BASE Jump The Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls

BASE jumping is big in Twin Falls, Idaho. Though I'm not sure how many of the jumpers are actually from Twin Falls. The bridge that spans the Snake River Canyon, Perrine Bridge, is a very popular spot to base jump. I cross the bridge every day and there are always folks preparing themselves for the jump. Often, there are mishaps that result in the injury and death of the jumpers.

Such was the case yesterday. In fact, it happened minutes before I crossed the bridge on my way home from work. An as yet unidentified BASE jumper's parachute failed to deploy and the jumper was killed.

Of course, there are myriad of issues involved with the BASE jumping. It costs money to rescue the jumpers from the problems they put themselves into. There are virtually no regulations or safeguards in place to protect those that want to jump. The pros and cons of this are invariably discussed each year as the weather improves enough to start the jumping.

Speaking of weather, yesterday was not a great day. It was cold. It was windy. There were 24 mph gusts around the area.

What in the world would possess a thinking person to step out onto a bridge in the middle of 20+ mph gusts of wind and jump? What exactly do you think will happen to you and your parachute when hit by one of those wind gusts?