There’s never a shortage of things to learn or improve upon when it comes to skydiving…we’re never really done growing our awareness or skills. This can happen naturally if we’re jumping every weekend, when the feeling of putting on rigs, our helmets, and altimeters, and responding to a 10-minute call, have all become quite familiar to us.
The purpose of this series of articles is to help us maintain the “skydiver mind,” during our inevitable yearly down time. Let’s explore some obvious, and not-so-obvious things we can do during this time to keep things fresh, so we can come back on Safety Day with a little more confidence!
PULL!
Once a week, pull your rig out, do a gear check, and then put it on – wear your jumpsuit if you want, no one else has to know! Adjust your rig exactly as you would if you were on a call. Do a handle check, and do anything else you might normally do before an actual exit.
Go into the arch position, either standing or on your belly, and visualize that you’re in freefall. In other words, for a few seconds, pretend you’re actually skydiving. Then wave off as you normally would, and pull – throw your pilot chute hard, across the room. (Be sure you have the space to do this without breaking stuff around your house!) Return to the freefall position, as you would normally.
This activity may seem silly, but if you do it once a week, it will help keep things fresh, in both your body and mind. You might have a friend record it on video so you can see for yourself how you move when you pull.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
As long as you’ve got your rig out, you can take the opportunity to go over emergency procedures, as well. Rehearse this as you normally would on any given jump day. Don’t just think about the words of the sequence, say them out loud as you perform the action:
Arch!
Look right, pull right.
Look left, pull left.
Arch!
When it’s time for your next reserve repack, ask your rigger to film you pulling your handles for real – you’ll know how it actually feels to pull your handles, and you’ll have footage of how your reserve begins its deployment sequence. (Keeping your handles or throwing them away is also something you can consider and practice during this activity!)
Not So Obvious:
Many of us will buy new jumpsuits, helmets, or some other piece of new equipment over the winter months. If you do buy new equipment of any kind, take the time to fully inspect it, and try it on with your rig fully adjusted. Don’t wait until the first jumping day of the season to find out your new jumpsuit has a seam that’s ready to fail!
Clothing: For jumpsuits, pants, or jackets you already own, now is a great time make sure they’re still in airworthy condition…and that they still fit! If you have something that you’re not sure about, consult your friendly neighborhood rigger; he or she can likely repair or even alter a jumpsuit or pair of pants.
Altimeters and Audibles: If you use a digital or electronic altimeter, make sure you have at least two replacement batteries for it, along with the tool you’ll need to open the battery compartment, and do this for your audible, as well. Make sure your electronic gear is in working order now, so you won’t have to scramble the first day of the season!
Helmets: If you’ve purchased a new helmet, be sure to try it on while wearing your rig. In addition to making sure it fits correctly, verify that you can still see your handles when you look down, and take note of how it may affect your peripheral vision in any direction. Practice opening and closing the visor if needed. If you wear sunglasses or goggles, check that they’re going to fit like you’d hoped.
As with any gear purchase, you can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by talking with a rigger or your DZO. They can point you in the direction best suited to your experience level, budget, and preferences.
The Jumper:
Your body is another piece of equipment you’ll need to look after over the winter months – eating right, drinking plenty of water, and getting some form of regular exercise are known treatments for staving off the “winter blues.” Also, a little bit of sunlight can boost your vitamin D and your mood!
It’s been said that success is largely a function of preparation, and that absolutely applies to skydiving. Let’s keep ourselves as fresh as we can during this time of year, so we can start the new season with confidence!