Forrest Hill Bridge in Auburn, CA. photo: top10hm.com
Foresthill Bridge in Auburn, CA. photo: top10hm.com

Squaw Valley resident & former professional skier, Aaron McGovern, had bad timing last Wednesday night.   He was cruising out to do a night time BASE jump of the famous 730-foot-tall Foresthill Bridge (the 4th tallest in the USA, 9th tallest in the world) in Auburn, CA around 8pm when he was spotted by a sheriff helicopter.  The chopper was there looking for a reported suicidal women who was supposedly on the bridge.  The heli caught Aaron with its spotlight and he jumped anyway.

Squaw Valley man’s parachute dangling after rescue in October from tree at Foresthill bridge

They followed him with the spotlight until he landed.  They continued to spotlight him as he ran around crazily trying to escape the beam of punishment.  It actually sounds like it was kinda worth it, in a way.  Sounds like it was even more of a thrill.  Mission Impossible style shtuff.

The heli kept yelling at him with their loud speaker telling him to give himself up as he he hid in the bushes.  Aaron was eventually arrested on misdimeanor charges of resisting arrest and  taking part in an illegal recreational activity in a state park.

Aaron is the third person to be arrested for BASE jumping off that bridge in the past three months and the 2nd guy from Squaw Valley (remember the guy that got stuck in the tree and called 911 on himself) in that same time period.  

THE REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT BASE JUMPING:

1.  Should BASE jumping be legalized?

2.  Are BASE jumpers endangering anyone other than themselves?

3.  Are BASE jumpers put at more risk due to the illegality of their sport?

 

The answer to question #3 seems obvious.  These jumpers are forced to jump at night, solo, with no backup, in remote areas just to escape detection.  The laws are clearly making BASE jumping even more dangerous than it already is.

 

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35 replies on “Squaw Valley Resident & Former Pro Skier, Aaron McGovern, Arrested for BASE Jumping | Should BASE Jumping Be Legalized?”