marti

European prices are inherently more expensive than state side. I bought my original gear from the states (I'm based in Ireland) and at the time got a reasonable bargain, but I wouldn't have bought it if someone wasn't bringing it home for me. Gear is cheap from the states unless you get stung by customs - and then the money ads up, so shipping it is not always a great option... I shipped a main canopy from Ireland to Germany and that alone cost 50euro for registered snail mail !! By European standards on the second hand market - it sounds good to me

You don't have to pre-register for the Go-V boogie. When you arrive if you have never jumped there before, you need to register in the office - they check out your gear/reserve card/logbook and insurance. Then just say you want to register for the Go-V boogie aswell, and they will stick an arm band on you so you can get on the Beech!!! Last Autunm the cost to register for the boogie was 35euro, so can't see it being much more than that, but it's well worth it... There is a big mix of levels at the boogies - I had about 150 jumps when I went to my first one, and this will now be my fourth..all in Empuria - can't get enough. You will always find someone to jump with/learn from, and every load is from 15k, so lots of learning time!! Bring it on

Hey, when do you get into Dublin? I will be heading down to the DZ (Irish Parachute Club) on Saturday morning and I can get you there no problem...or pick you up if you get a bus to Edenderry. Give me an email on [email protected] before Friday and we can arrange something.... Martina.

Definitley make sure you don't buy one and want to downsize in 50 jumps time.. I bought my gear on jump 26, and didn't start jumping it until about jump 50. I was aiming to jump a 170, and got this one for a great price, so I just stayed on student gear for a while until I was ready for it. Get some feedback from Instructors on your DZ on your canopy skills, and I'm sure they can help you out on deciding what size/make of canopy would be good for you... And good luck - it's the best investment you'll ever make...

Well I live here in wet cold little old Ireland, where each jump is a blessing because at times they are few and far between... I did AFF (also in Spain) in Jan '05, and then returned to spain twice more, and then a 2 week trip to Z-hills FL.....the house I had just bought sat bare with no heating because I was soo hoooked, and then it killed me to have to pay for carpet furnishings, I too counted the jumps I could have had for that amount of money... So no I'm getting my C liscence, and figuring that selling the house means a brand new rig for me So welcome to this cool world that sets everything in perspective...

If you're a guy braiding it is a serious hassle - I do it for one of the guys at my DZ and it works for him. I have had the misfortune of getting my hair entangled in my risers when I started jumping, and quickly learned to get it out of the way. I didn't get scalped, but it did hurt quite a bit. I've started freeflying now, and the best I've found is putting your hair in a pony tail, and then fold it in half and tuck it under your goggle strap. Put the helmet on over it all and nothing moves until you take the helmet off...... But the easy option is the short hair route..!! Blue skies and soft landings, Marti.