Customer Reviews

Base 66: A Story of Fear, Fun, and Freefall

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book brought back fond memories of what it was like BASE jumping in the '80's, when we weren't even sure 'what' was possible. The fear of death, the fear of injury, the fear of getting caught. I remember my girlfriend's comment when I called to tell her I had just completed my first building jump and qualified for BASE -- "Good, you don't have to do any more jumps now." "NOT!" BASE 66 brought all that back and more. A great book for any adventurer.

Rob 'Skypuppy' Price
BASE 92
Horseshoe Valley, On, Canada

As a base-jumper myself, I can highly recommend this book! Not just if you're a base-jumper, but also if you love reading about the adventures of other people. This book not only manages to capture the thrill and excitement of base-jumping (and in those days it was many times more exciting), but it also shows how ultimately the most important part is sharing these experiences with great friends. If you're a couch-potato, start by reading this book and then go outside, meet people, and go on adventures!

Base 66 is a great and entertaining story about the golden age of BASE jumping. These guys were crazy (or idiots as they called themselves) just like space pioneers. Always pushing the envelope to the limits... and were lucky enough to lived to tell about it.

A great read for adrenaline junkies or anyone who wants to vicariously experience the rush of base jumping. Jevto gives a fascinating explanation of what compelled him and other base jumpers to become full-fledged members of this exclusive club.

This white-knuckle read is a must for anyone wanting to learn how to live life to the full - and still be around to tell the tale. Jevto Dedijer writes about his daring exploits in a way which made me gasp, feeling as if I myself stood on the brink of a cliff or a tower with nothing but a tiny chute to hang my life on. He puts you right into those chutestraps, creating that chilly sinking feeling in your belly and a small thought of envy - I wish I had had the guts to what he did. Read it!

This book is terrific. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. After reading so much fiction, it is refreshing to read some non-fiction that is even more gripping than a typical novel! I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the capability to read. Excellent story!!

Really Jevto. Thank you for sharing the amazing story of the beginning of this incredible sport.
Beeing myself skydiver, I had shivers reading it.
A lot of feelings of my first jumps and fears came back.
It's exactly what I try do describe to my Whuffo friends what this sport is about.
Friendship, Brotherhood, Passion, Thrill, Adrenaline, Concentration, Precision.
I cannot do more than recommend this book to everybody who wanna know more about the roots of BASE or Skydiving.
Thank you very much again.

Blue skies to all divers

P.

Could not put this book down.

It is incredible in that it offers you a very personal behind-the-scenes of base jumping which is a rarity in itself - but what makes this book even better is that it is really well written!

A lot of times it would trip me out because all the emotion and adventure is so so so so incredibly intense - but it all really happened!

Cannot recommend it enough!

Base 66 is a thrilling portrait of three best friends and their quest to live beyond the boundries of the ordinary and the expected. Their pilgrimage leads them to take death-defying leaps off of office towers, bridges, cliffs and antennae in order to join a select group of extreme skydivers known as BASE jumpers.
A must-read!

Base 66 is not only a primer for extreme sports enthusiasts, it is also a coming-of-age novel along the lines of Kerouac or Salinger. Well-written and descriptive, it affords the reader a look-back( complete with sound track) at the lives of these young adventure-seekers in the early 80's --whose lives are richer today for their remarkable achievements and resulting strong bonds of friendship. Every reader will be inspired to look for ways to go take the leap and go beyond the expected!

BASE 66 is by far the best account of BASE jumping yet published.

I've read pretty much everything written about BASE jumping. Heck, I've written a good deal of it.

I make several BASE jumps every week, and I still found my pulse accelerating when reading Jevto Dedijer's accounts of jumps in the 80's. He accurately captures the excitement, the feelings, the comradery, and the sense of adventure that still permeate the sport today.

If you are a BASE jumper, you must read this book. If you are not, you ought to read it anyway. I've made it required reading in the BASE jumping (for non jumpers) course I teach at the College of Southern Idaho. I also recommend it to my BASE jumping students.

- Tom Aiello, BASE 579