Initially a freefly team, ToraTora has always been more creative than competitive. The team evolved to add like-minded people with new skills, broadening into wingsuit acrobatics, amazing video productions, mountain swooping, speed riding, hang gliding; many forms of human flight. Jasper Van Der Meer, 33, is a co-founder of ToraTora. He’s very laid back on the ground but once in the air, seems to sprout wings and become a swift flying beast. Jasper is a natural coach who loves to pass on his skills and use his passion for flight.
What’s your ocupation?
Life enjoyer, teacher, student. Sport instructor, skydive coach, windtunnel instructor, event organizer.
Where do you live and what nationality are you?
Dutch, living in Copenhagen since 3,5 years. Trying to skydive at as many different locations as I can. Funnily enough I’ve not done one single skydive in Denmark up until now.
How long have you been in the sport?
First jumps were in 1999 (static line). Started jumping actively in 2003 and have been full time since 2006.
How many jumps do you have, and what kind?
Around 3,000. Probably 90% freefly, 10% mountain-swooping and some wingsuit. Somewhere around 1,000 windtunnel hours. I’ve been speedriding since 2005.
What equipment do you jump?
Two years ago the whole team has made the switch to PD and Vector and I’ve never been happier with my equipment! I had been flying a Velo for a couple of years so that was a safe bet. The switch to the Vector3 (Micron 304) was a bit like the switch to a Sonic competition freefly suit back in 2006; only after I tried it I realized what I’d been missing all those years before.
Cypres speed AAD of course, because I swoop. Optima & Viso. Cookie helmets.
What are your skydiving achievements, claims to fame?
Fame is relative. I achieved a massive amount of fun though, over the past 15 years! Dutch national freefly team a couple of times. 4th at the World Cup 2007. 5th at the Bedford World Challenge 2007. When we were still kids.
ToraTora – What does it mean?
BANZAI! I’ve had to answer that question many times. Let’s make up a story about Japanese fighter pilots at the Pearl Harbour attack, consisting of the two codewords ‘to’ and ‘ra’, meaning ‘the attack has started’ and ‘the attack has succeeded’. We never had any intention of identifying ourselves with that war though, or any kind of war for that matter. It’s a yell. To feel the real meaning you should shout it out very loud right before you dive towards the planet. Try it!
How long has ToraTora been going?
Since 2006, 8 years now. Damn.
ToraTora – THE PAST: ToraTora freeflying at the World Cup 2007 – some old school entertainment
How has the team evolved?
We started out as a freefly team (3-way with Etienne Schreinemacher and Martijn van Dam) but called ourselves an ‘initiative to promote and develop human flight’. Our goal was to become better flyers ourselves, push the sport by experimenting, teach what we learned to others and promote the sport through media. Soon Sarah Belien joined to do freestyle. Etienne stopped skydiving after a serious injury in 2008, which marked the end of our competition career. We’ve not been able to find a Dutch talent to replace him with until now, but who knows what the future might bring. During the last years ToraTora has been enriched by Daniel ‘Phen’ Saeuberli (swooper, mountain swooper & freeflyer) and Jarno Cordia(wingsuiter), which enables us to focus on more sides of human flight and learn from each other. Lately we all tend to meet up in Amsterdam to learn from each other… but after the weekend, no-one seems to remember anything.
What are you trying to achieve?
Oooooh, difficult one. World peace? Enjoying what I do plays a big part in every day. If I can contribute to the enjoyment of others, that would be great. In the sport, who knows, maybe with creativity and enthusiasm I can inspire a couple of people to become better flyers, be more creative and have more fun.
Did you always want to fly?
I remember my answer to my friend’s question at age 18 if I wanted to come skydiving with him, “Of course I’ve always wanted that, but that’s virtually impossible, right?” I remember a luscious dream I had – a dream in which you’re aware that you’re dreaming, so that you can direct the story in any direction you want – I chose to give myself flying abilities and flew all around my home town, doing low passes over streets, parks and houses.
You organized a Dutch head-down record, what’s next?
