betzilla

What's up with "bathing an elephant (#22)?" Who would even think of that? And why is it higher on the list than, say, wingwalking (#35), or climbing Kilimanjaro (#36)?

Ok, is anyone else unable to do a single one of these downloads? What's up with that?

where I learned to jump: Great Lakes Skydivers The north-south runway is paved now.

I'm with ya. It does suck. But you'll get the hang of it. The good thing about your chute versus a PD chute, is that Aerodyne's zp fabric is "stickier" than PD's, so you're actually having an easier time with your Triathlon than you would be with a PD canopy of the same age... That probably didn't make you feel any better. The less little fabric ends that you have sticking out of the top of the canopy, as you're cocooning it, the better contained it is, and the easier it will slip into the bag. But I think the secret is really just knowing where to put your hands and knees while packing, to keep it from squirting out on you. You'll get that with practice. Good luck!

That depends a lot on where you jump, I think. I used to jump at a small DZ where it felt like nothing bad ever happened, because nothing bad ever did. We made sick jokes about going in all the time, and they all seemed pretty damn funny back then. Now I'm at a large DZ where thorugh sheer volume of jumps, accidents do happen. Nobody jokes about it here. I've lost a few friends in the last couple years (including one at that small DZ) and now, those jokes just aren't funny to me anymore either. Our sense of humor has everything to do with our life experience. I'm a musician who's broken a leg. I'd love to never hear "break a leg, Betsy" again, but it's awfully funny to watch people's faces when they realize that might not be the best way to wish me luck....

I'm slow too. I've never been faster than 15 minutes, and that was packing for myself every jump, and making 200 jumps a season. I always expected to get faster, but somehow never did. Maybe I'm just too anal. I'm SUPER slow now, though. I took about a year off from jumping to recover from an injury, and in that time, lost my packing skill completely (flaking is all good, but forget about getting it in the bag). I'm either starting to get it back or lowering my standards. Don't know which, but I'm happy to save the five bucks a jump.

I wave throw and, if it feels the same as every other time, I don't look. If it takes a bit longer, or just feels different, then I look. Oh I forgot to mention: I literally count out loud after I throw. It's a left over from student days. I didn't even realize I still do it until my most recent jump.

- have and display one or more tattoos nope - smoke and often require at least one cigarrette between loads nope - have body piercings (ears don't count anymore) nope - can drink heavily in the evening and be on the first load the next morning nope, but can drink heavily and show up early at the gear store. - are ectomorphic or, at least, fall on the ectomorphic side of mesomorphism Hell no - have some kind of attitude (doesn't really matter what kind yep - come across as a bit touched (and by touched, I mean crazy) yep - live a relatively non-materialistic lifestyle (money isn't good for much except jumps and beer!) yep - live in the present (can't really execute emergency procedures if you're daydreaming about the future, now, can you?) yep - live from jump to jump (always thinking about that next fix) getting back to that - consider themselves good looking (the guys) and have skydiving SOs (the gals) that are good looking not these days - seem to actually live (!) at the drop zone next door to the DZ - can easily pack in 10 minutes or less (mostly, it appears, because their canopy is about the size of a trashbag) My canopy's much bigger than trashbag, but even my best packjob is a trash pack, so it all evens out... - have a seemingly unending source of money (maybe something illegal going on here, like in that documentary CUTAWAY about that cop... what's his name... Stephen Baldwin or something) HAHAHA, student loans + medical bills = empty bank account - (some) inexplicably live nomadic lifestyles (how high do you have to exit to actually reach the next DZ?) nope, but maybe someday

I made 400 jumps without one, then bought a used one. Then I sold it, and now I can't afford to replace it. It's strange how things come full-circle.

I didn't know that until right now, and I've been working in a gear store for a year. But I always make sure that what i'm ordering is the same as the customer ordered from me. Sounds like your dealer punted. Hopefully they'll help you fix the situation. It's clearly not "all your fault."

A friend of mine "disposed of" one in freefall, right after taking a bunch of photos of me. *sigh* And I know I was looking good -- I had all of 40 jumps back then. But I took one on a hop-n-pop from altitude, and had no problem not losing it. I just stuck it down my jumpsuit between photos.

They probably thought they were going to land right beside the Sears tower, too.

How does a "tiny one seat crop duster" carry two guys to altitude?

