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Any type of strap that a twist or misrouting can cause failure to release is a deathstrap. Over the years I have been able to mess up some pretty good looking systems rather easily, and if you think you can get a hook knife out and cut one of those as you are spiralling down, you might be having your last surprise. If it offers no mechanical advantage but merely and extended hand hold, then that would be okay. However, you have made it so one of your hands is occupied and the leg muscles are bigger and can handle more tension. (and the tension is directed down the long axis of the body, not away from the shoulder joint, possibly damaging the joint) The double leg wrap works great and we have used it for tri-by-sides even. I will see if my teammates can get some dirt dive photos this weekend, and I can figure out how to post them.... top Jump more, post less!

I did a bunch with Expresses which also have a pronounced angle of attack, never found the need for artificial aids for the grip. Any grip that requires a ton of arm strength needs to be reworked. Avoid the "death straps" as well. top Jump more, post less!

I don't see how you can have more force from a dragplane than you get with opening. There might be more force in a dragplane than in a downplane, but not a huge amount. What kind of grip are you using that is putting that amount of tension on your shoulders? top Jump more, post less!

Dates for the WCCC 2012 are out! July 20-22, 2012 Lodi, CA Two-way, Rotes, Sequential. Swimming and BBQ at the Goat House. Lately we have been doing "something special" to entice teams to show up, we hope to have something cool this year also, so stay tuned. top Jump more, post less!

You could come back for the West Coast CRW Challenge in July! Then you don't have to wait.... top Jump more, post less!

And we managed to wrangle all the goats! top Jump more, post less!

I think USPA is working toward that, but wants to see how it works for the B license first. top Jump more, post less!

First, I am not a real doctor, just a dentist. But that means I advise people on health issues in a generic sense quite a bit. Second, get a second opinion. There are so many factors that could lead to another treatment that you should consider a second opinion. Consider a sports medicine doctor as well; most gp's or surgeons see the training for airborne school on the Military Channel and consider that AFF level 1. Third, I would consider your age as a huge factor. If you are older and a slower lifestyle is not that far away, then leaving it may not be a problem. The younger you are the more likely you are to injure yourself in a way that could be life-threatening. Fourth, skydiving is a contact sport, but it is not a collision sport like football or rugby. Yes, you will run into things and thump yourself on occasion, but you can also do that trying to paint your house of chase women. Only you can determine what level of inactivity/risk you are willing to take on and what level of surgical risk also. Hope this helps. top Jump more, post less!

Wrong. There are some techniques and tools that would allow you to use front risers. We jump x-braces at 2.2 and do Canopy Formation with them, twenty five jumps in three days at the Nationals last year. And we are "in shape" only because round is a shape. This is a prime example of why we need more education out there... top Jump more, post less!

In that case should the wavability of front riser dives and turns on the A-License proficiency card be removed? I probably would not think so. It's early in your career and most likely you are jumping student/rental gear that tends to be a little bigger and less responsive. But as you get into your own rig, the expectations of your knowledge base and abilites should increase dramatically. top Jump more, post less!

I imagine this would probably work given your weight vs. size limits. A 170 can definitely cover a wide range of smaller people for a long time. However, I could see instances of smaller people (sub 130lb range) being stuck on a lightly loaded canopy their entire skydiving career only because they lack the upper body strength for front riser inputs. That might not necessarily be a bad thing, but it seems a little draconian to me. Well I'd hope they wouldn't be trying to flair with front risers which take considerably more upper body strength when compared to rear risers. That simply isn't true. Look at the A profiency card again. http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Form_ALicenseProfandApp.pdf 7. Above 1,000 feet, perform front riser dives and turns (may be waived if insufficient strength). It does come up fairly often. My girlfriend along with several other female jumpers I know had to get this waived because they didn't posses the upper body strength to perform front riser dives. Then they need to go to a canopy course and learn how to do front riser turns. There are techniques and tools that allow you to do them without using all sorts of strength. Also, realize that this is a physical sport and having some strength may save your life. You don't have to want to swoop to understand what front riser input can do for you, it is a technique that can help in the landing area. Bryan Burke has a great Safety Day presentation about canopy accidents, and two of the major points are that most skydivers only know how to reliably use their toggles, and the more you use your toggles, the more you suck. Kinda along the lines of "if the only tool you have is a hammer, all the world is a nail." Skydiving is a harsh mistress. We spent 20 or so years focusing on making freefall safer. AFF, tandems, AADS, full-face helmets, windtunnels, etc. and the effects are showing in the statistics. But the canopies have gotten much more dangerous over the same time span and we are seeing the effects of that. We now must focus everyone on how much safer we can make the canopy portion of the skydive. top Jump more, post less!

