 |
 |
| Photo courtesy Brittney Jade Betzer |
|
| On her first jump, Brittney Jade Betzer freefalls strapped to the chest of her Jump Master. |
|
I’ve already shared my coast-to-coast cycling tour experience with you. Now I will let you in on my other love affair — skydiving.
For my first jump, I chose the Skydive Ogden Center. According to their Web page it’s “the highest and fastest jump in Utah.” Go big or go home, right?
First timers must complete a tandem jump, which costs $170-200. For this, you are strapped to the chest of a jump master. They complete all of the important procedures. You just enjoy the ride.
When entering the hanger of a skydiving center you will probably see posters, T-shirts and lots of photos of past jumpers.
Most businesses offer a photo/video package with your jump. These costs anywhere from $50 for still shots to $70 for a DVD.
To jump you must be 18 years old and meet the weight limit the centers may have. When filling out the waiver and release forms, many jumpers have a bit of hesitation when reading, “I acknowledge that skydiving is inherently dangerous and participating in this event may result in serious injury or death.”
If you are going to jump out of a plane at 13,000 feet, be aware of the dangers.
My jump master checked the straps across my chest and what looked like a climbing harness around my waist. He had jumped over 900 times, which was pretty reassuring.
We loaded into a small plane with several other jumpers, some also on their first time, others old schoolers who had completed the advanced freefall program and now jump with their own equipment.
Exiting the plane is a weird feeling. On my first jump I had to kick my feet to really feel it.
I’ve jumped from a lot of places: my house, my friend’s house, and lots of big ski jumps, and in those situations you hit something really quickly. Freefalling is fabulous. It feels like your face is sticking out of a really fast car and can be compared to coasting down the Jackson Pass on a bike, only not as scary.
After 60 seconds of freefalling and seven minutes of gliding with a parachute, we landed. Thankfully it was gentle and quick.
On departing, the center gave me the negatives of my photos and were kind enough to throw in a video. I recommend shelling out the extra cash for still photos or a video of your first time.
They add music to the video and show a promo for the center. It is a great souvenir to show family and friends.
Also, when you are too broke to jump (which I often am), you can put on your snowsuit, a homemade harness and swimming goggles, then continually jump off the back of your sofa while watching your video or flipping through your photos really quickly. It’s kind of the same.
Idaho and Utah have really great jumps, because of the gorgeous mountain ranges and beautiful landscapes. Skydive Ogden allows you to jump until sunset. Doing this on a clear night, when it’s still warm, and everything goes right, is amazing.
