TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KBOI) — Leaping off the 486 foot Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls is no sweat for trained base jumpers and they say it's a perfect spot for those just getting started.
"This is a place a lot of people come to learn and train and base jump because it's such a forgiving object," said Marc Lambert, Twin Falls Base Co.
It’s become an international destination for people to learn how to BASE jump.
Lambert says, "It's the only legal bridge to jump off of 24/7."
Base jumping professionals say the height and surroundings make it ideal.
Sean Chuma / Tandem Base-Professional Base Jump Instructor
"We've got water underneath in case someone has to land in case of emergency, we can walk out on the sidewalk, there are plenty places for spectators to watch...it kind of puts Twin Falls on the map," said Sean Chuma, Tandem BASE.
You can train to jump alone, but it requires previous skydiving experience.
"People I teach to BASE jump, they're usually skydivers who usually have around 200 skydives and then we start teaching them to BASE jump," said Lambert.
There’s a reason you don't let just anyone jump off without prior skydiving experience.
"Because you want to have them have a good awareness of how they fly their canopy,” says Lambert, “it's really key to fly that parachute and land where you want to land."
So for those who haven't been skydiving 200 times, or even once for that matter
"You can take a person that doesn't have any parachute experience and give them a little taste of base jumping," said Chuma.
Something you'll only find in Twin Falls, tandem base jumping.
"The passenger has to climb over the rail, and then they have to hang with their feet halfway off, it just kind of goes against all of their instincts," said Chuma.
Using a special harness and parachute, both people leap off the bridge together.
"I've taken a 102-year-old lady, I've taken people that are paralyzed, and just all kinds of different people, it's pretty cool to show them what it's like to jump off of perfectly good objects, just so they can see how fun it is," said Chuma.
Base jumping is allowed year-round in Twin Falls, as long as the weather cooperates.
Plan on spending a little to have a lot of fun, one tandem jump is about $400.
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