Jarrett Martin: Paralyzed Skydiver Base Jumps Again


Skydiving is a family business in the Martin family. Jarrett Martin, now 24 years old, worked at his family’s Skydive business in Washington state as a kid — both his dad and grandfather were skydivers. When he was just 10 years old he went on his first skydive and when he was 14 years old he did his first solo skydive. After that, there was no looking back

In just two years by the time he was 16, Jarrett had amassed an impressive 1,000 jumps and 20 base jumps — the extreme sport of accessing a high point (usually getting there by helicopter) and jumping off. He lived and breathed skydiving. “A lot of kids growing up say they want to be like their dad,” says Jarrett, “but I really did.”

Even before he graduated from high school, Jarrett was working professionally as a skydiving instructor. He was a USPA and AFF instructor as well as a tandem instructor, and a “pro-rate” skydiver as well. Jarrett already knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life even before graduating from high school.

By the time he’d graduated, he had racked up 2,800 jumps. But while working at Skydive Hawaii as a rigger, he broke his back attempting a never-done-before skyflying jump off of the side of a mountain using two parachutes. One of his parachutes failed to open, and he crashed, breaking his back, tearing one of his aortas and damaging his lungs and kidneys. But within six months, Jarrett was skydiving again. It wasn’t the same however, and never will be again. He now uses a thigh strap to keep his legs together whenever he jumps, and he isn’t as fluid in the air as he once was.

After he returned to skydiving, he also became a skydiving instructor again and got a job at Skydive Florida. He snagged a job as a rigger with Skydive Dubai earlier this year, which is where he’s currently working, and he absolutely loves it.

Jarrett also got back into competing, something he desperately had wanted to get back to post-injury. Within three years of his accident he competed in the USPA National Skydiving Championships in the style and accuracy category, and the next year he competed again, improving a lot. He also became a spokesperson for the US Skydiving team.

Earlier this year, Jarrett made history. He returned to base jumping, jumping in Norway 11 day period, and became the first person in the world with paralysis to base jump from such heights. To make it happen, it took a crew of five nondisabled guys to assist with everything from getting Jarrett in and out of the helicopter to helping him get right near the edge of the cliff. It took some mighty courage from everyone — both Jarrett and his AB compadres — and they made history in the process. Their highest jump here was from the Lysebotn Fjord at 3,000 foot.

Whenever someone is injured doing something their passionate about, I always believe amazing things can happen and this is certainly the case with Jarrett. At 3,500 dives and counting, with the wind in his face, paralysis is the last thing on Jarrett’s mind, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Have you tried skydiving post-injury?

Photo courtesy of Max Haim


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