“It's Not a Death Wish, It's a Life Wish”
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“I Don’t Want to Die, But I Accept That it Can Happen”: Taking Risks and Doing Gender Among BASE Jumpers by CAITLIN ANDREA FORSEY B.A. (Honours), University of Winnipeg, 2007 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Sociology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2009 © Caitlin Andrea Forsey 2009 Abstract Using ethnographic data generated through semi-structured interviews with 16 male BASE jumpers, observations of over 1000 BASE jumps (parachuting from fixed objects such as Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth), and textual analyses of BASE-related websites, images, and publications, this research provides a sociocultural analysis of the relationship between masculinity and voluntary risk-taking. Drawing on wider debates about modernization, individualization, technology, gender relations, embodiment, and the sociology of the everyday, I illustrate the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon, in addition to the advantages of using a theoretically diverse approach. I link the emergence of BASE jumping in contemporary Western society to military history and the synthesis of two extreme sports, namely, bungee jumping and skydiving. I explore the practices, ethics, technologies, and mentoring styles specific to the practice, with the goal of demonstrating how BASE jumping integrates individuals into social groups. An analysis of the gender regime operating within the BASE community reveals tensions between engagement in the practice and issues of responsibility related to fatherhood, marriage, and other intimate relations. My findings further suggest BASE jumping provides a forum for learning, practicing, and perfecting valued skills within the localized field of the BASE community, in addition to other spheres of personal and professional life. Taken together, these insights provide a deeper understanding of gendered participation in the high-risk activity of BASE jumping, thereby addressing an important lacuna in the voluntary risk-taking and extreme sport literatures. ii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vii Dedication ....................................................................................................................... viii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Theorizing Risk ................................................................................................................... 4 “They’ll talk to you because you’re hot”: Methodology................................................... 12 “We always have a basic plan”: The Layout of the Thesis ............................................... 18 Chapter 1-“The jump won’t kill you, it’s the parachute that will kill you” .............. 20 1.1 “It all starts with a bungee jump”: Historical Development ....................................... 22 1.2 “JUMP AT YOUR OWN RISK!”: Risky Technologies ............................................ 29 1.3 “The ground is the limit”: Types of Jumps ................................................................. 39 1.4 “3-2-1-C-YA!”: Conclusion ........................................................................................ 47 Chapter 2-“BASE jumpers are a very close community” ........................................... 49 2.1 “It was definitely a true mentorship”: Participating on the Periphery ........................ 50 2.2 “Take only pictures, leave only footprints”: BASE Ethics ......................................... 60 2.3 “Hardcore BASE jumpers only”: Boundary Work and Authenticity ......................... 67 2.4 “3-2-1-C-YA!”: Conclusion ........................................................................................ 70 Chapter 3-“You can’t be a good dad if you’re dead” .................................................. 73 3.1 Edgework .................................................................................................................... 75 3.2 “You dry faster than you heal”: Risk Logics .............................................................. 78 iii 3.3 “The jumps I did before my kids I would not do today”: Gendered Risk Regimes ............................................................................................. 88 3.4 “3-2-1-C-YA!”: Conclusion ...................................................................................... 103 Chapter 4-“BASE jumping is a lot of work” .............................................................. 105 4.1 “Calculating risk ratios”: Gendered Habitus and Acquired Skills ............................ 106 4.2 Capital Accumulation and Conversion ..................................................................... 115 4.3 “3-2-1-C-YA!”: Conclusion ...................................................................................... 125 Conclusion: “Taking risks is part of who I am” ......................................................... 127 Limitations and Directions for Future Research ............................................................. 135 “3-2-1-C-YA!”: Final Remarks ....................................................................................... 139 References ...................................................................................................................... 141 Appendix A- General Characteristics of Study Participants .......................................... 151 Appendix B- Methodological Decisions and Ethical Issues .......................................... 152 Appendix C- Consent Form ........................................................................................... 157 Appendix D- Interview Guide ........................................................................................ 159 Appendix E- Biographical Questionnaire ...................................................................... 162 Appendix F- Behavioral Ethics Board Certificate of Approval ..................................... 164 iv List of Tables Table 3.1 Injuries reported by study participants ........................................................... 85 v List of Figures Figure 1.1 Land diving in the Vanuatu Islands .............................................................. 22 Figure 1.2 Traditional round canopy .............................................................................. 25 Figure 1.3 Parafoil or ram-air parachute ........................................................................ 25 Figure 1.4 Multi-way jump ............................................................................................ 45 Figure 2.1 Pilot chute assist ............................................................................................ 54 Figure 2.2 Jeb Corliss ..................................................................................................... 64 Figure 3.1 Wingsuit ........................................................................................................ 83 Figure 3.2 Heterosexy female BASE jumper ................................................................. 92 Figure 3.3 Female BASE student ................................................................................... 92 Figure 3.4 Ideal-typical portrayal of sexual and gender relations .................................. 99 vi Acknowledgements There are many people to thank, as no social scientific pursuit is solitary. Along the way, I have been driven, inspired, and supported by all of the people who placed their confidence in me. In particular, I give deep thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Thomas Kemple and Dr. Dawn Currie for their enthusiastic and patient approach to mentoring me; my ‘Vancouver family’ —Mireille, Eric, Maxim, and Alix— for magnificent dinners, card games, afternoons on the ski hill, early morning laps at the pool, ‘surgery’ on my neck and shoulders, and hugs ‘just because’; my ‘Winnipeg family’ —Mom, Dad, Jane, Debbie, Martika, Meghan, and Jenn—for giving me the space to focus on my studies and yet having faith that I will come home ‘someday’; and Anne Binning, Faye Fitzgerald, and Esther Cudmore for teaching me to trust my intuition. I would also like to acknowledge the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the University of British Columbia for their generous financial support throughout my degree. Lastly, and most importantly, I thank all the BASE jumpers who chose to honor me with their stories. As a social scientist, I consider myself privileged to speak with people about their innermost thoughts, perspectives, worries, and desires—thank you. vii Dedication To those who endeavor to ‘live’ rather than ‘die’ their lives. viii Introduction My fascination with BASE jumping began several years ago while I was dating an avid skydiver who, over the course of our relationship, developed a self-described ‘obsession’