Pau Skydive

I passed my PAC (French equivalent of AFF) at Pau Parachutisme Passion. It was my first ever introduction to skydiving, and it was amazing.

The facilities are great: very vast, very updated. The staff is very friendly, funny, and I could not feel any "cliquy" type of vibe.

I would highly, highly recommend it!!!

I have reviewed many DZs and this is the first one to which I've given an overall '5' rating.

This DZ is pretty difficult to find, to say the least, with no signposting (even at its entrance - were it not for the descending canopies, it could easily be mistaken for a farm or campsite) and requiring searching through country lanes, most of which are not on the map. However, having finally found it, I discovered this place REALLY rocks. It is near to the French Army's main airborne base, and has experienced, friendly jumpers aplenty. When I visited (over several days) there was a competition in full swing with 8-ways aboard two Pilates aircraft ; nonetheless, I had difficulty packing fast enough for the next lift. The staf are extremely friendly and thorough in flight-line checks. The office and manifest are designed around the jumpers, not for the comfort of the staff.

This place has some fabulous views of the Pyrenees, has a well-appointed cafe with a good chef, a swimming pool for jumpers' spouses/girlfriends/children. This place has pretty much everything you've ever dream a DZ could have, plus the usual weather of the South of France.

I do not know about rig hire, and didn't ask because I brought my own. The packing hall is cavernous, and has a very large creeping area with lots of trolleys etc available. The PLA is very extensive ; the lifts go to about 13,000ft AND the lift tickets are cheap.

Cons: apart form its being incredibly difficult to find this DZ, virtually NO ONE here speaks any English whatsoever, although the staff were very patient with me when I was babbling away in my schoolboy French. There is no reason why they SHOULD speak English, of course (how many DZs in the UK or USA have French-speaking staff?) but for this reason, I would not recommend this place to a student jumper who does not have a pretty good command of the French language (unless you bring your own instructor).

If you're an experienced jumper, or a 4-or 8-way team, this is the place to train : I think it's even better than Elsinore, DeLand or Zephyrhills (except this place doesn't have a wind tunnel). Also, I recommend that anyone who is thinking of setting up their own DZ should visit this place : THIS is the way to do it.

I'll be visiting this place again : of that you may be sure.

I visited this DZ in early May 2006 and spent one day jumping there. It is relatively easy to find, is well-appointed and very welcoming.

The reception staff, the Directeur Technique and all the jumpers were well-informed and hospitable. Equipment checks and briefings were thorough and professional. The aircraft, an unusually painted porter, appeared well-maintained and climbs to 13000' quickly.

There is a pool, accommodation and a restaurant although I didn't see what the rooms were like. Not much to do right next to the DZ as you are pretty much in the middle of nowhere. However, Pau is about 30 mins down the road which has all the attractions of a large city.

I believe they are open throughout the year and they do in the region of 30,000 jumps per annum. They get more aircraft in at regular intervals. This place is well worth a visit, I look forward to going back and doing more jumping there.