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Bridge Jumping |
jumping from a bridge into a climbing rope
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If Seppm and his fellows make a bridge day they do not take one day off between a holiday and weekend. They take it literally and dash down freefalling from a bridge. A real do-it-yourself-sport!
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Somewhere in the middle of nowhere
A bridge in the middle of nowhere. It´s at dead of night. Nobody there, except of...
A dozend guises, heavily packed with huge backpacks and ropes, is creeping through the dark. Their destination is a 120 feet railway bridge hidden in the forest. Actually they are heading to the basement floor under the rails. Just a metal fence is still seperating them from their destiny. An obstacle, but no insuperable one. Cause tonight these fellows want to jump from the bridge.
Why?
What drives someone to jump from a bridge? Isn´t that pure lunacy? You knot a rope somewhere and tumble down in blind trust that everything will go well... what is that? Sport? Foolishness? A trial of courage? Bungee jumping for poor men? Why should you lay your life in someone´s hands who you might have never seen before? |
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Flo is a totally different fellow. I didn´t know that 23 year old parachuter, whose ropes and karabiners we used, before. I also have to blind trust him and his equipment if I want to jump the bridge. Flo appears rather quiet. Opposite to Seppm you won´t hear any oafishness from him. Conscientiously and wordlessly he sets up the rope construction that he sovereignly inaugurates with a perfect backflip. This creates faith! But this time Flo is not there, unlike while my first jump. Just his ropes and karabiners.
Tonight it´s Tobi taking his position. The 26 year old newbie had only once been at a jump session and never installed the ropes himself. But still it´s due to him as the driving force that we are here tonight. I told him in advance that I would not solely lay my life in someone´s hands who doesn´t have any practical experience in setting the ropes up. I wanted to have at least one experienced jumper there who has made the setup before. |
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| Somewhere around the bridge´s center Seppm and Tobi are installing the ropes which should catch us after 60 feet freefall as a huge pendulum under the bridge. I am impressed how much thought Tobi gave to all that in advance. He´s indeed inventing some reasonable innovations to make our jumps safer. Such as installing a little piece of carpet to protect the rope from the bridge´s sharp steel edges or bringing snap lightsticks for a better visibility in the dark. |
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Fear and overcoming
It´s that special moment just before the jump that counts. When slight panic crawls your body up. When you know that you´re gonna be next. With an unpleasant feeling you jump the four feet down onto the concrete socket. Unpleasant not because you are jumping unsecured on a concrete base with 120 feet abyss around. No, it´s the certainty that you are just about to jump down this abyss, intentionally and in full consciousness. |
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| Then there´s one of the experienced jumpers waiting for you, like a hangman. He´s got two karabiners in his hands with the ropes that you should confide your life to now. By the weight of the two 100 feet ropes dragging you towards the abyss you realize what you are just about to get into. After a brief security check you´re all alone with yourself. Only four steps to Nirvana. The faster you run the easier it is. That´s what they said. Curious views from all those already being member of the brave club of bridge jumpers and all those who have not yet realized what´s awaiting them. The whole group is cheering you, but you´re still alone. Only you can make this decision! „Will I run or will I stand there like a chicken?“ Not in front of the others, rather in front of myself. Cause you know: no one will push you to jump or even condemn you if you don´t dare the leap. You can still step back. It´s a bit like the little angel fighting the devil on your shoulder: „Are you lunatic? Don´t do it!“ „Don´t be a wimp, jump!“ |
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| Not knowing why you are choosing lunacy and start running, regardless who it was whispering that „Do it!“ into your ear. It´s not about good or bad, it´s about overcoming fears of death, the leap into a new life. You don´t know yet that your life will be different after that because you are just losing ground, you are falling. Your hands are clawing into the rope falling with you, locked but totally useless. Damned! Shouldn´t the rope have already catched you? |
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A priceless adventure
You certainly cannot buy this adventure. There´s no commercial company where you could book a bridge jump. You need to know someone who already did it. That makes it somehow exclusive. You don´t need any specific skills, just the balls to jump. Of course you must bring a certain readiness to assume a risk because there´s no one you could blame in case of an accident. Everybody´s jumping on his own risk. Bridge jumping is a do-it-yourself-adventure which Seppm explains like this: „There´s also a residual risk if you climb a ladder at home. But bridge jumping is much more fun than climbing a ladder!“ Maybe that´s exactly what makes this sport so fascinating. The impartiality and the fun are in the front, nevertheless everybody cares for each other to guarantee maximum safety.
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After the jump is just before the next jump
Seppm and his buddys don´t jump very often, mabe three or four times a year as it always costs alot of time and effort to round up all the people. Asking if he would ever grow out of that phase that he needs that kind of nonsense he answers: „I don´t know! Maybe I´ll tell you one day!“ |
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