ryan_d_sucks

Hello, I just recently scheduled my second tandem jump. I decided to do another tandem because I won't have enough time/money to complete AFF before most of the DZ's around me close for the winter. My question is this: I'll be driving up to the Chicago to visit a friend and make the tandem jump. I have heard that the air temperature generally decreases 3 degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation. (Therefore 10k altitude is 30 degrees colder) My jump is heading up to 14.5k on November 3rd. I figure it may very well be around 30-35 degrees on the ground, making it close to 0 or below up at altitude (if that rule is true). Am I just going to freeze my ass off on the way down? I'm sure part of me won't notice, atleast for a moment, but damn it seems like its going to be cold. I guess I'm going to invest in a pair of thin gloves and body armor undershirt. Does anyone have any advice/experience/expectations? Thanks, Ryan

Correct me if I'm wrong somebody, but I think I have read the stats in the US being 1 fatality per roughly eveyr 166,000 jumps... Its all about perspective. Surely skydiving is a dangerous sport, but to think that death is an imminent outcome of a skydive is just plain wrong. If its any comfort to you.. look at the people who post back to your message, lots of them will have over 1500 jumps (myself NOT included), some maybe as many as 5000... And these are some of THE most involved people in skydiving. They have lived through multiple THOUSAND jumps and are still doing just fine. Maybe she will, but odds are your wife is not going to become a skydive instructor and jump as many times as a lot of these folks have. Reading the fatalities section of this website will only cause you more anxiety... Think about if there were a "Successful skydive" category to this forum... It would have thousands of posts per day. Focusing on the fatality section and taking it out of context of how many jumps were done on that given day will only relay false notions to you about this sport.. Hell, maybe even make a jump for yourself to see what its all about. You can do it, you aren't too scared. You, and most people, can do a lot more than they think they can. Just my 2 cents.

Reconciling the inherent dangers of this sport but more so the toll that a catastrophic injury/death to myself would take on my family and friends and girlfriend, with my unyielding desire to jump. Its not so much what would happen to me if I died, but what the effect would be on those in my life. Its sometimes hard to call and schedule a jump when I take a step back and look at the very real possibilities of this sport, and the finality of one jump. However, I do weigh the consequences in my mind quite often, and I just called yesterday to schedule another jump, so I guess I'm on my way. Ryan

I'm psyched. I made my first jump this summer while on a trip out to New Mexico/Colorado, and now have saved up enough to splurge on another jump. I would just start in on AFF 1, but I figure it would be more money, and kind of a waste since I wouldn't have enough time (to get enough money) to finish it up before the season ends for winter. I've been jonesing for another jump since August, and now the deposit is down. Now I just have to wait til I make the trip to Chicago November 2nd. Just wanted to tell somebody, because I'm really excited. Ryan

BLAH FUCKING BLAH BLAH BLAH. Simplistic music meant to sell records is nothing more than marketing strategy. BLARRRRGHHH. Music is the only thing I'm picky about. BLAH!

Hey-- I did my first jump as a tandem in August. I have really really been wanting to start an AFF program, but it has recently dawned on me that I might be about to run into a problem.. I have no money. I'm a broke-ass college student. I am getting a job, but it only pays $7.25/hour and I can't work many hours a week. So, its going to take me a while to save up the initial $300 to pay for AFF level 1. However, I just realized that once the weather gets cold some (if not all) dropzones around me (in Bloomington, IN) will close. I have only been able to get in touch with a few dropzones around here, and they said that they will close for the winter. I don't see myself having enough money for AFF 1 until early november-- which by what some of the people at the dropzones said is just before they close for the winter (second week of november they close). Would it be worth it for me to save up the initial 300, do AFF 1, and then take a break until spring comes and the DZ re-opens? Is it probable that I would I forget what I learned over the break and be out-of-practice? Or, does anyone know of DZ's that stay open year-round in the mid-west? Thanks, Ryan

Fuck yes. Season 3 tonight. I am fucking excited. Is anyone else around here down with LOST?

Right on dude... Have fun, and enjoy it. For me before my first jump the absolute most stressful part was the drive there. Once I got there and met the instructor who would jump with me that day and he ran through the instructions and told me what to expect, I was way more relaxed. Don't psych yourself out. You can do this. And most importantly HAVE FUN! Ryan

You're right... There certainly is no actual skydiving outside of dropzone.com.... You make a name for yourself on the internet. Right?

I've actually discussed this with friends and decided that I would bring The Rock's career back on track with a CNN-story news ticker inspiring People's Elbow to the earth. BAM BITCH! Ryan

So.. I understand that the term 'whuffo' generally refers to someone outside of the skydive ring. The term, as far as I have read, originates from people who do not understand skydiving, or the mentality that surrounds it. As far as I have been lead to understand 'whuffo' comes from a shortened phrase of the idea "What for (whuffo) you jump out of them planes?!" However often times experienced, and I might say cocky/arrogant/etc skydivers refer to the one-time joyriders who take a tandem dive as whuffo's. I can understand calling them newbies, freshmen, or whatever else.. But once you actually do jump out of that 'perfectly good airplane' doesn't one shed the tag of 'whuffo'? I'm not meaning to imply that I dont feel a sense of regret that the jumper isn't going to pursue the sport and is essentially not paying the respect that it deserves and sees it as a somewhat novelty fun-ride. I just think that 'whuffo' needs to be tamed and cut-back in its applicability. Share your thoughts. Ryan

