was running around 95% to ensure a safe exit and track.
Another BASE jumper who was there that day mentioned the conditions were extremely turbulent and noisy to fly in with a lot of sink and lift closer to the ground. Good anabatic conditions on exit were also present.
No video footage will be reviewed but it’s been expected to either be a weak / offset / incorrect push, not enough time to get flying on a short start or not the correct conditions. This is just guess work as we will never know the exact details.
There’s lessons to be learnt here again with what’s happened, Lance’s death was preventable.
A few things I’d like to share to everyone to keep in mind or learn from…
1. Short starts with one piece suits and relying on good conditions / lift are not often repeatable. Lance was one of the most experienced one piece trackers and flew extremely well but you simply don’t have anything left in the tank compared to a wingsuit.
2. When jumping alone, contact a friend before and after the jump. Lance was not collected for more than 24 hours and it took a group of people to piece the puzzle together that he was missing.
3. With the way this has now been handled it’s good to have a plan for ourselves. Having a will or paperwork stated with what you’d like to be done will help the rescue teams, family and friends to go through the steps more efficiently with less stress.
4. Don’t trust numbers in high lift conditions. Where there’s lift, they’ll be sink as well. Best to run numbers on neutral conditions for performance based starts and always remember to take your worst start to a new exit. Always have room for human error.
5. Don’t die. BASE jumping is about living, not dying.
6. REGA, get the insurance. No excuses. Lance didn’t have insurance this year and the company has opted to cover 50% because he had it previously.
7. SBA membership. Please put an emergency contact on the form who is a family member, not a BASE jumper.
Thank you to everyone who has helped with this over the past few days. His family and close friends are still in shock but dealing with it as well as can be expected. He will be missed by everyone!
Thanks,
Sam Hardy