What to do in the winter over

[Shmuly 0]

I have done 3 tandems this fall, but can't do AFF until march (DZ rules). I'm in St. Louis and I have a great gym to stay in shape at, and I'm going to be able to save hella money over the winter, but what can I do in my area (no wind tunnel) to get sharp and have fun while not jumping?

I'm the kind of guy who stops the microwave at 1 second just to feel like a bomb defuser.

[JohnnyMarko 1]

Booooooo. I remember doing IAD's in the winter at Fly Free, guess they've changed things.

Hang out at the DZ and see if anyone will show you how to pack, teach you about the gear, etc...that is, if you can get someone away from the space heater inside manifest.

[jumpsalot-2 3]

Do people still use the word "Hella" ? Take a trip to Florida, Arizona, or California for your AFF. Hella jumping going on......

Life is short ... jump often.

[monkycndo 0]

jumpsalot-2

Do people still use the word "Hella" ? ..

You can move away from Oakland, but the hella will follow you.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[riggerrob 643]

Read every issue of "Parachutist" magazine you can find.
Read every issue of "Blue Skies" magazine.
Watch every skydiving video you can find ... even the videos that end with the hero on crutches.
Take a rigging course.
... repeat ...

[NWFlyer 2]

Download, or purchase (or put the app on your phone) the USPA Skydiver's Information Manual (SIM) and start reading it. I can't promise it'll be fun, but it's important reading and you can get ahead of your student reading.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Shmuly 0]

jumpsalot-2

Do people still use the word "Hella" ? Take a trip to Florida, Arizona, or California for your AFF. Hella jumping going on......

I started saying hella in 1996 when I heard my favorite skateboarder say it on a bootleg video, and I have no intention to ever stop saying hella.

First thing I'm saying when I die and go to heaven is "Hella nice place you got here YHVH".

I'm the kind of guy who stops the microwave at 1 second just to feel like a bomb defuser.

[JohnMitchell 16]

All good stuff advised above. You don't have to be in great shape to skydive, but being fit and light makes it much easier. Yes, go for strength AND flexibility. I had a muscle-bound AFF student this summer that could just barely reach his deployment handle.

See if you can take the class early and then keep reviewing all the parts of it. Get all the stuff, exits, dive flow, emergency procedures, ingrained in your head thru months of repetition. Learn how to pack, and more importantly, how the gear works. Sit in with a rigger repacking a reserve.

The more stuff you know deeply, the better you'll do. I still amazed that students get to jump after a 4 hour class. Yes, they usually do well, but their knowledge base is very shallow and fresh.