The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Rook Nelson!

A third generation of jumpers that started with the 82nd Airborne, Rook Nelson comes from one of the most well known legacy families in skydiving. Having embraced the sport from an extremely young age, he's had the opportunity to try his hand at, compete and succeed in most every discipline the sport has to offer. Having been handed the reins of one of the largest operations in skydiving history after a tragic accident, he's taken what was already a force to be reckoned with and turned it into what can only be considered a cornerstone in the sport; yet with all the weight that comes along with such responsibility, he hasn't forgotten that its still suppose to be about having fun!

Back in the can for another chat about all things nylon, Zach Rosser brings us up to speed on his and the sports progression in canopy flocking and just how incredibly fast it's all evolving. It's a great look into the very beginnings of a new discipline in our sport as it just gets going, and all of the amazing potential it has, straight from the mouth of one of the Lunatics helping to chart a new course.

It's another mid-week reboot with the one and only Ellis!

Ellis Danho Bourbonnais is the quintessence of a renaissance man to say the least, but most certainly not in the way most people would think. From surfing in the Gulf and then Hawaii, to MMA, skydiving, BASE jumping and climbing, Ellis is more at home pushing his personal limits than most people are on a sofa. Attacking new passions whole heartedly is where he's at his best, and he takes this time to give us a few of the reasons why.

It's yet another story of it all starting out as a family affair, with roots in competition starting as young as 11 or 12 years old. Yes, you would be right, that's way too young to start a skydiving career, but its the perfect age to begin what has now been a more than 20 year career as a professional watersports athlete in activities ranging from  Wakeskating to Foil Boarding. All Sports that helped vault Brian Grubb toward the top of his game and landing him an incredible career with RedBull. It's also how Brian eventually made his way into skydiving and BASE because lets be honest... when you're a RedBull athlete,  you know people. Still happily in the thick of things in his Watersport career with no end in sight, Brian still manages to take any opportunity he can to learn from the best in airsports, enjoying the Lunatic Fringe in all its wonderful settings.

It's another mid week reboot with Squirrel! 

Matt Gerdes and Mike Steen of Squirrel Wingsuits may not have set out to reshape the face of BASE jumping, but it seems they are quickly on their way to doing exactly that. With a ton of paragliding experience under their belts, their single minded goal soon became BASE jumping and wingsuit BASE; and in pursuing their lofty and dangerous dream ended up designing their own line of BASE specific equipment designed to enhance performance, increase safety and push the boundaries of human flight. 

Hook, line and sinker.  With the help of a really savvy DZO, what started out as a few fellas deciding to make a one time jump turned into an almost instant obsession. As a young and close to broke skydiver like so many of us were, Jason Cooke did what he had to do to get through his beginnings in the sport, and just in time. The revolution that was set in motion by the film Point Break sent waves of fresh blood toward the industry just in time for a now relatively experienced Jason to start making his way, first shooting outside video, and then as an instructor and competitor; but it wasn't just a new wave of jumpers, it was a new wave in equipment and technology at a time when camera flyers had to be the masters of DIY in order to do the job. It's where Jason Cooke's talent for design and a will to tinker served him incredibly well first for himself, and soon after for his mates. Now years later, Cookie Helmets can be seen on almost every dropzone and in every tunnel around the world, with its beginnings in a deep love for the sport and as just another necessity of the Lunatic Fringe.

It's another mid-week reboot with the one and only Regan Tetlow!

Talk about a wildly varied life... Mr. Regan Tetlow has made the rounds to say the least! From bar tender and pub owner, to the meet and greet face man at Skydive Emporia Brava. From randomly being asked to announcing a swoop event on the beach to becoming the voice behind some of the largest skydiving events in the world (and if you can believe it, balloon races...). DJ and MC turned pro skydiver and actor Mr. Regan Tetlow has stories and insight galore!

Tenacious. That's really the only way to put it when a 12-year-old sets her sights on jumping from an airplane and still wants it just as much three years later. There was little to no doubt in Domi Kiger's mind that she would do at least two things. One was blow bubbles scuba diving, and the other was make a skydive. By 16 years old she'd managed to work a part time job long enough to put herself through AFF, and the rest... well, the rest was history at Sorbonne Université and a Masters degree to follow; even though she knew the circus awaited... Now, a skydiving world champion, Joyrider, keynote speaker and airsports liaison to the fashion industry, Domi is still blazing her trail deep within the Lunatic Fringe, with no signs of slowing down.

A mid-week reboot with one of the greatest to ever hit the sky, Mr. Craig Girard!

With more than thirty eight years and over thirty-thousand skydives under his belt, you'd be hard set to find anyone on earth with more overall experience than Mr. Craig Girard.  Multiple World Title and World Record holder, Craig was a member of not only the United States Army's Golden Knights, but Arizona Airspeed, one of the most highly decorated relative work teams in the sports history; a key member of the 400-way team over Thailand and coach for some of the most competitive teams out there, he takes time to sit down with me to share some of his truly amazing experiences and insights into the Lunatic Fringe.

When it comes to skydiving, most modern skydivers know the basics about our sports history. The average jumper can most likely tell you who created the 3-ring system and perhaps even who holds the record for the highest skydive, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that knows more about the history of skydiving and parachuting than Bob Lewis. As an ambassador for the skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame and tasked to help create some of its exhibits, Bob Lewis has a true passion for our history in the sky, and takes some of his valuable time to sit down and tell us all about what's gone into creating our wonderful Lunatic Fringe, and those who paved the way.