Maps and Camera Snaps: Skydive Hibaldstow!!

I've wanted to skydive for some time- I'd say about two years now, ever since my aunt put the idea of parasailing in British Columbia into my head. Ever since I realized normal people can do these "extreme sports", I've always looked for more adventurous activities to do in new cities.

Before I came to Europe, I searched the best places to go Skydiving. Among the list were Spain, Switzerland, and Italy and I had decided Interlaken, Switzerland would be the place to spend the money on it. But when I arrived at university, I noticed that they had a University of York Skydiving Club and I was immediately interested. I went to a presentation done by the president, Krystian, and a few of the staff members from the dropzone that UofYork uses. The price seemed decent, the people seemed awesome, and I made a snap decision to put a deposit down and sign up for "groundschool."

I decided to do the RAPS (rapid air progression system) route for skydiving because I thought it was the best way to get enough for my money. In the RAPS system, you get a full day of training, another short morning of training to refresh and then you jump from the airplane, 4,000 ft up... BY YOURSELF! Most people who skydive do a "tandem" jump which is when you get about 20 minutes of training, get strapped to an experienced instructor who has over 2000 jumps under his/her belt, and you jump together from 12-15,000 feet up in the air. The instructor deploys the parachute and does all of the steering and landing and you're just along for the ride. The RAPS route is 200 pounds for train, accomodation for two nights, all the training, kit, and TWO jumps! The Tandem is 220 pounds for just that one jump.

With RAPS, your parachute is hooked up to a "static line" and this line is hooked up to a strong point in the airplane. About 3 seconds after leaping from the airplane, you're a the end of your line and your parachute deploys. It is then your responsibility to make sure your parachute did indeed deploy, that it is full and undamaged, and that none of your lines are twisted or tangled. It is imperative that you exit the plane in correct way or you can become tangled in your parachute lines which can be fatal. You then have to steer yourself around, keeping track of what altitude you're at, which way the wind is blowing, and perform the correct landing pattern. An instructor is talking to you on a radio that's on your helmet for parts of the way down but if the radio cuts out, you're responsible for landing properly and not dying!

With RAPS, the goal is to keep doing jumps (which cost 30 pounds each after your first "free" two) and progress your skills until you can be a full licensed skydiver. Eventually you'd be able to free fall from 15,000ft on your own! If you do every jump perfect (which is nearly impossible), you can get your license in 18 jumps but most people do it in about 27. My jump first jump was far from perfect so there goes my goal of only doing 18 jumps (haha)!

WOW that's a lot of explaining. In end, I did my jump, had a tiny parachute issue that I was able to resolve myself, in the air, made a slight landing error, landed gracefully in some mud, and am still alive! It was hands-down the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced in my life but also probably one of the things I am most proud of. Not a lot of people have the guts to jump out of an airplane and I am proud to say I have. In fact, I'll be returning to Skydive Hibaldstow this weekend to do my second jump! I need to get over the intense fear I have of jumping and I also want to have all my training fresh in my mind for the next time I jump!

Skydiving solo is a very scary experience and it's definitely not for everyone. But if you're a thrill-seeker and a fearless person, I definitely recommend it! The view is unbeatable, the whole training process is quite fun, and the people you'll meet are unforgettable.

Here's a couple of shots from the jump day: