Skydiving in Sweden - Aros, Gryttjom or Nyköping?

[degeneration 5]

At the moment there is a very good chance I'll be taking a week holiday in Sweden towards the end of August (20-27th roughly), with the main intent of getting some jumps in while I'm there.

I'll be flying into Stockholm.

Which is the best DZ of these to go to, based on ease of getting to it, price, altitude, bunkhouse, friendliness, things to do at night in the local area and any language difficulties as I don't speak any Swedish. Will do my best to learn the basics by the time I get there, but I'm no linguist.

Gryttjom was originally where I was going to go, and I got a nice detailed email back from them with info, but have since researched and found those other two within roughly the same distance from Stockholm.

Has anyone been to any of them before and able to offer opinions or advice?

Thanks in advance.

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[kabong 0]

I have only been to Gryttjom

It is an absolutely perfekt place to go!!!
An-28 and a Twin Otter flying weekdays from 9-20 and weekends 10-18.
8th jump free in weekends 10th on weekdays.

Friendly people and very nice and affordable food.
Remember that it is a club and you will have the time of your life!!!
Big and New renovated Bunkhouses.

As a Danish skydiver say last week: `Lets exchange gryttjom DZ for Carlsberg!!`

Hope you could use this info!

NB

[degeneration 5]

Cheers for the very fast response. I do like the sound of it.

Just looked at where the airport I'll be arriving at is: Stockholm Skavsta airport, which is the same airport that Nyköping operates at... so that makes that DZ by far the closest and easiest to get to, but if Gryttjom is worth it, I'll be willing to travel the distance to get there! Maybe I'll go to both?!

Will drop each of them an email and see what responses I get.

Might have a friend in Uppsala, which will be very handy for Gryttjom.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[rhys 0]

I have also been to Gryttjom and not the other but i do suggest gryttyom.

The bunk house is free(was when I was there) if you become a member which is worth while if you are going to do any significant amount of jumps.

the staff are cool, the food is good and healthy, the sauna is nice, and it doesn't get dark until midnight!!

You basicall don't have to leave the DZ!

Warning!! if you are shy, be prepared for mixed showers and sauna. You will be the odd one out in the sauna if you wear any garments.

It took me a couple of days to get used to that but it feels quite natuaral after a while.

oh the 2 twin turbunes are a bonus too.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[degeneration 5]

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Warning!! if you are shy, be prepared for mixed showers and sauna. You will be the odd one out in the sauna if you wear any garments.

That will be quite interesting/embaressing!!!

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[rhys 0]

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That will be quite interesting/embaressing!!!

It is at first, then you realise that no one really cares about it at all, you can wear a towl in the sauna, nobody will say anything but you feel like the odd one out.

i was suprised when iwas having a shower, i rinsed the shampoo out of my mair and opened my eyes to see a big breasted swedish girl soaping herself up next to me!!!

i was too embaressed to crack a phat so not too much of a worry

You'll have a good time there and have some quality jumps.

The AN28 is a ripper of a plane to exit

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[degeneration 5]

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i rinsed the shampoo out of my mair and opened my eyes to see a big breasted swedish girl soaping herself up next to me!!!

SOLD!!!

Gryttjom it is then!

Got a reply from Nykoping and they are only open weekends and the weekend I am there they don't have a plane... so rules out that DZ.

Still waiting to here back from Aros.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[rhys 0]

At Gryttjom in the summer there is shitloads of loads going up during the weekdays.you could do 10 a day if you wanted to.

the biggest day when we were there was 500 total jumps.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[degeneration 5]

Well, I'm almost done with my time in sweden, but I have finished the DZ side of things so thought I'd let people know about my opinions in case they are thinking of going.

Went to 2 DZs - Gryttjom and Aros (Vastaras)

Gryttjom - had 2 planes - a twin otter and an AN-28. Has a grass runway, which as I discovered means that if it has been pissing it down for quite a few weeks non-stop, the runway can become too wet to be usable. So the DZ wasn't jumping. So all I can really comment on is the place and not the actual jumping. First off the people there are top notch. I only met a few of them but they were incredibly friendly and helped me get to a DZ that was actually open. After I was done at the other DZ I came back here as my already booked train left from a station nearby. I got to stay there for free, they picked me up from the bus stop (3km away from the DZ) and another person got up early the following morning (despite being up late with other people) to drive me to the bus stop to get my bus. And the night before he spent time with me to make sure I had the correct bus times, etc. I can't speak highly enough of them. I didn't do a single jump at their DZ, so they got no money from me, yet they went out of their way to help me and make me feel welcome.

It seems as though it has really good facilities. Loads of bunk beds to stay over in, a large sauna, communal mixed showers (so hope you are not shy), lots of kitchen facilities and a large social area with a cafeteria.


Aros (vastaras) - again very friendly, but smaller than Gryttjom. Beds for 20-30 people or there abouts. The stay over is free, but non-club members have to pay a fee of 30SEK (about £2.50 or $5) for each day they are there. They got a caravan and go to 13000 feet. They have a small cafeteria serving good burgers, good kitchen facilities, TV, DVD etc, a sauna and again mixed communal showers. This can be good, bad or indifferent I suppose. Depends on whether you are male and have one of the rather fit female jumpers coming in for a shower around the same time as you!!!

Lifts at both places were 160SEK, or about £13.

The weather wasn't too good in my time there, but I got 13 jumps in Aros. My home DZ costs £20 per jump so I saved about £91 by jumping in Aros, which just about covered my travel to and from Sweden.

If you go at a time when the weather is better (luck of the draw, I know) and can pack faster than me (not difficult) I highly recommend you go to either of these DZs. Particularly if you are in the UK. I will definitely be going back to do more jumping there assuming Ryan air still do cheap flights to Sweden in future.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[vidiot 0]

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yet they went out of their way to help me and make me feel welcome

Been to Sweden a couple of times over the last ten years. What you describe is what I experienced every single time at every single DZ.

Klaus

My Logbook

[degeneration 5]

Price aside, that is one of the reasons that I'm definitely going to go back.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).