Land of the Free

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In God We Trust, MC Solaar
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Well, this story is not about the States. It’s good to have aspirations, and voicing them can lead to evolution, but often I think that actions speak louder than words. Freedom exists much more, for some, in a place base jumpers call the Swiss Valley.

It’s possible that my views are general, or perhaps overly marginalized. But the bottom line is I just traveled thousands of miles to Switzerland so I could jump off cliffs and not be harassed for it. Though I was pretty pleased to be traveling through Europe, I admit I often found myself wishing my dollars were staying at home, cruising around in their own economy where they belong right now

I tend to be a pragmatist at heart. When something blatantly does not make sense, I think it should be addressed and resolved. And that has certainly happened here in my home country, many times. Like, for example, allowing women to vote. I’m glad they fixed that one.

Base jumping, as a mountain craft with extremely low impact, should not be treated differently than any other human powered mountain sport. America’s national parks are the only natural place one will encounter prejudice and restriction against jumpers. Unfortunately, all of our best cliffs of great height happen to be right smack in the middle of national parks.

Since not all jumpers can travel to other countries all the time, and since passionate practitioners will always pursue their dreams despite risk and persecution, this leads to constant conflict, increased danger, money wasted on “enforcement,” and lost tourist dollars from American and international jumpers. Not to mention, the whole situation is more than a little embarrassing for an American base jumper traveling in Europe, as it’s impossible to come up with any rational reason when asked why it’s like this.

I would love to see some positive change, and I would hazard to say that if anyone is capable of shocking and dramatic positive change, it’s America! So though I am often frustrated, I have not lost hope. Seeing the example of the Swiss is a real inspiration.

In Switzerland, base jumping is just one more highly specialized activity which draws mountain lovers to the beautiful valley of Lauterbrunnen.

It is a small place, with an age old tradition of farming and mountaineering. The Swiss smoothly integrate new uses of the region as they arise–skiing, helicopter transport, paragliding, downhill mountain biking, base jumping, wingsuit base, skydiving and Swiss Army target practice.

Let me give you an example. There is a helicopter base in the middle of Lauterbrunnen, for air rescues and construction. They fly all day long. The helicopter pilots expressed concern, because they didn’t want to be surprised by suddenly appearing parachutes when they were coming in to land or take off. The solution? All base jumpers are requested to make a phone call to the helicopter office before jumping, to make sure the air is clear before jumping. Simple.

Another example. The Swiss Army requires frequent target practice, since all Swiss men over the age of 18 may be called to service at any time. The shooting range is very close to one of the common landing areas, for base jumpers. The solution? The target practice times are scheduled and posted in the local pub, and jumpers don’t jump in that spot during target practice. Simple.

Another example. One local paragliding company makes business by offering tandem paragliding rides to tourists. Last year, the cliff under their launch site became a popular spot for base jumping. The paragliders were concerned about meeting base jumpers in the air when they appeared from the slope above that cliff. The solution? Base jumpers are requested to wait until 4 pm to jump that site, when the tandem business is done for the day, and only experienced paragliders will be in the air space. Simple.

There is no fuss, no disagreement, no cry for outlawing of anything, no criticizing certain user groups as being different or “crazy” or risky, no exclusionary rules that cost time and money to enforce. The Swiss simply evaluate potential conflicts, propose a reasonable solution, and everyone moves forward. It’s all so…..easy.

While I was in Lauterbrunnen for the last two weeks, there was one bad flurry of base jumping accidents, three in a 24 hour period. I said to my friend Reiner, “I hope they don’t outlaw base jumping, with all these accidents happening.” Reiner said, “Are you kidding? They would never outlaw base jumping. That is not the Swiss mentality. It is another mountain sport, like skiing or climbing. Besides, all base jumpers buy the helicopter insurance, and it’s the simplest rescue imaginable. They fly to the base and pick the person up. There was one mountaineering rescue last season which took days, with a lot of risk and effort to reach the mountaineers. When hikers get lost in the valleys, it costs an unbelievable amount of time and money to go and find them. Base jumping has less accidents than anything else, with the easiest rescues.”

It is a magical feeling of freedom, to visit such a place, and to fly from the cliffs with your friends.

To stand at the edge, and launch into the air, to feel your wings inflate as you move forward, it’s an experience that is surreal for the human body and mind.

When you fly near the wall, and watch the rock as you speed past, your mind almost can’t believe what the eyes are seeing.

And, just to put the icing on the cake, dogs are treated with the same respect and consideration as humans in Lauterbrunnen (as in most of Europe), and ride contentedly up the cable cars and small trains with their humans, to enjoy the beautiful mountains with everyone else.

I did get a lot of strange looks as, totally thrilled and charmed, I took pictures of every dog I saw on the cable car

The Swiss really impress me with their hard work and visionary engineering in the high mountain regions of their country, but also with their respect for individuality and practical mentality–freedom is not a marketing slogan of their country, but rather a natural, genuine result of their cultural attitude. I feel fortunate to be able to taste it, and it really inspires me. Inspiration is powerful, and it offers hope.