Assuming unlimited money and no job: How much would you jump in one year?

[grue 1]

Was discussing this with a friend and he seems to think he'd knock out a 5,000 jump year – over 13 jumps a day average

I love this sport more than very nearly anything, and I'd love to do a 1,000 jump year… maybe even a 2,000 jump year if I wasn't doing tunnel time. But FIVE THOUSAND? Jesus

cavete terrae.

[NWFlyer 2]

300, maybe 400.

I did 91 in a month (July 20 - Aug 20). It's just the way that my 8-way team's training schedule, Lost Prairie, and organizing commitments worked out. Granted, that was on top of going to my day job on the days I wasn't jumping, but it made me realize that I really have no interest in that kind of pace on a constant basis.

I like my pace, I don't mind stepping it up a bit as I have in the last year or so, but not to the level of full time. I like to do other stuff, too.

"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

[grue 1]

NWFlyer

300, maybe 400.

I did 91 in a month (July 20 - Aug 20). It's just the way that my 8-way team's training schedule, Lost Prairie, and organizing commitments worked out. Granted, that was on top of going to my day job on the days I wasn't jumping, but it made me realize that I really have no interest in that kind of pace on a constant basis.

I like my pace, I don't mind stepping it up a bit as I have in the last year or so, but not to the level of full time. I like to do other stuff, too.

That sounds pretty reasonable. I think if we were talking long-term not just one year I'd consider 500/yr to be sustainable without getting burned out, but that's also probably using a packer

cavete terrae.

[NWFlyer 2]

grue

That sounds pretty reasonable. I think if we were talking long-term not just one year I'd consider 500/yr to be sustainable without getting burned out, but that's also probably using a packer

I also suspect my answer might be different if I were younger, but at 42 (and some days feeling like I'm 72), there's only so much my body can take, too.

"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

[faulknerwn 38]

I believe jay stokes did 700? On his 40th birthday. Keep up his pace and you could have the 5000 knocked out in a week and could play the rest of the year :)

[angryelf 0]

Jay did 641 (He doesn't count the off DZ landing due to a bad spot) so the record is 640 in a 24 hr period.

500-1000 jumps per year is hitting it hard. If you stop to consider most people with that kind of volume are doing non stop Tandem/Vid/AFF or Coaching jumps-they're working.

As a part time AFFI/TANI/regular dude who doesn't want to burn out-I've found that 250-400/year is a pretty good pace. If I weren't doing a real job 7 days/week and loving it-stepping that up to 400-800/year would be feasible.

5000 jumps in one year would be way too many.

Edited to add: Jay did it on his 50th birthday, BTW.


-Harry

"Sometimes you eat the bar,
and well-sometimes the bar eats you..."

[ridebmxbikes 0]

Well I did 300 in the past year as a weekend warrior on a budget and I packed for myself most of the time. If I had unlimited cash and no job it would mean id be traveling to different dropzones, have a second rig and use packers so id probably be hitting over a thousand easy!

[Squeak 17]

grue

Was discussing this with a friend and he seems to think he'd knock out a 5,000 jump year – over 13 jumps a day average

I love this sport more than very nearly anything, and I'd love to do a 1,000 jump year… maybe even a 2,000 jump year if I wasn't doing tunnel time. But FIVE THOUSAND? Jesus

well if money and time were no issue, I'd be squatting at Eloy, in the non summer months.
Like put out 5-7 jumps a day and 30 mins tunnel per day.
in the summer months I'd be in Europe. but skydiving is not all i'd do. There's also following the MotoGP around
So to put a number to your question maybe 1000-1500 per year

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[SoberJason 0]

I love this thread. Life is short. We are a tiny blip on the universal radar. We are nothing. Live life as if it's your last day. JUMP JUMP JUMP>

[riggerrob 643]

If money was no object ... I would buy three or four rigs and a packer ... er ... I would hire a packer and loan them their own RV.
Then I would do a couple of weeks training at Twin Falls, Idaho. Then a couple of weeks jumping off cliffs in Norway.
Attend a few wing-suit camps.
Attend a few boogies in Europe.
Winter in Australia and New Zealand.
Maybe a couple of months touring DZs in South America over the southern hemisphere's summer.
I have always wanted to tour South Africa.
....

