B ASE
“IT WILL BE A DAY OR TWO BEFORE THE BUZZ WEARS OFF AND THE FULL EMOTIONAL CONSEQUENCE OF WHAT HE HAS GONE THROUGH SINKS IN.”
Q Hans’ mum, Jenny, in a full body cast for six months after her double parachute failure.
It is important to recognise this: progression, evolution often occurs when the maverick of the tribe pushes the envelope and demonstrates what can be done, forever extending the limits of otherwise limited imagination. To take a risk that pays off is in itself sufficient to provoke admiration. But true inspiration can be found with the individual who suffered dire consequences for taking that risk, yet who exhibits grit and perseverance to return to that dreaded place where it happened and triumphantly succeed in the repeating of the act.
Whilst languishing in hospital uncertain about his future, Hans employed a different aspect of his adventurous spirit to keep himself stimulated and occupied. He ordered a knitting machine and began to make hats. He formed a company (
https://www.bigbasebeanie.com/ inspiration) and began selling high quality knitwear (not having knitted before). It was a trial and error process. But it kept him busy. It engaged his ‘central executive’, task-focused brain network. And quieted his ‘default mode network’ - keeping at bay the rumination, the negative thoughts that could spiral into anxiety and depression.
Q The cage Hans wore for five months that prevented him losing the foot.
tasks. He says it is like a series of cogs spinning internally, thoughts of ‘what-if ’ this, ‘what-if ’ that, a jumble of internal chatter. Then, as with a lull in the wind, the cogs stop spinning, the thoughts die down and a singular purpose comes to the forefront, along with a lone voice saying ‘go for it’. In brain terms, the so-called internally-preoccupied ‘default-mode network’ tunes down and switches over the externally task- focused ‘central executive’ situated in the pre-frontal cortex. In the end, the jump went perfectly. Hans landed, limped
slightly, then his face broke out in a massive grin, throwing his arms triumphantly in the air. There is a brief moment of overwhelming emotion viewed on his headcam footage, as he nearly breaks down, but he holds his composure. It will be a day or two before the buzz wears off and the full emotional consequence of what he has gone through sinks in. The burden he has been carrying around for months is
finally off his shoulders. He has proven to himself that he can indeed get back on the horse. That major psychological barrier has been overcome, even though there is still a way to go in building his body back to where he wants it to be. We sink a few celebratory drinks that night for sure. Bearing witness to BASE jumpers in their natural habitat always provokes a mixture of trepidation and jubilation, revelling in the successes but sharing nervous anticipation of ‘what-if’ at the moment before ‘take-off’. There is something in this collective experience that as a species we can all gain from, in the pioneering exploits of the minority of ‘explorers’ in our midst.
46 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.
An adventurous mindset can get one through the dark times – this element of his story perhaps has resonance to us all, having been collectively through endless dark times, locked-down in recent months. We need people like Hans who are willing to push the boundaries. But importantly who show what the human spirit can accomplish. We are designed to flourish when embracing risk. Whilst the individual gains reward from the act, the collective also benefits from seeing what can be achieved, how adversity can be dealt with, and most importantly, how to come back stronger from that. To those who may dismiss such ‘antics’ as stupid, absurd, pointless, come along, see for yourself. Get to know what it’s like to face demons, overcome fears, and boldly
go...Then you will also find that you can push the boundaries of your own preconceptions and ways of thinking. That is what it truly means to be adventurous.
Dave Gallagher is team photographer with Mountain Man BASE (
www.mountainmanbase.com), documenting this pioneering team's UK BASE jumping achievements. He also studies extreme sports performance as an adventure psychologist and neuroscientist (see
www.CognitvExplorer.co.uk). Hans Donner, also a member of Mountain Man BASE, is an accomplished skydiver and BASE jumper and the founder of
www.BigBaseBeanie.com. Mountain Man BASE is a team of UK BASE jumping / extreme sports athletes and media content producers.
WATCH: DIRE STRAITS – BACK TO THE EDGE The film of Hans’s calamitous crash and amazing return to BASE is available to watch at:
www.mountainmanbase.com/dire-straits-back-to-the-edge
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