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Travel insurance: ihi Bupa policy wording change 11-Jan-2012 At 8:48:04 AM pecheur

Message

On 10/01/2012 J.C. wrote:

>I actually believe that BASE can be practiced quite safely, just as safely
>as top-roping in fact.

You can't make BASE as safe as top roping since the vast, vast majority of top roping is done at sub 25 metre heights, even with catastrophic screw ups, or freak acts of nature, or your equipment fails, quite often you won't die. Not to mention you could do a full test of the actual system in the actual conditions in almost complete safety (i.e. jump off at 3 metres of height). This not the case with BASE.

>Popular perception would indicate otherwise but
>I've been exposed to a lot of climbing and a lot of jumping and I believe
>that to be a justified claim. Just as in climbing there is a very wide
>range of degrees of danger and difficulty & you choose to participate at
>your own level. There is a fringe at both ends of the spectrum.. guys who
>are out there every night on technical and committing jumps in poor wind
>conditions and pull as many flips and spins as they can before opening
>as low as possible, or the guys who will only do easy jumps on sheer cliffs
>with big landing areas in perfect conditions and will be open with plenty
>of height. As with climbing, most of us find a balance somewhere in the
>middle. While it doesn't factor into the equation that an insurance company
>would consider, my argument for the safety of BASE is that you choose your
>level of involvement and you are in control of your exposure to risk...
>you can stand on the edge for as long as you want and decide whether you
>are ready for that particular jump, and if not you can do an easier one
>or walk down. In the greater ranges, as soon as you set foot on the mountain
> you are exposed to a whole list of dangers totally out of your control.

Some insurance companies won't insure mountaineering at greater than 6000 m (or possibly even anything on mountains taller than 6000 m) either. That's their perogative.

>Sure you can temper your exposure by choosing a good line, only climbing
>in decent conditions but ultimately you are throwing the dice to a large
>extent. I'd be interested to see some statistics for alpine climbing deaths
>if anyone knows of any?
>
I seem to be getting this feeling that you believe insurance is a right, not a business. You don't have any right to insurance, insurance is only provided if the company believes that in the long term balance of probability, it can make money from the participants.

If you truly believe that BASE jumping is safe, and a worthy insurance risk, then start of BASE insurance cooperative. Crossfit did it for their "boxes". The only reason a company would withdraw coverage is because it believe it can't make money from it. If you believe, as in genuinely believe in it, start a not for profit. What there aren't enough participants willing to buy insurance that would cover the costs in the event of a death? Gee welcome to the insurance companies' world ...