I've been watching a lot of skydiving videos recently, and I have to say.. People make THE most contorted, bewildered, and just funny facial expressions. I guess its just because skydiving is just such an intense feeling.. Here's one of myself from my first tandem just after the canopy deployed/inflated. Post some more if you have any good ones. Ryan

Right on man... ENJOY IT. I actually might be there that weekend to make my 2nd tandem jump. My buddy goes to University of TN, and I might come down for the opening home football game, and another jump. We both made our first in August on vacation in Colorado. I figure I owe it to my home-state to risk my life there. I also hear great things about Skydive the Smokies. But once again... ENJOY it. Ryan

How fearless would some of you veteran skydivers say you are as to the possiblities/certanties of this dangerous sport? Sometimes I think its more acceptance than disregard. For example.. I accept that I COULD die. I don't disregard it. I certainly still have the fear inside myself, but I seem to in some capacity "deal" with it, or push it aside. I just wonder how some more experienced divers feel about the possibilities of death or severe injury and how they rationalize it with themselves. Does it still exist inside you, or is it so worn down by the sheer number of jumps to the point where it's just an obscure reference or idea of what could almost maybe happen to you? Ryan

Hahaha, Man I believe that... If the extent of my injuries from skydiving are only slight bruises, I'm in for the long run. Thanks everyone for the answers you've posted so far. I hope I have a skydiving career ahead of myself.

Hello, I just recently did my first skydive, a tandem, and it was awesome. It was definately the best thing I have ever done. I'm contemplating entering an AFF course to get licensed to jump on my own. However, I have some questions.. During the jump, I had a blast. Even though I was having so much fun, I did notice that the harness -- more specifically the leg straps were incredibley uncomfortable. It really didn't bother me too much until the canopy ride down.. At some times my legs felt completley asleep. I assume this was because the leg straps were so tight that my femoral artery was being pinched. It wasn't unbearable, but it was uncomfortable. My legs were so close to dead by the time we were ready to land, I was doubting my ability to pull my legs up for the landing. Also, when I got home and showered, I noticed yellowish discoloration (slight bruising) on my inner thighs where the straps were. Is this normal? I mean, I'm not complaining, straps too tight is certainly better than straps too loose, but is this how it is supposed to feel? If I were to enter an AFF course, I would not be confident I could land well on my own with my legs as dead as they were during the tandem. Even with the slight discomfort, I still had an awesome time. But I was interested in hearing some experienced insight about harness tightness. Thanks, Ryan

[reply Safe? No skydive is safe. Some are riskier than others. Seems quite appropriate to me to charge more for a riskier jump. Riskier in what sense, do you think? Riskier for the instructor to land, or riskier for equipment to hold up? I'm just curious. (Not necessarily pertaining to the situation, because I'm going to pay the extra money...) I don't really think that I would be more of a burden on the instructor, given my physical status. But at the same time, I don't know as much about skydiving as a lot of you... I attached a picture.. I don't know if that helps at all. (I was drunk)

I agree with that.. It seems like it should be a cut and dry issue. Am I safe enough to (sensibly) go up? Yes? OK Then let's do it. So would most of you agree it is just extra money for the instructor taking a risk on his part? Is it a bigger risk in terms of equipment malfunction to take up a 200 pound person, or is it purely a risk in student malfunction?

So, I posted here earlier about tandem weight limits and got some pretty good responces, and thought maybe someone could definitively answer this question... I found out that 211 pounds (my weight) is a 'safe' weight to do a tandem skydive given that I am in good physical shape. My question then is why do some dropzones charge 1 or 2 dollars per pound over 200? I don't understand-- is it to discourage people who are in bad shape from jumping? Does the extra money go into somehow reinforcing the harness? Or is it just extra money for the dropzone because they're going out of their way to deal with your heavy ass? I mean fuck it, I'm going to pay it. I just wondered what the reason was.

Hey everyone.. I am taking a trip out to New Mexico (specifically Santa Fe) with some friends and am hoping to skydive while we're out there. However, I've been looking all over the internet for Dropzones to do it and found only 2 in the entire state. One of them is about 1 and 1/2 hours away, and the other is 3 hours away. The 1 1/2 one is do-able, but their price is pretty high ($200+ for tandem) and they have a 200 pound weight limit for tandem jumps, which I exceed by about 10 pounds. Is there any other comprehensive list of US dropzones sorted by states? I've searched google, yellow pages, and various skydiving websites but I can't seem to get anymore information. The 2 I have found are Sky Dive New Mexico, and El Paso Skydive (the far away one). If anyone has any info, or could help me out I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Ryan

I was rushed when I wrote my original post, I apologize... I am 19 years old and weigh 211 empty, 214 with food. I am in good physical shape, muscular phyisque and box anywhere from 5-7 days a week. My main concern was that the equipment would not be able/not be designed to facilitate a person of my build/weight. Seriously, I am just barely getting my nerve up enough to do it. I just want to know that the gear actually will work for a person of my size, and not that the company I will go with will sacrifice my safety for their money. I appreciate ANY information. Thanks, Ryan

Hey... I'm really new all of this, but I've been reading around a good bit. I have searched the forums and found one question similar to this, but it was over 4 years old and I thought perhaps the sport may have changed in that time... My question is this: I weigh about 214 pounds, is this an acceptable weight to do a tandem jump? I'm going to NM soon and thought it would be a good place to do a first tandem jump. Thanks a lot, Ryan