Downplane

“Why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” is the question skydivers are constantly asked. This is where the term “wuffo” comes from.. I’ve written before about how by confronting our fears we learn about them, but that…

Over the past year I have pushed myself to try to get to a new level with my skydiving. From the beginning, however, it seemed like the more I wanted to accomplish with a skydiving experience the poorer I performed.…

“I could never jump out of an airplane. I’m afraid of heights.” It is a phrase every skydiver has heard from a wuffo. I am also afraid of heights. So are a lot of skydivers I know. The ones that…

When skydivers are in freefall and making formations, the most critical aspect is that they match their fall rate. If not, somebody is below or above everyone else. It’s a bit like if you were at a dinner party with…

One of my favorite things about skydiving is that it doesn’t require a great amount of physical strength to do well. The sport is almost entirely mental, which is why it is a great metaphor for life. It is also…

When skydivers meet each other and are going to make a jump together, they need to quickly assess their relative experience and skill level. This can be critical information, as one of the biggest dangers in skydiving is usually the…

All of my favorite skydivers talk about the importance of being the right amount of calm on a skydive. Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld in his book, Above All Else, talks about being “on the line.” Kate Cooper-Jensen will talk about trying to…