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi elf,

Quote

500-1000 jumps per year is hitting it hard. If you stop to consider most people with that kind of volume are doing non stop Tandem/Vid/AFF or Coaching jumps-they're working.

Eric Fradet did 1,000 jumps a year for 25 yrs.

All paid for by the French gov't.



JerryBaumchen

[oldwomanc6 52]

If money was no object, I wouldn't be "squatting" anywhere. I'd be living comfortably, and jumping when/where the urge struck.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I think I'd be in the 600-900 range. I'd be pretty happy averaging 2-3 jumps a day (IIRC last time I checked I was averaging about 1 jump every 2.6 days.) I'd probably put in a fair bit of tunnel time too, though. I enjoy flying in the tunnel as well as in the sky and would love to be able to put in the hours necessary to start to approach the level of skill my instructors in there display.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[boyfalldown 0]

I jumped hard for my first 7 years, and started to slow down after that. I have new gear, 2 rigs and the funds to jump as much as I want when I'm not working(which isn't very often). 5 years ago I bought a 172 and the management at my airport encourages me to jump as much as I want. These days though it's about quality over quantity, with all the jumping I want at my disposal I'm hardly making 100 jumps a year.

A friend of mine who's opening a new drop zone invited me out for the weekend to jump, and my reply was only if I can fly (the jump plane). Flying has really hurt my jumping, and with unlimited time and funds I'd be looking at my own Kodiak or otter.

[wicodefly 0]

Well, I would jump a lot. Just about every nice day. Hard to put numbers on it.

In my dreams, I'd do some Felix Baumgartner type of stuff. Breaking the speed of sound without a machine would be sooooo cool.

Chance favors the prepared mind.

[nadominhoca 0]

I'm really not looking forward to do lots and lots of jumps, if most of them would be SOLOS.... I would be pretty happy if I reached 200-300 jumps/Year, but doing formations (Belly or Freflying)..

I love skydiving, but as someone mentioned before, I like to do some other stuff as well... specially travelling around the globe!! And you need time for that!!!

It's not about the numbers of jumps, but the quality and how much fun you can take from them!!

[Squeak 17]

oldwomanc6

If money was no object, I wouldn't be "squatting" anywhere. I'd be living comfortably, and jumping when/where the urge struck.

different standards, I'm quite content with the small luxuries. I don’t need extravagance. Good bed, comfy couch, warm in winter

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[davelepka 4]

Just a thought - people jump 'hard' for different reasons, but I would guess that time and money are the big ones.

People who have the money to jump hard rarely have unlimited time, so they make the most of the time they do have at the DZ.

People who jump for money also jump hard, but that's because they get paid per-jump, and more jumps = more money.

If you had unlimited time and money, what's the rush?

[DHemer 0]

riggerrob

I have always wanted to tour South Africa.
....

Do It!
we have a few very scenic drop zones but the country as a whole is so diverse and beautiful

I think I would put my self in a tunnel for a few hours a week to start with
Jumping 5 days a week, 5 loads a day works out to around 1300 in a year which i think would be enough to keep me pretty happy
Travel to boogies around the world, learn to fly a wingsuit
that sounds like a good year

[DcloudZ 0]

davelepka

Just a thought - people jump 'hard' for different reasons, but I would guess that time and money are the big ones.

People who have the money to jump hard rarely have unlimited time, so they make the most of the time they do have at the DZ.

People who jump for money also jump hard, but that's because they get paid per-jump, and more jumps = more money.

If you had unlimited time and money, what's the rush?

No job doesn't mean unlimited time

Time, not money, is the most valuable currency for humans.

I'd be knocking out ~15 Hop and pops per day for training.

"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

[mattjw916 2]

when you're wealthy, there's no such thing as winter

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[3mpire 0]

I'd do 200-300 jumps a year and with the rest of my time, I would get my private pilot license and a classic plane and spend the rest of my free time doing that.

[Remster 30]

Quote

I'd do 200-300 jumps a year and with the rest of my time

You mean the other 11 months?

I do about 350 a year here, and I'm only a weekend warrior. 1000 a year, with plenty of time to do other things, sounds about right!

Remster

[rehmwa 2]

Maybe a little more than I do now.

But I'd be doing a whole lot of OTHER stuff too.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Lineset 0]

World road trip for me ,, Small dropzones ,Meet new people, Chill at cool DZ.s Numbers not a issue.