ntrprnr 0 #1 August 31, 2005 Thinking about the earlier post about "does it get cheaper," made me start thinking... OK - So I've got a LOT of frequent flier miles. I mean, a LOT. Think well over 2 million. It's not as fun as it seems, they've all been accumulated for work - I travel a ridiculous amount for work. Bordering on obscene, actually. Anyhow, was thinking, maybe I'll burn some of them this holiday season, now that I've bought a rig and it'll arrive in late Oct. Maybe I'll go and jump in some new places... Sounds good. OK. So... Where? If miles/transportation were no option, where would you go? Tell me why I should visit your drop zone - not only in the US, but worldwide. Where's the best place to jump? The friendliest? The biggest? The smallest? The coolest? The most fun stuff during the holidays? The most likely to not make fun of someone with only, by that time, around 100 or so jumps? What's the absolutely coolest place in the world to jump? Let's hear it... And thanks. :)_______________ "Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?" "Even in freefall, I have commitment issues." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
towerrat 0 #2 August 31, 2005 Z-Hills baby!!!!! Turkey Boogie Christmas Boogie New Year's Easter Boogie GITTER DONE!!!!!Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peej 0 #3 August 31, 2005 I'd love to tell you to come here but we only jump on weekends. So, go to Perris. Tunnel, two otters and a skyvan, the best freefly coaches in the world, the staff rocks, the bar is the shit and you have the opportunity to go down the road and jump at 'Snore which i hear is super cool. 'Nuff said. ps. i hope you don't live in Cali cos i didn't check your profile before i posted this Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #4 August 31, 2005 Perris Valley SD or Eloy (SD Arizona). Both offer tons of great airplanes, mostly super weather, good people, organizers, terrific gear stores, everything. Perris is in Southern California and closer to a more urban area (LA), so it may be more fun for non-jump activities and is an easy surface trip from LAX. Plus, Perris has a wind tunnel on the airport and at SD Arizona I think you need to travel for a couple of minutes to get to the tunnel. You will find top skydivers at both places as well as outstanding schools and plenty of new jumpers to play with. I'd avoid Z-Hills and Florida unless there is a reason to stay on the east coast. There are great drop zones there (SD City is my most frequented DZ in the region), but the winter weather is catch-as-catch-can. When I went to Florida in the winter I expected to loose 50 percent of time to weather, and really only chose the state because of easy transportation from NYC and the same time zone. With all that said, I lost my heavy travel job in 2001 and have well over a million miles in the bank. I haven't been on a commercial airplane since, and don't miss it a bit. The miles are starting to expire, and I really don't care. I have made it around the country a few times by car, but air travel sucks. .Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gemini 0 #5 August 31, 2005 Hate to burst your bubble, but you better check your airline black out dates if you are gona' travel over "holidays'! Blue skies, Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #6 August 31, 2005 QuoteHate to burst your bubble, but you better check your airline black out dates if you are gona' travel over "holidays'! If he has 2 million miles he can get an unrestricted ticket. Or, something that many people don't know, if you are in the elite level of an airline program they will often waive the blackout dates. A traveler with 2 million miles is a prize customer, and the airlines want to keep him happy. .Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #7 August 31, 2005 If you are flying into Perris Valley, California, it is usually easier to fly into Ontario, California, then you avoid LA rush hour traffic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntrprnr 0 #8 August 31, 2005 Yup, Tom's right... (Hi, Tom!) With the elite status I've earned on various airlines, I can call and request specific dates, and they either give them to me without hesitation, or I blow an extra 40k miles each way for an unrestricted. Never had to do that, though, they're usually happy to give ,e dates I ask for. It's scary what the airlines will do for you when you're one of their most valuable fliers. Letters and fruit baskets sent to my home after a delay isn't uncommon. Tickets to whatever the airline is sponsoring (tennis, concerts, etc...) But it's all worth it to them when I call and say, "hi, a client needs me in Tokyo tomorrow, I need to purchase a $10,000 ticket please." Worst though is that I never get to explore wherer I'm going. My Tokyo and London trips are usually in/outs. Arrive in Tokyo at 1pm, head to a meeting till dinner. Gym, then sleep. Work all day next day, then dinner. Then gym next morning, airport, home, and I walk in and am like, "someone totally just stole my week." Then the cats scratch me for leaving them alone for four days, even though my doorman feeds them." Yes, you too can run your own company. Thrills, chills, and miles galore. Saddest thing of all is that 99% of the time, I give the miles away as birthday gifts._______________ "Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?" "Even in freefall, I have commitment issues." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wishintobe 0 #9 August 31, 2005 Quote Saddest thing of all is that 99% of the time, I give the miles away as birthday gifts. My birthday is in November Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #10 August 31, 2005 I think the recommendations of Perris and Eloy are great. Eloy will have the dropzone.com holiday boogie there between Christmas and New Year's (all the cool kids will be there). I went to both Perris and Eloy on a road trip when I was at about 100 jumps (even got my 100th at Perris). I was at Eloy on slow, hot, off-season days (and even then they turned an Otter all day, so "slow" is relative at Eloy), so I know I didn't get the full "experience." But even then, manifest helped to connect me with a more experienced jumper to get some informal coaching. The ATC has world-class coaches available as well, and I was fortunate to do a few coach jumps while I was there. Perris (and its neighboring DZ, Elsinore) are great places for relative newbies. There's load organizers who put together great jumps. Don't be shy, ask around, and it shouldn't be any trouble to find people to jump with and learn from. And of course there's the tunnels."