This is the first dropzone I've jumped at, which is not in Colorado and does not have the ground coming at you at 6,000 ft AMSL, so I loved the way everything feels so much easier at 0ft AMSL (softer landings, generally feeling like more time in the air).
They do Tandems from 8k, 11k, 15k and 18k--so if you're lucky you can go up to 18k (alright: It's probably more likely to be just over 16k, most of the time.) I rent equipment and need a pretty large canopy (230 sqft) and they had 2 of them available (a Spectre and a Sabre2). They looked decent and worked great (felt 2 sizes larger than at my dropzone at 6000ft--did I mention that already?!) The staff, instructors, and generally everyone was absolutely great. They did neglect to mention one of their beer-rules, so I did have to buy a case for everyone at the end of the day. ;-)
Yes, it's unusual that their landing zone is about 7 miles from the airport and therefore you have to be shuttled back to the airport (they have an old limo and a van for that purpose) If you pack your own equipment, I guess that could mean less jumps, because it worked out that we got back to the packing area around the 15 minute call for the next load, each time. For me it was perfect as their packer made sure that the next 230sqft canopy was ready for me the moment I got back. So I got on every load of the day.
Landing area is huge. I spent the last jump from about 17k just "sightseeing" (mostly on my belly, just enjoying the scenery, not "working on anything") and it was gorgeous.
They said they just got new ownership and are trying to tighten things up more, to make it easier to get more jumps in, in spite of the offsite landing area.
So while this is only the 3rd DZ I've jumped from and I loved all 3 so far, I will definitely come back to this one when next in CA.
Silicon Valley Skydiving
in California
They do Tandems from 8k, 11k, 15k and 18k--so if you're lucky you can go up to 18k (alright: It's probably more likely to be just over 16k, most of the time.)
I rent equipment and need a pretty large canopy (230 sqft) and they had 2 of them available (a Spectre and a Sabre2). They looked decent and worked great (felt 2 sizes larger than at my dropzone at 6000ft--did I mention that already?!)
The staff, instructors, and generally everyone was absolutely great. They did neglect to mention one of their beer-rules, so I did have to buy a case for everyone at the end of the day. ;-)
Yes, it's unusual that their landing zone is about 7 miles from the airport and therefore you have to be shuttled back to the airport (they have an old limo and a van for that purpose) If you pack your own equipment, I guess that could mean less jumps, because it worked out that we got back to the packing area around the 15 minute call for the next load, each time.
For me it was perfect as their packer made sure that the next 230sqft canopy was ready for me the moment I got back. So I got on every load of the day.
Landing area is huge. I spent the last jump from about 17k just "sightseeing" (mostly on my belly, just enjoying the scenery, not "working on anything") and it was gorgeous.
They said they just got new ownership and are trying to tighten things up more, to make it easier to get more jumps in, in spite of the offsite landing area.
So while this is only the 3rd DZ I've jumped from and I loved all 3 so far, I will definitely come back to this one when next in CA.