The innertube jumps are online. Special thanks to Amy for hosting the videos for me. If you want to download the file, right click on the link and select Save As from the menu. (Mac users do a shift-click instead of a right click I think, but you should probably just get a PC to remedy this problem.) If you want to watch it in your browser, just click on the link and a new window will open with the video in it. Each file is between 4-7 MB. It may take a few minutes, so be patient. If you're on dialup it could take 30 minutes to 1 hour for each one. You must have Quicktime installed for it to work. If you just want to download the stuff from the website directly, click here. Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, here's a technical analysis "play-by-play" of each jump.

Jump #1: Click here to watch the jump. This one is Russ and me. Harrison says that Russ and I were probably the only ones who weren't stupid since we didn't know that we were going to jump in the first place. I think it's funny that Harrison said this since he was the only one that did it twice and had complete knowledge of what was going to happen thanks to our example. Speaking of example, Russ and I are the oldest in the group...way to set an example, ha ha. I still can't believe we hit that bump. I honestly wasn't aiming for it, but maybe subconsciously I was curious to see what would happen. Anyways, too bad there is no audio because our screams of terror definitely add alot to the experience. You can see from the top, we gain quite alot of speed. That's pretty daunting without a jump. Then we spin around backwards, but spin back forwards just in time to hit the bump. You'll notice that when we hit the bump, I fly a good deal higher than Russ. I believe this is because our arms were locked and since I hit the bump more than Russ did, my vector was more vertical than Russ'. Since I was connected to Russ, my body rotated to account for it thus making my flight mostly upside down and as a result land on my neck, head, and shoulder. The lesson learned here is, it is better to be as disconnected as possible from your buddy. If you step frames, you can actually see my body bend on the impact. From the angle it's hard to tell, but we got about 30 feet of distance on that jump. You can see that after the jump, I'm a bit dazed and try to see if everything still works, and then Russ tackles me before I can manage to stand. Thanks Russ. Ha ha, no harm done.

Jump #2: Click here to watch the jump. This one is Harrison and Matt. The angle of the shot is a little better here so you can see how long the jump distance is. The run down the hill was pretty similar to the first jump. Notice how they spin backwards and then spin frontwards just before they hit the bump just like in the first jump. I guess chaos theory only applies after you hit the bump. These guys hit the bump straight on which led to the best air of all the jumps. I was quite impressed by these guys as they didn't flail much at all and actually gave the illusion that they were in control during the flight. It was almost like a dive or something. Notice after they land, Harrison is quick to proclaim victory and then proceeds to empty snow from his jacket (either that or check to see if everything still works) while Matt seems to be doubled over in pain the entire time. Matt, who flew farther of the two, scraped his forehead pretty good and knocked a tooth loose. In retrospect, Matt was the only one who wished he hadn't done it, but I think having the moment on video will change his mind in time. Some say that the first jump (mine) was the best probably because it was the most unexpected or the most brutal of the landings. I would have to say this one is better purely based on style points.

Jump #3: Click here to watch the jump. This one is Andrew and Joe. These guys had a little different strategy. In all the other jumps, the riders sat side by side in the tube, but these guys did it bobsled style. As was learned in Jump #1, it is best to be as disconnected from your buddy as possible. As a result, bobsled form = bad idea. The run down consisted of the familiar spin and a slight second spin variation on bump impact. These guys tried to hang onto the tube at all costs thinking that this would improve their landing. Instead, they all flip over together. Upon hitting the ground is where bobsled form is not the best choice as Andrew kicks Joe in the chest and knocks the wind out of him. Andrew bit his tongue on the landing being the second jumper to draw blood. This brings up the second lesson learned...keep your mouth shut and your teeth clenched for impact.

Jump #4: Click here to watch the jump. This one is Erik and Harrison. Here's a new close up and fresh angle to watch people hurt themselves. This was the only jump where the riders were completely backwards when hitting. That's got to be the most terrifying of all. If you step frames, you can see the expression of discomfort on Erik's face shortly after hitting the bump. Notice the innertube has deflated a bit due to a leak. That was this baby's last ride. I guess we went beyond the scope of design for this child toy. I'm impressed that Erik was able to stay in the innertube all the way to the landing. Harrison was tossed off pretty quick, but I like how he's sprawled all spread eagle-like in the air. Nice form. From this angle, you can see how brutal a shock it is to hit that bump. It's not comfortable. It hurts when you take off and it hurts more when you land.

In summary, all of these make me laugh so hard. I will treasure these forever. I hope you enjoy them and if you're having trouble seeing them, let me know. I want everyone to be able to see these.