TWIN FALLS — Search efforts continued today to find Austin Carey, a BASE jumper who has been missing since last week after attempting to swim across Snake River. The Bureau of Reclamation agreed to lower the water levels to continue the search, and now the BASE jumping community is organizing a multiway jump to honor Carey's life.
"It's essential to come together as a community during a time like this. Where we have a member of our community who was loved and cherished, and there were so many people around Twin Falls and America that really cared for this guy," Sequoia Schmidt, a BASE jumper and friend of Carey, said.
She says the multiway jump involves numerous jumpers, all leaping in sequential order.
"It's beautiful to watch, and we are doing it to send a lot of positive vibes and energy to Austin and his family," Schmidt said.
Austin went missing after safely completing a jump at pillar falls. After the jump, he and a friend planned to swim across the river, but Carey did not make it across.
"Austin was known for always saying I'm not crazy. I'm wild, there's a difference, and that saying resonates within the base community. We're not crazy, we live a different kind of life, and we follow a different set of rules, and we try to come together as much as possible as a community, especially during a time like this," Schmidt.
Austin's family says the BASE jumping community has helped them a lot throughout this process.
"These are a group of amazingly wild and wonderful people who are pragmatic and about the opposite that you would think they are very meticulous about what they do. They are very connected with the people they do it with, and support has been tremendous. I'd like to thank them," Tammy Davis, Austin's cousin, said.
