Will I freeze?

[ryan_d_sucks 0]

Hello,

I just recently scheduled my second tandem jump. I decided to do another tandem because I won't have enough time/money to complete AFF before most of the DZ's around me close for the winter. My question is this: I'll be driving up to the Chicago to visit a friend and make the tandem jump. I have heard that the air temperature generally decreases 3 degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation. (Therefore 10k altitude is 30 degrees colder)

My jump is heading up to 14.5k on November 3rd. I figure it may very well be around 30-35 degrees on the ground, making it close to 0 or below up at altitude (if that rule is true). Am I just going to freeze my ass off on the way down? I'm sure part of me won't notice, atleast for a moment, but damn it seems like its going to be cold. I guess I'm going to invest in a pair of thin gloves and body armor undershirt. Does anyone have any advice/experience/expectations?

Thanks,

Ryan

[PhreeZone 15]

Cover all your exposed skin. It was in the 40's here this last weekend and I felt it not wearing a full face. My lips are still chapped and I got windburn on my neck where it was exposed.

You'll be cold, but as long as you dress in layers and listen to the TM about pulling with gloves on you should be ok.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[FlyinDawg 0]

I had jumped, 2 last weekend at The Farm. There was so freeze in the morning and had jumped around -10 degree in 14,500 ft. It was friggin' freeze than on ground! But It's made me feel better when I wore gloves and sweater inside jumpsuit. But feel so much better and awesome right after jump off the perfectly good airplane. If you don't wear gloves in freefall, you got on ground by landing, your fingers and hands will be freeze sore!

Flyin' Dawg or SkyDog


"To understand is to forgive, even oneself."

[kelpdiver 2]

ask the DZ. I've seen students be given gloves (sometimes a neck covering) here in CA in the colder times. The worst direct experiences for me is a ground temp of 40 (-15? at 18,000?) and 50ish for a 24,000 jump. My cheeks were red for a while. The hands tell me if I should have worn gloves. Landing wasn't that much harder, but a tad. Wear good warm socks, esp if you jump in running shoes like I tend to. I forgot that a few times, and you have to land on those frozen feet.

But it's only 60 seconds of that sort of blast. The critical period, imo, is the trip up.

[teason 0]

Why are most the posters from the warm climes?

Any hoo, the temp doesn't always drop to a consistant degree. For example, a temperature inversion can make it warmer at altitude than it is on the ground.

Not only that, you probably won't notice the cold till you get under canopy.

I got out the aircraft two weeks ago and it was -10. My student didn't even notice the ice pellets

(true story)

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

[Icon134 0]

Quote

I got out the aircraft two weeks ago and it was -10. My student didn't even notice the ice pellets

(true story)

hehehe... I had that happen a few weeks ago myself... I climbed out on the camera step into what felt like tiny little needles. (sleet/ice mist)

came out of it well before deployment... landed and asked the guy on the jump with 25 jumps if he noticed the sleet at alti... "No, it was?",

it was actually warmer this weekend last weekend then it was a few weeks back... but its just going to get cooler up here.

does that mean I won't take the chance to jump out of our cessna given the opertunity...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[jumpdr 0]

The figure quoted in books for the 'standard atmosphere' is a 1.98 °C drop for every 1000ft, which I think we can safely round to 2. So if it's 20°C on the ground, you're looking at being about at freezing point at 10k.
To be honest, if the door's closed and the sun's coming in through the windows, you don't notice it. It's when the door's open for spotting or other people climbing out that it gets a bit chilly, especially if you've just been packing and are slightly sweaty. Once out the door, I can honestly say I've never once noticed the cold, but this is sunny Cyprus and things start to warm up again nearer the ground. It may be a bit different once I get back to the UK!

Skydiving is more than a sport and more than a job: skydiving is pure passion and desire which will fill a lifetime.

[shermanator 3]

One thing to think about, is your adrenaline will probably be punping, and lessen the cold feeling. wear gloves, and warmer undergarments and you will be fine. and since it is a tandem, if your hands get cold.. just tuck them in your pits when you are under canopy. ... I must say though, it is defidently fun when your fingers fel like they are freezing in the toggles... and they defrost as get closer to the ground.. ohhh, how i love sunset hop&pops from the top!

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[jakee 1,257]

Quote

Am I just going to freeze my ass off on the way down? I'm sure part of me won't notice, atleast for a moment, but damn it seems like its going to be cold. I guess I'm going to invest in a pair of thin gloves and body armor undershirt. Does anyone have any advice/experience/expectations?

Get the best thin but warm layers you can find and put a few of those on. It'll help keep you warm without looking like Michelin man. If your lips dry out easily you'll need to protect those. The worst thing for me (when its really cold, like -35C at altitude) is my fingers under canopy.

Its really easy to just stick your hands through the toggles and then leave your fingers trailing out in the breeze - bad idea. I've found that making a fist and turning the backs of my hands to the wind helps some.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Yossarian 0]

i wear a buff over my head in the ninja style under my helmet with the neck tucked into a fleecy neck warmer, and i wear a pair of woolly socks over my normal ones. and, since a mid december jump from 16k where i nearly had to pull my reserve cos i couldnt feel my toggle, i wear skiing glove inners under my skydiving gloves. nice and toasty :)

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

Cover all your exposed skin.

You'll be cold, but as long as you dress in layers and listen to the TM about pulling with gloves on you should be ok.

