jubeinin 0 #1 December 1, 2002 i know this isn't really the kind of question that can easily be answered, but i was wondering if any of you had any idea about the likelihood of breaking a leg...yeah i know it's a ridiculous question, but i'm a keen climber and i've just started this skydiving lark. having been through the safety forum i'm now getting kinda paranoid about breaking my leg and ending my cllimbing life... should i expect this, or is it a pretty rare occurence.. again i apologise for such a vague question.. cheers jif you can't climb, fall. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonic 0 #2 December 1, 2002 Depends how conservative you are I suppose. If you downsize quickly and swoop a lot, there is a greater chance, but you can still break bones under mantas.----------------------------------- It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #3 December 1, 2002 Its about maniging risks. I've seen a few broken legs in the last 3 years. I've been on crutches for 6 weeks due to an ankle injury. Seen someone die and seen some one walk away from an impact that should have snapped bones. Most people if they stick around long enough will injure themselfs in some way. Next time at a DZ look at the older or high jump number skydivers and look for limps or scars. There are a lot of hem out there. The Heavy Metal skydiving club is people that have have pins or screws in them from skydiving. There are old skydivers, then there are bold skydivers... but there are very few old bold skydivers.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #4 December 1, 2002 QuoteIts about maniging risks. Exactly. While you can do everything right and still be injured or killed skydiving, there are things you can do and decisions you can make that will reduce the likelihood of you suffering a serious injury. If breaking a leg is your biggest worry, I'd suggest staying with a light wingloading for your main and reserve and then learning to fly the snot of them before going smaller (note: unless you are an exceptionally good canopy pilot receiving exceptionally good canopy control coaching, it takes far more than 50-100 jumps to really learn to fly a parachute). Along with that, remember that there is no rule that says you HAVE to downsize ever - I know quite a few people who fly 1.0 - 1.1 wingloadings at 1000+ jumps. Other things you can do to reduce your risk of joining the Heavy Metal Club include not jumping in marginal conditions (high winds, extreme turbulence, etc.), landing away from the crowd in the main landing area, and getting good canopy control instruction shortly after getting off student status. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 0 #5 December 1, 2002 Quotereceiving exceptionally good canopy control coaching... ... and getting good canopy control instruction Notice how she mentioned that one twice? - Jim"Like" - The modern day comma Good bye, my friends. You are missed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NtheSeaOrSky 0 #6 December 1, 2002 Quote you can still break bones under mantas AMEN BROTHA!!!! Even the BIG friggin mantasLife is not fair and there are no guarantees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 25 #7 December 1, 2002 Quotei was wondering if any of you had any idea about the likelihood of breaking a leg... About the same as your likelihood of getting hurt climbing. Which means, it depends...Are you soloing? Do you climb ice? Are you a mountaineer? If you stick with plastic (student gear), you're probably pretty safe. Most people are willing to take their risk level up to trad leads (ZP ellipticals), and the injury rate there is not too bad. Some people try soloing 8c in the rain (super-loaded cross-braces, BASE jumping). Even then, some of the folks doing the 8c solos are really so good that a little rain doesn't bother them. But some people try to jump straight out of the gym, and get on a hard solo--they get hurt quite often. I guess what I'm saying is that it's just like climbing--your chance of getting hurt depends on your personal style, and how hard you push your personal limits. Quotei'm now getting kinda paranoid about breaking my leg and ending my cllimbing life... How hard are you climbing? I've broken my leg three times (the first time running out 45' [15m] above my last piece on an "easy" slab, the last two BASE jumping) and I still do ok leading fairly easy-ish (say 5.10, I'm not sure what that is on that crazy letter scale that only English people understand) trad climbs. It hasn't really effected my aid or ice climbing at all, just the free (sport, trad, gym) stuff. If you're climbing hard on the comp circuit or something, I'd worry about it. But if climbing is just recreational, you should be able to come back from an injury and still do ok.-- Tom Aiello [email protected] SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #8 December 2, 2002 Even if you found a statistic that quoted, for example, "1 out of every 113 active skydivers will break a leg within 5 years" it wouldn't do you much good. Such statistics ignore the individual details. If you jump conservative gear, fly it conservatively, and get good at flying it YOUR chances will be far, far better than someone on the other edge of the risk curve. It still won't be a zero chance of breaking it though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #9 December 2, 2002 Dude, I'm old, conservative, and methodical and last week I downsized, got very happy about how sporty my new canopy flew and almost critically injured myself. Skydiving is a very picky mistress. This sport has made me the happiest I've been my whole life, but yes, it has the ability to take my life away. You don't get even a single moment of bad decision making in this sport. "Whoops" can mean dead or crippled. Make no mistake, I will teach both my daughters to skydive when they are old enough, but I only hope I raise them to have better decision making ability than I do. The gear can kill you, but it can't murder you. It usually takes you to murder you in skydiving nowadays. Usually. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SniperCJ 0 #10 December 2, 2002 Quote... breaking my leg and ending my cllimbing life... I climb too. It wasnt breaking anything that ended MY climbing life, it was "starting this skydiving lark"!! Ive only been climbing twice in the 3 years since Ive been jumping. JC Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eyeinthesky 0 #11 December 3, 2002 i am an 11 jump student who does everything pretty well except landing, haha. i always miss the target badly and i used to land on my ass in a Wiley Coyote style land job until i figured out i needed to flare sooner. i may have fractured my butt bone but i rarely notice it and i learned quickly how to soften my landings as a result. other than that, the landings havent been remotely close to dangerous levels of impact, and i jump the big 288 manta. enjoy! never let anyone in your will pack your chute!hey, i was stupid before stupid was cool! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JamesNahikian 0 #12 December 3, 2002 Proferred injury quantifiers are irrelevant from a practical viewpoint. Nobody can predict who will cut you off on landing. Even you can't sense whether you will be less than 100% on any given day. Study this sport, go at your own pace and always be willing to take a time-out. Tilt the odds in your favor, and remember that life itself is a terminal condition. James Nahikian CHICAGO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
