Skydiving and Lifestyles

[hurloon 0]

Hello, I am a 21 year old male (22 in a couple months.. ugh), and there have been thoughts running through my head for a while that I'd like some input on..

I've wanted to try skydiving ever since I was 10 years old, haven't yet due to developing poor eating habits and not exercising enough in my formative years (I am actively working on changing these things though, the diet I have a decent grip on now just exercise..). Got caught up in a bunch of family drama/self image BS that I never should have given a second of my ears to but that's in the past..

Anyway, I remember jumping on trampolines and falling back to earth or leaping up into the air on a sofa arm and landing on the cushions imagining myself falling through the air.. such a liberating and joyous sensation.

With all the turmoil in the world today, a finite fossil fuel supply, etc, etc. and being 21 already without any college under my belt but a strong desire to pursue my dreams.. is it worth it to take up skydiving and BASE jumping seriously? Where there is a will there is a way and my heart tells me to try and live outside the context of others' strife and turmoil but it still gets to me I guess.

If I could have my dreams, I would be able to skydive, BASE jump, shoot photographs and make short films all over the world and enjoy the places where others forget to go in their quest for money, pride, fame, whatever.

Almost 22 and still have quite a few pounds to lose and no skydiving experience under my belt, would you all consider me foolhardy or having a mistaken sense of wanderlust? Just want some input in general. Thank you for your time and reading this.

-Hurloon

Edit: apparently there are some base jumping links in my post that i did not insert at all, why?

[wmw999 2,439]

a. nothing wrong with those dreams, as long as you arm yourself with the necessary knowledge and experience. BASE jumping is not for lowtimers. Skydiving requires a skill set, and it should be mastered. BASE jumping requires a new skill set that sits on top of some of the skydiving skills. Many BASE folks suggest at least 500 skydives before you begin BASE.

b. the turning of words into ads is to advertise the allied BASEjumper.com website. You can go there for more information. But I"d strong suggest reading before posting. This is a good place to start.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Icon134 0]

I didn't start skydiving until I was almost 30... if you want to do it there's nothing stopping you from making it happen other then perhaps you.

Its not the most expensive hobby to be involved in (I was talking to a few helicopter pilots this weekend) and I think its great that you are changing your lifestyle (I was never a big exerciser growing up... I was always more or less active but didn't start actively persuing fittness until I was about 24...)

Good luck...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[aardvarkeater 0]

Based on the different types of people I've seen at the dropzones, skydiving will accommodate a wide variety of body types. Don't let that be a deterrent. Second, don't get ahead of yourself with the whole BASE jumping thing. Start with skydiving, maybe do a tandem to begin with, and see if it's what you really want to do. Get a few hundred skydives under your belt before you start thinking about BASE. I too want to try some BASE eventually but I'm heeding the advice of others and waiting until I have more experience. All that said, there's nothing wrong with wanting to pursue the sport. I say go out, make a tandem jump, see if it really is something you will want to continue with, and take it from there. If you have the means to continue then go for it. It's a great sport filled with great people. Good luck to you.

Muff Brother #4026
Loco Zapatos Rodriguez
SCR #14793

[skymama 37]

Never underestimate the value of an education. Go to school so you can afford to be able to skydive.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[flyinchicken 0]

Pic a dream. Everyday do one small thing that takes you towards it and voila! One day you are there.

"Diligent observation leads to pure abstraction". Lari Pittman

[Remster 30]

See attached.


Edit: seriously, go do a jump 1st. Then see if you like the sport.

Remster

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Chase your dreams … and don’t let the nay’sayers get in your way. However try and keep those dreams realistic and take baby steps towards seeing them become a reality. To not do this sets yourself up for disappointment or something worse in the less than safe sport of skydiving and more than dangerous sport of BASE jumping.

There are two types of skydivers out there. The ones who have money to jump, and then there are the poor ones. Now I am envious of my full-time skydiving brothers and sisters who jump everyday while I sit in an office waiting for the next day I get to jump. But for many of these full-time jumpers, they live a life of … well I don’t want to say it but here goes … poverty. Plus many of them do not have things like health insurance and if they get hurt or sick and can not jump, they lose their ability to make money to eat and pay their expenses. It’s a personal choice that works for some and not for others.

Also, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make skydiving and BASE jumping videos. But know that the market is very small (the whuffos of this world don’t really care about our work) and there is no shortage of extremely experienced jumpers who have access to the bad ass footage people want to see that you won’t have access to for thousands and thousands of jumps from now.

Finally … do not … I repeat … do not rush into BASE jumping. Make sure you have your shit in order in knowing how to fly a large accuracy style canopy and know about gear and rigging before you get into BASE. BASE jumping is an order of magnitude more dangerous than skydiving.

Good luck … chase your dreams … but keep them real and have a back up.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Meux 0]

I made my first jump in 1975 when I was 21 years old. In the next year I followed up with 7 more jumps and arrived at a crossroads. I realized that I needed to figure out what I was going to do with my life. At that time I focused everything I had on getting a degree and chasing my other dream of being an Air Force Fighter Pilot. No more jumping, although I did follow the sport from a distance. Flew some jumpers and keep up with what was going on in the sport.

As things developed I encountered more luck than any three people you'll ever meet, I was able to fly fighters for a career in the Air Force and before I knew it I was fast approaching age 50. Then that other dream came back to haunt me, should I go back to skydiving?

For my 50th birthday I gave myself an Accelerated Free Fall course with the intention of making 10 or so jumps, fill that square and move on.

That was a couple years and 300+ plus jumps ago. My biggest regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

Generally speaking, if you have a dream in your life, DO IT.

Don't wait, there is always a reason to not do it right now. Next thing ya know you're too old, too heavy, too something and as they are lowering you into the ground you realize that you missed living your life.

I am just now starting to take my own advice based on the cold realization that HOLY SHIT, I'M ALMOST AN OLD GUY!!

Don't wait, sign up today. Go jump.

Loose the weight too. You'll feel better, look better and live longer, more jumps.

Don't worry about fossil fuel.