Target Landing
Track Race
Wingsuit Race
Arial Competition
Ted Rudd, one of the best and most activ trackers around granted us this interview where he gives us an inside view of his experience, plans and motivation for the sport of BASE Jumping.
ProBASE: How long have you been BASE Jumping?
Ted: I've been BASE jumping for 16 years, but with a 7 year break between jump number 3 and 4.
ProBASE: Was it difficult back then to get started or to find someone to teach you?
Ted: I got sucked into BASE jumping by Gary Cunningham, he was a renegade skydiver because of his BASE jumping and one of the first people not flying belly to earth in Aus, so we did a lot of early freeflying. It was only a matter of time before I had to jump his converted racer rig and raven canopy off a bridge. I was 19.
ProBASE: Do you feel there is an "all balls no brains" attitude amongst new jumpers?
Ted: I have seen a lot of new guys doing crazy shit and I catch myself shaking my head. But BASE is all about that looseness. I got back into BASE with no guidance and did a lot of stupid shit that must have alarmed more experienced jumpers. I still do stupid shit, but with a bit more of an idea of consequence.
ProBASE: Do you feel BASE jumping has become safer over the years?Ted: BASE has become a lot safer due to the advances in equipment, especially wing suits and tracking gear. This leads to why there are more accidents in the sport. Easy to use equipment lends itself to a feeling of complacency. People lacking in experience are confident enough to take on technical jumps well beyond their competence.
Ted: I love Norway, the people are culturally very similar to Kiwis and the terrain is amazing. Still opening up 1000m walls regularly. I'm sure people have looked at them in the past, but the landing area might have been considered a bit far to walk back from!
ProBASE: You are known mostly for your kick ass tracks, why do you prefer tracking over wingsuiting?
Ted: I stuck with tracking because my major influences were kick ass trackers. Douggs, Coombsey, the VKB guys, Oslo and Molde BASE are still my heroes. I love tracking because you need to be angle perfect from exit to deployment for a good flight. I really enjoy wing suit flying too, high end flying is every bit as technical, but any numpty can move away from a cliff in one. The sport is seeing a lot of people bypassing tracking and getting straight in a wing suit. I think they are missing something both in experience and safety.
ProBASE: What do you think about the ProBASE competition series?Ted: I really like the idea of proBASE, it serves to legitimise our sport by presenting it in a professional manner. It lets the general public see that we are serious sportsmen with a high regard for safety.
ProBASE: How is it influencing or furthering the sport?Ted: Hopefully it will change popular opinion to 'holy shit, that is cool, seems quite survivable too'.
ProBASE: What are your projects for this summer?
Ted: My summer plans are jam packed. My flatmate Cato is going to be filming me tracking in his Prodigy to get some outside footage for the 'Need 4 Speed' team video. I'm going to try to get to all the Norway events, ProBASE, Extreme Week and World BASE Race. I'm off to Canada after that to check out some big stuff in the Rockies, Shambhala music festival, and road tripping to Vancouver speed flying. Then down to SLC to speed fly for two weeks before Burning Man. Too much fun.
ProBASE: Any jump in particular you still want to do and haven´t got around to yet?Ted: The jump wish list is ever growing. The new flying gear opens up new terrain for us every year and it is impossible to keep up. There are about 4 exits in Litldal where I live that I haven't jumped. Work is a major hindrance, stops me from being out in the mountains where I belong!
ProBASE: Thanks so much for taking the time for talking to us and c ya soon!
BASE jumping is the activity of parachuting from a fixed object as opposed to skydiving, which is parachuting from an aircraft. Fixed objects can be buildings, antennas, smoke stacks, bridges, power towers, cliffs, cable cars, dams or any other object high enough to jump from. 
