Tears and Wingsuits - Hard Lessons
There’s so much of my past self I don’t resonate with anymore, but I LOVE her just the same. She was growing. She was doing her best she fought hard to get me here.
In the spring of 2015 Kauv, an outdoor wear and lifestyle brand, contacted me and offered me a logoed wingsuit and a paid sponsorship. The contract was to include a yearly travel stipend and more logoed airsports gear as the relationship grew, as well as their entire women clothing line. I jumped at the opportunity! Some of my male athlete colleagues were already affiliated with them as paid athletes, and some just as unpaid influencers. Personally I had never tried their product but I was eager to be linked up with the company and had heard good things.
At this point in my wingsuit BASE jumping career (Spring of 2015) I had been flying wingsuits since 2004, with nearly 700 wingsuit skydives (total amount of skydives then was 9,000). I had already spent two seasons wingsuit BASE jumping in the western United States. The previous winter I had jumped a very well known cliff in California with one of their sponsored athletes, who told them about me and facilitated the initial communication.
My wingsuit arsenal consisted of one logoed acro style wingsuit from a small business that I 100% backed GoScope and one non-logoed all white high performance advanced wingsuit, a Colugo2 that I use predominantly for BASE jumping. The logoed wingsuit offered to me from Kavu was that exact same model, Colugo2, just blue with the word Kavu printed across the tail wing.
I accepted the sponsorship, excited and honored to have been sought out for my lifestyle and athleticism. Kavu already had a handful of Wingsuit BASE jumping, hang gliding, and paragliding athletes affiliated with their brand. A few of whom I already knew, so I was really looking forward to joining the family, the team of top athletes. I trusted that in time my relationship would grow with this company and I would get to know them and their product, this was my first mistake. I should have tried their product before accepting their proposal.
That summer I took their wingsuit to Europe, my first Europe trip on a wingsuit. With in a week of being there I received an email from my contact at Kavu. The email notified me I had been dropped as a kavu athlete and was asked to return the wingsuit immediately. Allegedly I was behaving recklessly (dangerously) in the company logoed gear - that they specifically intended me to use for BASE jumping - which can be argued as the most dangerous of extreme sports. Turns out a ‘friend’ and fellow wingsuit BASE jumper had contacted them and told them this misinformation.
I cried, big fat loud sobbing tears. I cried in a foreign country, in a bed that was not my own, at 4 am because I was so fresh in Switzerland that I was still struggling with jet lag… I cried. I felt utterly betrayed… both by my ‘friend’ (but thats another story for another time) but also by Kavu, the family that had made me feel so accepted so sought after. They had not even asked me to comment on the situation, the email was not open for a dialog, it was a closed direct communication with no room for a response from me.
Later that day, (it was Swiss Day and raining, I will never forget) I went with my mentor and wingman, Zak Tessier, to confront said ‘friend’. His response, and I quote, “I have seen a few of your jumps here in the valley and I personally think you are progressing well. I just didn’t think you should be sponsored this early in your career.”
Wow, I was floored. Struck speechless, which for many who know me is no simple feat. I walked away… from that conversation and from that friendship.
As it turns out, it was a blessing in disguise, Kavu had sent me a box of their womens clothing line with the wingsuit. Their product was poorly designed, did not fit well, made of low quality material, and to make matters worse there is no way it would hold up to my active lifestyle. I remember trying all of it on in my living room and feeling disappointed and torn about representing a company I did not align with.
Via Ferrata Exit Point - Blue Kavu Colugo
Via Ferrata Exit Point - White Colugo
I shipped the blue logoed Colugo back to them and continued my Summer Europe Trip on my personal white Colugo, which lets be honest, is far prettier. I raised my head high and continued behaving, jumping, and flying exactly the same way I had always done. Training along side my mentor, Zak, to achieve my personal goal of flying inside the crack in Walenstadt, Switzerland. I spent the summer wingsuit BASE jumping, speed flying, and paragliding through out Italy, France, and Switzerland.
The last week of the trip I achieved my long time goal of getting in the crack, I spent a few days there and flew the line a several times before getting low and below the tree and cliff line of the narrow valley. Video at the bottom of this page
After some time I actually felt relieved to not have to be affiliated with a company who’s product was subpar and I was not personally stoked to use and back. Now when I align myself with products and companies, I try their product, get to know their business, and make sure it is something I am 100% behind and supportive of. Something I should have done from the beginning… you live and you learn.
I prefer to be in a partnership with a company that would come to me with an open dialog. Willing to listen, hear, and trust me before so quickly severing ties.
