Although the article is written in a slightly humorous vein, the concept may be valid; there's the case of 28 year old woman who fell 300 feet onto a rock and survived (see http://www.sjtrem.com/content/19/1/63 )
tl;dr--if your lower extremities progressively absorb the impact, the lethal forces on the spine and head can be lessened enough to survive.
I wonder with heavy training whether a parachute-free landing on a moderately forgiving surface (such as a patch of dirt with grass) and perfect execution of technique if a >50% chance of survival would be possible.
