By Steve Keenan, The Register-Herald
FAYETTEVILLE — The expectant thrills and camaraderie with his friends remain a siren’s call for Ty Busby when it comes to the Bridge Day experience.
Busby, a Columbus, Ohio resident, was among the 370 BASE (Building, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumpers who leaped from the New River Gorge Bridge during the 46th annual Bridge Day in Fayette County on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Eighteen rappel teams were represented this year.
Busby, a medical professional, returned to the event for the third straight year. What keeps him coming back, he was asked by a reporter.
“It’s not too often that you get a ride up to the top of an object,” he said. “Usually, we’re like sneaking into places. It’s not kosher, usually.
“It’s just kind of nice you don’t have to worry about it. All your friends are up there. It’s a good time, good time.”
While discussing his affinity with Bridge Day, Busby was collecting himself and his gear after his first BASE jump of the day Saturday.
“It was a tracking jump, which is pretty much you put on this suit, it inflates really heavily, and you pretty much make yourself into a flying bullet,” he explained.
“It worked out,” Busby reported. “We (he and a friend) got a little bit of movement and pulled a little close to the tree line, a little deeper than anticipated.”
Ahead of Bridge Day, Busby said he was in Italy about three months ago performing tracking jumps in that country. The tracking jump he tackled Saturday was his first from the New River Gorge Bridge.
Looking ahead to the remainder of his Saturday’s agenda, Busby said of his equipment, “I’m taking this off, not doing this again, because that was a little deeper than I would have liked.” He said he hoped to accomplish seven jumps Saturday, which would match his 2024 total. “I’ve got three rigs, so I’m going to be cooking.”
Instead of the tracking jump suit, his normal jumping attire, in addition to his safety gear, features jeans and a T-shirt, he said.
A tracking jump offers “a different feeling,” Busby said. “It’s a lot faster, and you’re watching the ground kind of move like beneath you. It’s a really cool feeling.”
Busby’s desire is to keep returning to Bridge Day every third Saturday in October.
“I think this is an amazing event that should be continued on every single year,” he said. “Everybody who’s not a BASE jumper loves it, but it’s actually a lot deeper meaning for all of us that get to come out here and … do our first jumps out there, or do our 100th, or do our 1,000th jump here.
“It means a lot to come out here and do it legally.”
Becky Sullivan, executive director of the New River Gorge CVB and chair of the Bridge Day Commission, said later Saturday she saw “very minimal issues” in operation of the sprawling event, which is held to celebrate the October 1977 opening of the New River Gorge Bridge.
So far, she said early Saturday evening she had received “overall good feedback.”
“It went way, way more smoothly than in years past,” Sullivan said. “Overall, the whole thing went pretty smooth.”
She estimated that about 120,000 people attended the event on a day during which temperatures rose to about 80 degrees. The better weather and high attendance led to some transportation problems, she admitted. “Due to the fantastic weather, we had huge crowds that came out in droves and droves,” Sullivan said. That created longer waits at shuttle parking lots, despite more buses being added to the rotation this year, she noted.
According to Sullivan, emergency service personnel reported two medical transports from the bottom of the gorge and eight from the top. None were serious, she said. Law enforcement personnel reported “nothing out of the ordinary,” she added.
The vendor makeup featured 170 different vendors operating in slightly over 200 spaces.
About 500 individuals participated in the Active Southern West Virginia Bridge Day 5K Run to start Saturday. The racers ran across the bridge heading to a finish in downtown Fayetteville. Other activities scheduled included the annual Bridge Day Chili Cook-off, a car show and numerous after-event parties at various establishments.
Earlier in the day Saturday, Sullivan reported a “good vibe,” adding, “My phone hasn’t gone off as much as I’m used to.”
U.S. Rte. 19 reopened to regular highway traffic at 4:44 p.m. Saturday, ahead of the estimated 5 p.m. time frame.
Bridge Day 2026 is planned for Saturday, Oct. 17. For information on Bridge Day 2026, follow officialbridgeday.com.