thewelshbrummie

^This I started in July. As the weather turned colder I started dreading the cold at altitude. Turns out, you feel it more in the plane getting to altitude. Once you leap out, you don't even notice it. That's how I've felt jumping in the UK in December - freezing on the way up but totally fine once I'm out the door, where I have other things to think about that are far more important than the temperature. I'm assuming all the above temps are in Farenheit as 32 is pretty hot by my book... but I've happily jumped on days that are 4 degrees C on the ground (39F) and at drop altitude of 12K is around -20C (-4F). Even with an open face helmet it's still perfectly fine jumping. Just keep in mind that extra layers really help - I go with 2 pairs of socks, 2 t-shirts + a hoodie under a jumpsuit, a buff to cover most of my face and gloves with seperate liners. Nothing special and no thermals, stuff you'll have to hand without spending extra - it's still plenty flexible for doing AFF skills (turns/backflips etc) without any trouble. Getting a good set of gloves helps though - pulling at 6K with the gloves provided by the DZ led to freezing hands by 3K on my AFF jumps, so good gloves are a must. This. It took me 4 months to get 7 levels done (partly because of poor weather, partly due to repeating levels) but mileage will vary. It's still worth heading down to your DZ even if you're unlikely to jump just to pick up tips from instructors. Personally speaking, I'd stick to the same DZ until you've completed the A Licence - I chose not to mix it up as different DZs have different rules/landing patterns/hazards which can be significantly different to what you've learned - what me be best practice at one DZ may not be a another.