Yep... When I was jumping in temps below 40 degrees on the ground, I made sure to cover every square inch of skin, especially the face and neck. As for gloves, I have worn skin tight surgical latex gloves under my regular winter gloves with great results, although you'd have to strip the latex gloves off after each jump and lay them down inside out to dry out the sweat. But damn, they kept my hands warm. Without them, my fingers would be hurting like a bitch once I got on the ground. It's not so much the freefall, but the time spent under canopy that does it, and tandems spend way more time in the air than anyone else. If you're a tandem passenger, I don't see whats wrong with using a pair of ski gloves as long as the tandem instructor is doing all the canopy control.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[flyangel2 2]

Yup, I'd be freezing.

I have a rule after 25 years in the sport. I never jump if it's not above 45 degrees on the ground. But that's just me.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

The figure quoted in books for the 'standard atmosphere' is a 1.98 °C drop for every 1000ft, which I think we can safely round to 2. So if it's 20°C on the ground, you're looking at being about at freezing point at 10k.

Then you have days when you have a temperature inversion. Which is neat, you know you're getting close to pull time when you feel the noticable drop in the air temp.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

Then you have days when you have a temperature inversion. Which is neat, you know you're getting close to pull time when you feel the noticable drop in the air temp.

When does that happen?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[jakee 1,257]

Quote

Quote

Then you have days when you have a temperature inversion. Which is neat, you know you're getting close to pull time when you feel the noticable drop in the air temp.

When does that happen?

When the ground is colder than the ambient air temp, happens a lot in winter. You can see inversion layers if there is mist or smoke from a fire, it will get so high then stop rising and flatten out in a definite layer. Not sure I'd want to try the 'air temp altimeter' though

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[MagicGuy 0]

I honestly think you'll be OK. It's been fairly cold the past couple of weeks in Massachusetts but it hasn't seemed to stop anyone. Jumping has been as busy as ever!

Wear gloves and a couple of layers and you'll be cool.

[JENNR8R 0]

Suck it up cupcake. I jumped last year when the ground temperature was 21 degrees F. The worst part was my fingers stinging after the canopy was open. I didn't notice the cold before then.

Someone recommended getting linen glove liners instead of latex. The latex makes your hands sweat before you get out of the airplane which makes it even colder in the air.

Several thin layers, two pairs of warm socks, a neck cowl, gloves with liners, Chapstick on your lips... You'll be fine. You're just not up there very long.

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

[bloody_trauma 2]

so is it a bad thing to go through AFF when its that cold, cuz when i get back to germany it will probably be snowing, with lots of cloud cover, but there are breaks in it here and there. i just talked to my instructor and he said we have the green to train but its been crap weather up there recently. would it be better to wait till spring when it gets warmer to get started, mind you i have no qualms stayin out in the cold, i train at all extremes in the field for longer than i'll be up there but are you more prone to accident during the winter?

Fly it like you stole it

[JENNR8R 0]

are you more prone to accident during the winter?

Quote

Beats me. I began AFF in November in Virginia. I never had an accident, but one persons experience means nothing. Although I did manage to do my first PLF in a mud puddle when it was 27 degrees F on the ground. I was so proud of myself because I was afraid to do it. My instructor didn't see me, but I had mud all over my rented jumpsuit and rig as evidence. I was stripped outside of the hangar.

I was at the DZ every weekend. There were seven weekends in a row that I couldn't jump because of bad weather, but I was able to work on ground training during those weekends.

I was 52 at the time. You are young and healthy. Why wait?

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

• Quote

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Why are most the posters from the warm climes?

there are more of us!

What does happen to your mix of tandems to sport jumpers during the winter? Do you get a lot of polar bear types that are willing to do their first jump in the snow?

[riggerrob 558]

CS_119.pdf (0.11 MB)

Note that the Federation Francais du Parachutisme has banned small handles for winter jumps.
Sure those pretty little cutaway and "low-profile" reserve ripcords may look pretty when jumping in Florida in the summer, but how are you going to grab them when your hands are encased in puffy ski gloves and you are so cold that you have to look to see where your fingers are?
Oh!
And you are wearing so many other puffy clothes that you cannot even SEE your cutaway handle!

[mdrejhon 8]

The use of leather RW gloves and the use of latex gloves underneath, is something I did last winter. I was going to jump with puffy winter gloves, but I went for this instead.

I've also jumped when it was below freezing on the ground. I'd do it again but only hop and pop - my hands don't last long in that kind of cold!

Last time I tried to go for a full altitude two weekeneds ago (it was well above freezing, still leaves on trees) they would not let me jump above 4000 feet because it was too cold. WIMPS!

It was chilly (freezing at exit), but I was more than prepared to try 7500: My hands did not get cold by landing, and I had 4 layers. Then again, it was moderately windy - although not excessively so for my canopy...

[BrianM 1]

Quote

I jumped last year when the ground temperature was 21 degrees F.

21 F is not exactly cold...

I've jumped when it was -20 C on the ground (that's -4 F). Went to altitude too. I know lots of people who've jumped in colder weather.

"It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

[BillyVance 34]

And there are people who have jumped at the North and South Poles in frigging cold weather!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[JENNR8R 0]

Quote

I jumped last year when the ground temperature was 21 degrees F.

21 F is not exactly cold...

I've jumped when it was -20 C on the ground (that's -4 F). Went to altitude too. I know lots of people who've jumped in colder weather.