BASE jump from Anića Kuk in National Park Paklenica
“There was an idea hunting me for some time – BASE jump Paklenica. And then there came time to actually do it. I started base jumping in 2003 and through that period I realized that for the most interesting jumps you have to rock climb first in order to get the best spot!!!”
So I started rock climbing. After a few years of training both sports, I could see my idea more clear and that was to climb the “Mosoraški” (6a) route, with all the gear necessary to climb and jump from the top. The gear weighted about 8 kg (which included parachute, cameras… etc). The route was climbed by my partner Luka Blažić and me, and it took us some 4 hours for 370 meters high cliff.
Normally as a rock climber, you are always trying to carry as low weight as possible, but depending on a route, it is necessary to bring:
- the water (minimum one liter per person)
- some energy bars
- some extra clothes to change if it’s windy
Of course the weather conditions have to be almost perfect for the jump so we picked a no wind and clear blue sky day! We started climbing around 14:00. The plan was to jump on sunset due to low wind conditions.
The climb was really nice and the scenic visuals of the canyon in National park Paklenica were amazing. On some tight parts I had trouble climbing because of all the gear I carried on my back. The weight of the bag wasn’t the problem but it’s volume so I couldn’t climb as smooth as I would without it and therefore I burned my energy faster. Finally, at the top we could rest a bit but only for 15 minutes because it was already 18:30 and dark was coming fast.
It was “easy” for me to jump but my climbing partner had to walk down and this is one hour of walk down the rock and in dark it is no fun! So, we went to an exit point, prepared the ropes to rapel down to the place from where it was possible to jump. I packed all of my BASE jumping gear and rapelled down to the spot. Then on the ledge, I was standing there and everything was so silent! No wind, no sound, just me and the canyon in front of me.
I was absorbing the energy from the scenic surroundings and it was like I became one with the nature. 3, 2, 1… I counted in my head and IHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I was airborne… the flight in free fall lasted around 7 seconds before I opened my canopy. Everything went perfect so I landed next to the cold water creek. I packed my canopy with all the other gear in a bag and still all emotional I walked to the creek to get the cold beer as a reward of what we accomplished today! I was still under the influence of the day and with my heart and mind in a ZEN. Then my climbing partner arrived, we were happy and smiling because our project was total success.
New projects are coming soon, so stay tuned… CHEERS!!!
Tags: BASE jump, Fun things to do in Croatia, National park Paklenica, Rock climbing