I don't think you'll find a NEW container and NEW main for less than $3000. If you do, grab it, 'cause you'll be getting a GREAT price. At my store, we don't offer financing, but we'll order the gear from the mfr with 50% down. The rest is payable when the gear is picked up, or before shipping. If you have perfect credit, you can probably get another personal loan to finance this rig, right? or suck it up and get a pretty new Mirage in 1/4 the time it will take your Javelin to get built.

Kolla is a goddess, and the PD demo program is a great way to try out some canopies (Icarus has a great demo program too)

Absolutely agreed. I guess my post should have been, people make mistakes, and the smart ones learn from them. I jumped without a Cypres for 300 or so jumps, never had any close calls, had a cutaway with no problems. I would've bought one if I could've afforded it, I think, or maybe I would've just bought a new main. Hard to say. But when I started dating my boyfriend he became my rigger. He gave me back my rig after the first repack he did on it, with a Cypres in it (along with several small upgrades he'd done to make it safer). He said to pay for it when I could, which I did after 6 months. Although I know I can handle whatever comes my way, it's nice to have an extra device to help keep me alive if I screw up (I'm not beyond making a mistake). I'm grateful he made it possible for me to have one, and I THINK I'd make it a priority for myself from this point on. But to be honest, it's hard to say. I sold mine this year since I'm jumping bigger gear right now. It's pretty tempting to just close up my rig and jump it without one when it fits me again...

Sure, I'd agree with that. And though I can't understande how somebody can get all the way to 700 feet with nothing open while conscious and functioning, I sure want one in my rig if I'd fucked up that badly. People make mistakes, and Cypresses help keep them from getting dead when they do. oh, and people make stupid msitakes doing stuff they've been told a million times not to do. But their Cypresses still fire and might keep them from dying. it's a pretty compelling reason to have one if you can part with the cash.

Check out the "CYPRES SAVE" thread in Incidents. (Sorry i don't know how to make it clicky)

A Cypres will help you in the following situations: -- you are unconscious or otherwise unable to deploy either parachute -- you lose track of altitude in freefall and fail to get a main out above 700 feet -- you have a malfunction of some kind and are unable to access your handles -- this happened to a friend of mine who had a pilot chute in tow wearing a baggy sweatshirt. He'd be dead if he hadn't had a Cypres If you're sure none of these things will ever happen to you, the don't sweat it, you don't need one. However, I'm sure those who went in without a Cypres in these situations thought they would never need one either.

1 (got over the willies):3:0 YAY! I got my mojo back -- after almost an entire season of being less than lukewarm about jumping, actually a bit nervous and fearful, I actually had a great time in the air today. I had three great jumps with good friends, and even improved my landings a little. I was feeling like a non-jumper, and getting angry at myself for not wanting it. But I'm back to myself now.

The Altimaster Galaxy, made by Alti-2, is awesome, and the company has amazing customer service and a sweet lifetime warranty on their products. Price: around $150. Oh, and it now comes with a glow-in-the-dark face, for night jumps (and extra cool-factor).

10 pounds a month is on the edge of reasonable. The rule is, if you're losing more than 2 pounds a week, you're probably losing muscle as well as fat. It's also hard to maintain a loss rate as fast as 10 pounds per month. I'm trying to lose the weight I gained during and after a broken leg recovery, and I'm shooting for 8 pounds a month, using Body-for Life.But my main goal is to fit into the clothes I used to wear -- the weight is secondary. I have 40 pounds to lose, so I know what you're going through, and I wish you luck! You're right to think of it as a lifestyle change. I lost 20# on BFL last year before breaking my leg. I learned that when you go back to your bad eating habits, the weight comes back, with extra. Don't let that happen to you! Good luck and be healthy!

Definitely look for something used that's a good fit for your needs. If you can't find a complete used rig, there are a ton of used components out there. I usually recommend that if someone is going to buy ONE piece if gear new, and the rest used, they buy a new container. That's the part that has the custom fit for your body, and there's something yummy about having a harness that's a perfect fit. You can easily find used mains and reserves in your size range, and also a used Cypres -- probably really cheap. Good luck!

Yep, this is a pretty white sport. We have a bunch of latinos here, and one black guy who's a really good jumper. Other than that, this place is white as can be. That was one of the first things I noticed when I started jumping too (also in Michigan, at Great Lakes Skydivers). It does kind of bother me -- I'd like to see our sport become a better reflection of the ethnic diversity in the US. What's it like in other countries? Is there one ethnic group that dominates skydiving in Europe?

I just started wearing contacts too, and what a huge difference it makes! I wear good secure goggles with foam around them for a good seal, and so far haven't had a problem. Enjoy your new clear view!