Base-jumpers 'hot-wired for thrills'

Reuters

CHOCKS AWAY: A woman's partner holds her parachute as she makes her first Base-jump in Twin Falls, Idaho - new research suggests Base-jumpers are genetically hot-wired for thrills.

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Base-jumpers are genetically hot-wired to risk life and limb in search of thrills, says a Kiwi studying the sport.

Erik Monasterio, a Christchurch-based forensic psychiatrist, examined a database of all Base-jumpers who had died from all causes, kept by the sport's close-knit community.

It showed 175 jumpers worldwide had died since the sport began 30 years ago.

Base-jumping, which involves leaping from somewhere high, like a cliff or suspension bridge, with just a parachute, caused 123 of those deaths.

Of the 52 other deaths, 10 were from suicide, which Dr Monasterio said was many more than would be expected in the total male population aged under 30, which was the profile for most Base-jumpers.

"You would expect a rate of 32 per 100,000, it's an extremely rare event."

He said genetics and biology played roles in determining who took up risky sports like Base-jumping.

People who enjoyed risk-taking sports tended to have low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, thought to produce feelings of pleasure and enjoyment. "They tend to score higher in novelty seeking, and lower in harm avoidance."

The theory was that involvement in risk-taking activities helped to boost dopamine levels.

But Queenstown Base-jumper John Berry said he was not convinced by the findings. "I'm not sure if we are doing it to boost our dopamine levels, or just because it's exciting."

Mr Berry, who has jumped more than 500 times, said the sport attracted "a real mixture" of people. There were about 15 Base-jumpers in New Zealand, he said.

Dr Monasterio said other findings from the study were sobering, showing almost two-thirds of Base-jumpers had suffered at least one accident.

Virtually all needed hospital treatment, with two-thirds needing more than three months to recover, or experienced long-term health problems.

All Base-jumpers said they had experienced near-misses, and all had friends die from the sport.

Mr Berry had watched two friends die while jumping.

He had experienced "a couple" of mishaps, including a dislocated shoulder when he smashing into a cliff when his parachute stalled.

"But I walked away."

Most Base-jumpers were very careful in their planning and execution, he said.

Two years ago, Dr Monasterio completed a study into New Zealand mountaineers, revealing a death rate of almost 10 per cent over four years.

"Given that New Zealand currently promotes itself as an adventure destination ... it's an important and timely subject," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News