The Tandem BASE Moab instructors have been on the forefront of the parachuting industry for decades. We believe that Tandem BASE jumping is the best way to share our passion of BASE jumping with the world. Join us on the adventure of a lifetime.
Here is a sample of the projects our instructors have been a part of.
Matt LaJeunesse &
Katie Hansen with Squirrel
Moab Sessions – Friends of Squirrel, the number one BASE equipment manufacturer in the world – cut loose in Moab. See what they got into…it won’t disappoint.
Panama Zipline BASE Jump Project
Matt was one of two people that set up the first ever zipline BASE jump. It was created in Panama, with a line stretched from the top of a skyscraper down to the ground. The jumpers were attached to it, then dropped off the zipline into a BASE jump deploying parachutes! The project immediately went viral for obvious reasons.
High Profile Celebrity Tandems
Few people have done more high profile tandems with celebrities than Matt. He has jumped with celebrities, athletes, musicians, actors, and even a civil rights icon. From the Denver Broncos to the Detroit Redwings, Mcchael Schumacher, super bowl champions, former boxing heavy weight champions of the world, Katie Perry and left shark (this story is wild, be sure to ask him about it!), Usher, the Fray Ellie Goulding and more. TV shows and even movies have come to Matt for tandem skydives and BASE jumps.
“Elementary” TV show BASE Stunt
“Elementary” – When the hit primetime TV show wanted a particular style of aerial BASE jumping it didn’t take long for Red Bull’s Jon Devore to say, “Matt Laj is your guy.” The TV show aired some of Matt’s BASE jumping on their show.
Extreme BASE Jump Project with Red Bull and Skydive Dubai
Matt was part of an extreme BASE jumping project in which a small group of professional BASE jumpers leaped into an underground cave in Oman. The team included Matt, Red Bull athlete Mike Swanson and X Dubai athlete Noah Bahnson.
Katie Lands Parachute in Moving Mustang!
Watch as Katie lands a high performance parachute into the back of a moving sports car! Performing as part of Ekstremsport Veko in (Extreme sports week) in Voss, Norway, this video ended up on Good Morning America. Enjoy.
Jeb Corliss Human Arrow Project
Jeb Corliss is the most famous BASE jumper of all time. When Jeb was in China performing the Human Arrow Project for Red Bull China, he brought Matt Laj because there was no one he trusted more to pack his parachutes. Over the years Jeb and Matt have spent months traveling and perfoming stunts.
Squirrel Team BASE Jumps a Sequoia
One of the most technical BASE jumps ever done, members of the Squirrel team BASE jump from a Sequoia tree in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Watch them assess the jump, climb a 150′ tree with an arborist/BASE jumper, all with stunning cinematography.
Nitro Circus and Evel Kneivel Days
Matt BASE jumps a low crane with the boys from Nitro Circus and the Kneivel’s at an event to honor Evel Kneivel in his home town of Butte, Montana.
Dubai Dream Jump
Matt jumps from his balcony in Dubai into the sunlit fog, unable to see the ground below. One of the most viewed BASE jumps of all time. When you see it you’ll understand why.
Jackalope Extreme Sports Festival BASE Jump Champions
US debut of the prestigious Canadian extreme sports festival – Jackalope, the Tandem BASE team sweeps the podium in the BASE jumping accuracy contest. BASE jumpers leaped from the beachside Hilton Hotel at VA beach and landed on the target below as Tony Hawk and crowd cheered them on!
Team USA Bronze at World Championships
Tandem Base – Never Stop Dreaming and Doing What You Love
“Another top notch #tandembase jump, in Moab, UT.” – Sean Chuma
“We learned to tandem BASE jump from Sean Chuma, one of the people that helped invent tandem BASE jumping.” – Matt Laj
Matt LaJeunesse Squirrel
“Our instructors are world and national champions, thought leaders, and the technology creators driving safety and technique in our sports.”
-Next Level Instruction by Squirrel
Outside Magazine
Podcast with Matt Laj
When Outside Magazine needed the opinion of a reputable professional BASE jumper in Moab they were pointed straight to Matt Laj. In 2022 a climber carried out an amazing rescue of a BASE jumper. The story immediately went viral and Outdoor Magazine had to get the story. They were stunned to find that the girl that made the rescue also ended up Tandem BASE jumping with Tandem BASE Moab just a few weeks later.
Matt LaJeunesse Squirrel
#1 BASE equipment manufacturer – Squirrel, trusts Matt Laj of Tandem BASE Moab to create a series of informational videos about BASE jumping. Squirrel is THE brand that professional athletes trust to manufacture wingsuits and BASE gear around the world.
The Leader Next Door
‘The Leader Next Door’ – Podcast host, Jim Shields, said he has followed Matt’s career since the days that Matt was still a school teacher and just finding his way in parachute sports. He said he admired how Matt seemed to have such a big personality and lifestyle, but still manage to carry himself in a way that is admirable. Matt takes what he does seriously, but not himself – highlighted well in this podcast.
USPA Tandem Rated Instructor Since 2014
Ryan is an extremely experienced tandem skydiving instructor. All of his experience allows him to be cool, calm and collected no matter the situation – and definitely allows some leeway to make sure everyone around is thoroughly entertained.
USPA AFF Instructor Rated
Since 2015
Being an AFF instructor means that you teach students how to safely jump on their own and develop the skills to become a licensed skydiver. As an AFF instructor, not only do you need to fly your own body exceptionally well, you have to be able to compensate for students mistakes and be ready for anything that might happen. Ryan and Katie have been a professional skydiving instructors teaching people from ground zero for almost a decade.
Thanksgiving “Turkey Boogie” FUNdraiser event
Ryan, Matt and Katie are three of the organizers for the annual Thanksgiving fundraiser in Moab. The BASE jumping community has raised over $160,000 that has gone to Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Emergency Medical Services, and other local non-profits that benefit at-risk youth.
Katie Hansen LaJeunesse
We are proud to say that Katie Hansen Lajeunesse is an instructor at Tandem BASE Moab.
She is the first, and only, female tandem BASE jumping instructor in the world.
Skydiving World Record 2021
Katie Hansen is part of another world record skydive! The largest ever formation of people flying headdown to build not just one but two distinct formations on one skydive – “2 Point – 77 way”
164-Way Headdown World Record
164 of the best skydivers in the world successfully build the largest headdown formation ever completed. While traditional belly-to-earth freefall speed is 120mph, headdown skydivers reach speeds in excess of 240mph. Jumpers from all over the world go to tryouts and have to be invited to the world record attempts through a rigorous selection process.