I don't think a card will work in the long run. You could have someone who has several thousands of jumps over ten years and still only be in the Novice Category because they don't want to do the sign offs. Eventually, they could just downsize because "everyone knows they are good enough and they've been around so long." At some point, there is going to have to be a database for lost cards. (Yes, I have my original D-license, but it looks like crap). An Expert card will have to be carried around for as long as you want to jump your HP canopies or it has to appear on your membership card. People lose stuff over time. Does this count for tandems? Because they are student jumps.... I think we are looking to have to make a rating for Advanced Canopy Coach. Someone who can teach/evaluate/critique experienced jumpers who want to progress in their evolution of canopy training. I would hesitate to emphasize the swoop aspect of it and go more for the improvement of skills from opening, avoidance, control, pattern flying, predictablity of flight, entering the landing pattern, and landing. I am more on board since a BSR really doesn't do much unless we educate jumpers. Then ultimately, the BSR becomes moot. good discussion.... top Jump more, post less!

Not to say I am opposed to this, but there are still some holes that I see. Who signs off for each category? Who can waive if necessary? How does this appear on your license and how do we change it as someone progresses up? Renewal of the license won't keep up with the progression of some pilots. Is there a fee for moving up each category (like with licenses)? If this is a BSR, is being overweight by a pound create a situation where someone is facing being kicked out of the organization? Are you going to grandfather people in? (This could cause a rush of people downsizing before they are ready so they can get in before the BSR) How do you force someone to weigh in? Are you going to ask someone to unpack to see their main placard before they jump? There are no currency requirements, aren't those important too? The devil is always in the details.... top Jump more, post less!

Aww man..... I did enjoy the pics. I was just glad they weren't pictures of a bad wrap and triple cutaway or something. Those seem to be the most popular for people to show. top Jump more, post less!

The GK's did compete in CRW in the early to mid 90's. They just couldn't win all the time so they stopped competing. top Jump more, post less!

It's hard to believe another year has gone by without you. Drank red wine for your birthday today, toasted to your memory. BSBD. top Jump more, post less!

First off, I am not a real doctor, just a dentist. Get a general physical first and tell your physician you have been a "liitle rundown lately." He/she can check for all sorts of hidden physical problems that may be manifesting as depression. It may be as simple as a change in diet/excersize to make things better. Or some low-grade longterm infection that needs treatment. Eliminate the physical first. Also, in general, a physical is not a bad idea. top Jump more, post less!

Beer! top Jump more, post less!

I thought it was tastefully done! top Jump more, post less!

Don't need all that stuff! Just some microline tied around the tooth to a beener on my rig and let the patient fall away when I deploy! Instant extraction! top Jump more, post less!

Edited it for you! Edited it for you! There. Edited it for all y'all. Top, is the poor guy gonna bleed all over his rig or not? As long as he doesn't bleed on MY gear, I don't care! All bleeding eventually stops. top Jump more, post less!

Edited it for you! top Jump more, post less!

I was hoping he wanted a root canal while in free fall! Take that XRW, dudes! top Jump more, post less!

I am, but since i don't have an x-ray, or a clinical exam, all you are going to get is generic advice. And lots of ribbing from the forum... PM me, though and lets hear what we got! top Jump more, post less!

8K or 9K, depending on the jumprun for CF.