In reply to MeMeMe:
> (In reply to simondgee)
> Does anyone know the reason for the ban?
This may give you a clue why some land management agencies ban BASE
Pair sentenced for jump at Grand Canyon
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Two California men were federally sentenced to pay fines and satisfy other requirements in connection with a parachute jumping incident at Grand Canyon National Park.
According to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix, Christopher C. McNamara, 30, of Marin County, Calif., pleaded guilty to illegally jumping in the Canyon while on a November 2007 river trip. The practice is known as BASE jumping, which stands for jumping from fixed objects such as buildings, antennas, spans or earth with a parachute.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark E. Aspey ordered McNamara to pay a $5,000 fine to be dedicated to protection resource monitoring in the Canyon. McNamara must also serve one year of probation and may only enter Yosemite National Park because of the civic work he does there.
Jonathon Rich, 33, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., pleaded guilty to violating the terms and conditions of his commercial filming river permit because he failed to report McNamara's BASE jump.
He must pay $1,000 in fines to be used for the Canyon's resource protection program. If he uses his work to promote Leave No Trace education and denounce illegal BASE jumping, the charge against him will be dropped.
Rich and McNamara had been on a river rafting trip to film a documentary about river rafting and rock climbing. Rich did not film the BASE jump.
In a prepared statement, Park Superintendent Steve Martin said,
"BASE jumping is inherently dangerous; but that's only part of why it's prohibited in the park. BASE jumping here, where the terrain is so intensely rugged and the nearest help can be hours away, increases the inherent risks exponentially, and it puts park rescue personnel resources at risk."