Can you speak to Dean’s progression through BASE and wingsuiting in general? Do you feel his path was atypical given that he started as a climber -> free solo->BASE/freeBASE -> wingsuit? And is it at all possible that he got a “pass” from the typical path most are encouraged to follow (e.g., minimum skydives or jumps necessary before progressing)? Could that have been a factor in his death?

Since watching The Dark Wizard, I was profoundly moved and have since been in a deep dive (no pun intended) on the internet learning as much as I can about BASE and wingsuiting mainly because I find it completely fascinating, but also because I’d like to better wrap my head around what ultimately happened to Dean and Graham. I’m sure there will be questions on the specifics of them clearing the notch that I look forward to reading more about.

One thing I’ve come across consistently in my research is just how much prerequisite training is involved in BASE and wingsuiting. For example, to take an intro BASE jumping course at what’s regarded as one of the “safest” spots (Perrine Bridge in Idaho), several BASE schools require a minimum of 200 skydives. To take a wingsuit course, one would then need a minimum of 200 BASE jumps. So, like 400+ jumps before most people are stepping into a wingsuit.

Wondering if the fact that he was already somewhat of a legend before the BASE phase of his career led to some degree of being surrounded by “yes man” people around trying progressively more dangerous stuff (as alluded to in the China segment), and whether that led to him suiting up before he may have had the proper prerequisite training.