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #11 August 31, 2005 Quote Worst though is that I never get to explore wherer I'm going. My Tokyo and London trips are usually in/outs. Arrive in Tokyo at 1pm, head to a meeting till dinner. Gym, then sleep. Work all day next day, then dinner. Then gym next morning, airport, home, and I walk in and am like, "someone totally just stole my week." Sort of a thread hijack, but I always wondered what was in all that brown space near the Rocky Mountains, and why there are those tiny isolated houses in the middle of nowhere. Everytime I flew over I promised myself I would drive out there and explore. Millions of air miles later I lost my job. So, I loaded the car and checked the country out. Slept in the car for six weeks, hiked, camped in the woods, saw America. I've repeated the journey three times. It's a kick, and soooo much better than sitting on a stupid airplane wondering what's down below. When I was in that air travel mode I always tried to make time for trips to the major DZ's and ski mountains, just as it sounds like you are doing now. Business travel offers all kinds of perks, so take advantage of them now 'cause you may not want to deal with it in the future. I guess there are still days when I want to slip into a big first class seat, hit a far away Morton Steak House for the lamb chops, then fall into a huge soft bed in a Westin Hotel, but those days are few, and getting further in between. One other thing...somebody added Elsinore to the suggested Perris trip, and I'll second that. The chance to check out two top DZ's in the same trip is another great reason to go all the way west.Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #12 August 31, 2005 There is no "travel" involved to get to Eloy's tunnel, it is at the dropzone. Of course, if it's hot outside, I'd rather drive down the little road than walk it. That said, I have been to Eloy, Elsinore, Perris, and about ten other places and I'd have to say that Eloy is where I'd choose to go over them all. Example: I show up there recently after not having been there in many months, manifest still remembers my name and it's a 2 second update of the computer before I can jump again, no hassle. I walk out into the hangar, say hi to Tom, one of the LOs, and within 2 minutes I'm dirt-diving an 8-way with video, no jumpsuit, no stress, all fun. As an added bonus the likes of Yoko and Amy C will often get on the mic and practically beg new people to come and jump with them... that's just cool IMO. I'll take Eloy anyday but I really love Elsinore's vibe too.NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b_dog 0 #13 August 31, 2005 Skydive Taft, which I suppose would be my home DZ, has a neat communion of skydivers, and the weather is ALWAYS perfect for a jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elisha 1 #14 August 31, 2005 QuoteSort of a thread hijack, but... NOT ALLOWED!!! YOU SHOULD BE BANNED!!!! No I'm kidding, carry on. I like reading the stories. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PrincessPink 0 #15 August 31, 2005 Next year, I highly recommend the summer solstice boogie near Anchorage Alaska...very beautiful. This year it was held June 15...we went a few years back and they dropped a load over Knick Glacier (correct me if I have the spelling wrong). They later picked everyone up in a helicoptor and we skimmed over the glacier and its blue ice.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 0 #16 September 1, 2005 If you're thinking about worldwide, here's a suggested Australian itinerary for over the Christmas holidays: - Fly into Sydney. - Spend a few days at the Picton Christmas boogie. AUD $50 registration gets you a week of free beer and AUD $25 tickets in an Otter & Skyvan. Free organising. - See some of Sydney, and maybe learn to surf. - Fly Sydney to Brisbane. - Hang out and jump at Toogoolawah during the Aussie Nationals. Maybe join a scratch 4-way team for some laughs. - Head to the coast and jump over the Pacific Ocean for spectacular views. There's a lot of DZs up there & the locals could give you better information than me. - Go spend some time exploring the Great Barrier Reef, and maybe do some diving. - Fly home. Remember it'll be summer in Australia! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #17 September 1, 2005 QuoteIf you're thinking about worldwide, here's a suggested Australian itinerary for over the Christmas holidays: - Fly into Sydney. - Spend a few days at the Picton Christmas boogie. AUD $50 registration gets you a week of free beer and AUD $25 tickets in an Otter & Skyvan. Free organising. - See some of Sydney, and maybe learn to surf. - Fly Sydney to Brisbane. - Hang out and jump at Toogoolawah during the Aussie Nationals. Maybe join a scratch 4-way team for some laughs. - Head to the coast and jump over the Pacific Ocean for spectacular views. There's a lot of DZs up there & the locals could give you better information than me. - Go spend some time exploring the Great Barrier Reef, and maybe do some diving. - Fly home. Remember it'll be summer in Australia! Well, I think I've got Christmas 2006 figured out! (assuming there's no way in hell I'll have enough vacation time to do it right this year)."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purplegirl 0 #18 September 1, 2005 check out DUBAI (United Arab Emirates) -- it's one of my dreams to skydive at the UAQ Aeroclub http://www.uaqaeroclub.com/index2.htm imagine seeing nothing but blue seas and pink dessert sand from 14,000 feet!!! dubai is the nyc of the middle east except there is no crime and the people are so friendly. i'm saving major $$$ to go there next year. we should meet up there! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GravityGirl 0 #19 September 1, 2005 Eloy. Eloy. Eloy. Eloy. Best winter weather in USA. Big fleet. Massive tunnel. Great facilities. Amazing coaches. Wide open spaces. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleOne 0 #20 September 1, 2005 -One way ticket to SoCal -Start at Elsinore with the Chicks Rock Boogie in early October -Drive the southern route of the US to Florida, hitting as many dz's as you want and seeing a nice slice of the US in the best way possible -End in Florida, spending a load of time at any number of the dzs out there -One way ticket back to NYC Oh wait, that's what I'm going to do! Not working is a beautiful thing. Come join the ride of your life! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
