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MissBuffDiver

Have you ever jumped barefoot?

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Well almost barefoot anyway. It was a very busy day at the Perris DZ in CA. So busy that I forgot to change my shoes. August is hot in CA. so I had flipflops on when I was packing. Got in the plane, got to altitude, stood up for jump run and the floor felt a LOT weird. Looked down at my feet and saw flipflops instead of tennies. Shit no one else noticed either. So I yelled out and said I can't jump. >:( They yelled back and said yes you can. Then all of a sudden a roll of duct tape was being wrapped around my feet. I was protesting but said what the hell my accuracy is real good. NO problem. Well I landed in the peas.:) My heals were almost purple. The flipflops stayed on allright. BUT...they beat the shit out of my heals in freefall.:D***Check ALL your gear! That means your FEET too. :S
Sandy

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Heh, I've been near the center of controversy here, 'cause I always jump barefoot. B| I have 178 jumps, and the last 174 of them have been barefoot with zero exceptions. I just really like doing it that way. I'm also really never seen around the DZ with shoes on in the first place. Being barefoot is kinda part of my lifestyle. :)
If you're careful about your spot, your altitude awareness, the winds, your pattern, other traffic, and your landing technique, you can do it long and happily, I believe. Some people are all gloom-and-doom about it (especially now since Misty got hurt), but I don't see it that way.

I'm a middle-of-the-road skydiver, not a right-at-the-edge skydiver; I play it conservatively, and if I downsize and/or start to swoop, I may have to stop jumping barefoot. As it is, jumping a Lotus 170 at 1.15:1, if there is no headwind, I have to run that thing out on landings. :)
Blue skies,
-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

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1 yr and 172 jumps cool! There is always the chance that you are not in control of your spot and or landing conditions though. :( Your feet have to carry you for a long time. I've been on mine for 59 yrs. I'm not preaching, but take care of your stumps [FEET] ;) I have landed in some places where barefeet would have been a BAD choice. Not my fault of course. :) I lied.
Sandy

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Yes, problem.:( My heals were almost purple. The flipflops stayed on allright. BUT...they beat the shit out of my heals in freefall.:D***Check ALL your gear! That means your FEET too. :S



Sorry you got hurt, but that is funny as all hell:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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Jumping in flipflops, would'nt be related to Reddy Redfern by any chance:D

In the summer and depending on the DZ I love jumping bare foot
From what I remember of Perris bare foot jumping = Masoquismo

Gone fishing

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If they put the duct tape on your feet, what was holding the plane together???

Seriously, who the hell take a roll of duct tape to altitude with them?




Eastern block pilots survival kit, Duct tape, Vodka Duct tape, more Vodka


Serioulsy most camera flyers have spare duct tape on their helmets.

Gone fishing

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i've made exactly one jump with out footware on, well sort of, one of my jumps over memorial day i lost a shoe while head down and landed with out it.... felt wierd to not have a shoe on.... might tryit some more ( yes i know of risks, i also sometimes jump with no helmet, gogles or altimiter(on hop n pops))

______________________________________
"i have no reader's digest version"

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Does a plane take off or land without tires ?
Hell no. Only jumped without a helmet once or twice.

Actually have no sympathy for those who get hurt by jumping without the proper gear. Lose a toenail because you wear sandles ? How cool are ya now Toe boy ?


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All my barefoot jumps were on rounds :)
But I used flipflops for quite awhile with no problems -- here's a picture of me on a hoop jump. I just used a rubber band to hold my toes together, that way the thong wouldn't come off.

Of course, now when women jump in thongs it doesn't mean the same thing ;)

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Back in the late 70's and early 80's LOTS of us used to jump in "old school" flip flops. The trick was simply securing a retainer band around the part that goes between your toes. When not jumping, the rubber band just stuck straight up. When you got ready to jump you just pulled the rubber band around your big toe. It'd be like "flap flap flap flap!" in freefall against your heel, but would not come off. That was the epitome of DZ stylin! That method worked just fine, well before the advent of "Teva-type" flip flops with the ankle wrap.

I was never down with barefoot jumping because there were sand spurs all over the landing area at Raeford if you landed anywhere but right in front of manifest. Likewise, you never knew when you might get a bad spot and have to land out, potentially in the biggest briar patch in Hoke County. Even if you did find an obstacle free place to land, you still had to deal with walking back out. Simply not my bag.

Even back in the day when the then-very-hippified Jack Jeffries jumped shoeless, he still had a set of flip-flops down his jumpsuit for walking back in. The only person I know that still jumps shoeless with regularity is Ponce.

Chuck

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Only once. We have lots of goat heads around, and landing or walking across them on the way back to the jump shack would suck. The only time I jumped barefoot, we ended up with a bad spot and I had to choose between a road and sand/sagebrush/weeds on the shoulder. I picked asphalt & had no problems.

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

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My wife and I made several barefoot jumps onto the beach in Costa Rica and Acapulco. I only bother when there's a warm sandy beach to land on. Therwise I just wear shoes or Tevas.

Did have a long spot in Mexico, with a long barefoot walk back on the hot sand. Spent a lot of time walking down by the surf to cool off our feet.

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The only person I know that still jumps shoeless with regularity is Ponce.


***

Ponce coordinated our 20 way into Kitty Hawk a couple yeras ago...
It's crummy weather all week and the day of the jump I'm talking with him as we board the AC...
barefoot on the ice frosted grass...

At Kitty Hawk, prior to the jump we walked the LZ,
Bush was coming so security was tight, we walked through metal detectors and got the 'Hard Eye' from Starsky & Hutch, manning the gates....

Roger actually had Tevas on for the stroll..the guard looks at him as says.."I hope you're not gonna skydive with THOSE shoes on!":o

Ponce smiles as says..'No WAY...!":S

10 of us were ROFLAO!:ph34r:










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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lately justi has been jumping barefoot. personally i think its a bad idea and wouldnt do it myself. i think the recent incident has convinced her not to anymore though. she just bought some chacos to jump in so she can be like me;)

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I have about 400 barefoot jumps, another 1000 with Tevas.
I love jumping barefoot.
If your willing to accept the occasional scrape or sore foot, then its no big deal.

In my other life I wear a suit to work, and have on occasion went to put my dress shoes on, only to be reminded of some scrape or bruise on my feet from the prior weekend's jumping.....lol OUCH.

For me its worth the risk.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

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