I tend to make way more plans than I have time to execute, so sometimes they end up on the shelf for a couple of years. Which I think is fine, but I’m becoming more careful in sharing those plans, before people start thinking I’m full of sh**. What is sure? We’ve just finished filming for a Dutch documentary on skydiving in five episodes. The first one is coming out in January 2014. We hope to repeat this project next year internationally. Then another Dutch record, we’re hoping to let it grow towards the 20s within one or two years. And we’ll get another go at a new Benelux [Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg] Freefly Record in 2014! I hope 34, but I’m not allowed to say that out loud.
Who else from the Dutch Record was on the Euro Record?
Only one: René Terstegen, a new young talent, raised in Dubai and now ready for the world. I promise you’ll hear more from him in the future.
How did that work out for René, going from an 11-way to 96?
I think the Dutch record has been perfect training for him. Apart from what happens in your mind, the skills needed are exactly the same for both. He kept his head cool and did a great job on the Eurorecord. Next time I hope to bring a delegation of 10 or more to Empuria.
Newcomers do lots of tunnel these days, is it hard for them to translate these skills to big-ways?
The tunnel is a great tool to learn flying skills, but it’s not a replacement for skydiving. The most important big-way skills cannot be learned in a tunnel. Think about exit, diving, floating, flying in from long distances, stopping those large movements, tracking away etc. Even flying on level is hard for some experienced tunnel flyers that now don’t have the reference of glass around them. Also, some of the newer tunnel flyers learn flying head down in the shelf position, which comes in handy sometimes, but not in large formations. So tunnel rats; get your daffy down!
What are your thoughts about that record?
It was unbelievably exciting! The fact that we were missing many of the top European freeflyers that would normally have been part of the stable core of the formation, probably made that it remained very uncertain that we would even get the record, up until the very last video frame of the very last jump. There’s not even a stills photo of the formation. But rules are the rules and one frame is one frame. I hope we can fly it a bit longer next time though. The presence of the 106-way FS sequential group, that kept hitting world records out of the park, was a welcome addition to the event.
How do you fly your canopy? Do you coach that too?
I love to yank it down 1080, swoop the hangar, do a blindman, get dirty because I tried something new or – even better – swoop a mountain. And yes I coach all of those things, starting at the beginning. I like even better to stay alive. I coach that too.
The last 2 years have been different though. A shoulder that kept dislocating got me to fly a bit more conservatively, doing a lot of jumps on a Storm 107. I initially ordered the Storm for wingsuit flying, but now that it has become my main canopy until I’ve recovered from surgery, I’ve come to like it a lot. I think it refreshed my memory regarding the sensations that a lot of my canopy course students have, as they often fly non-cross braced canopies.
How do freeflying, speedriding and swooping compare?
I’m just exploring every way to fly. Any way. It’s all pure freedom combined with maximum focus. I just started delta flying (hanggliding). Same thing. Totally different. But same thing.
You were running an open artistic meet, to encourage originality and creativity, how did that work out?
It didn’t yet. People were very enthusiastic about the idea but not a lot of teams registered. We’re planning a new date in 2014 to give the format another chance. Only artistic rounds, expert judges and acceptance by all competitors that scoring is partly based on taste. Ultimately I’d like to open up team size as well, but let’s start at the beginning.
Who are your mentors?
Fabian Raidel and Michael Jackson. Although I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the second one in person. My skydiving career took flight when Fabian began to teach us. And then there’s Eli Thompson, my all-time hero. I think he inspired me the most in getting towards where I am now.
What advice do you have for new skydivers?
Have fun. Travel around. Open yourself up to more than one discipline; skydiving to me is about being free, not about containment.
Describe Jasper in 3 words or less
Eager.
What’s next for you?
Delta flying might be my next big thing. I’m also organizing the Dutch freeride skiing and snowboarding championships this winter (2014), my other passion. Flight Lab, our artistic tunnel flying movie is launching in the new year. In skydiving I have so many unfinished plans and ideas that I’ll be around for at least a while. Or more.
How do you see the future of the sport?
Self controlled, green energy octocopters to jump from in your own back yard. It will be the item you order after you get your A license and your own rig. And of course we’ll learn how to land without a parachute. And without a wingsuit.
Anything you would like to add?
Let’s jump naked more. I’ve actually never done that.
ToraTora – THE FUTURE: Flight Lab, a short artistic wind tunnel movie coming out early in 2014
