Friday Freakout: Swoop Gone Wrong. Stupid Hurts.
Same turn, same place, same height. Or so he thought. A great comparison of a swoop gone wrong and a swoop gone right. Stupid hurts, but those same mistakes can keep us alive if they teach us something. Live and learn everyone! Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: CRW. Clouds. Cutaway.
Doing CRW (canopy relative work) in clouds probably wasn’t the wisest decision these two skydivers ever made. It’s a bit like doing a low hook turn blindfolded. In fact, thinking about it, that may even be safer. Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Double Trouble Parachute Malfunct...
Don’t know about you, but I’m seeing double watching this video. Double trouble. And not the good kind, like a pair of hot twins in freefly suits riding motorbikes. The bad kind, like when you chop your main and your reserve’s more twisted up than a pretzel. HOL-Eeeee shit! But at least he didn’t land... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skyhook Cutaway Saves Skydiver
Having a collision in freefall after a cutaway is a really bad problem to have. Luckily for Brett Newman his Skyhook worked as advertised and saved his ass from a nasty collision after a cutaway… by only a few feet. Timing is everything, and the Skyhook delivered as promised. In case you didn’t realize just... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Pilot Chute in Tow + Cypres Save
The Wingsuit Drummer has his first parachute malfunction, and a good one at that — a pilot chute in tow — which resulted in a delayed reaction, a Cypres save, and an open reserve by 500 feet! Next time, maybe don’t wait so long to fire your reserve. Just my two cents. Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Hits Truck, Loses Arm (G...
In the words of Tommy Ferguson, “Awww, crap! That sucks.” I’m not sure WTF this truck/trailer was doing parked on the landing area, but target fixation got the best of Tommy on a downwind landing and he managed to hit the one object in an open desert that could — and did — mess him... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Dislocates Arm, Can't Pu...
At some point I’m sure we’ve all had to twist someone’s arm – figuratively speaking – to get on a load. But this poor skydiver literally has his arm twisted out of the socket in freefall which apparently makes dumping your main extremely difficult, if not impossible. Opening and landing a parachute with a dislocated... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Scary Double Malfunction. Make It...
Ground rush can be fun occasionally – except when it doesn’t actually stop. This German skydiver narrowly misses an early appointment with death when his lines snag on his container and the freebag gets entangled with the main. With a heroic effort to climb the lines, he manages to get the reserve out, lands hard,... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Tandem Skydive Goes Wrong
Talk about bad timing. Deploying your drogue while head down doesn’t seem like a good idea. Something bad might happen, like the drogue wrapping around your foot. At least this TI can sleep soundly at night knowing he didn’t fuck up as badly as this other tandem instructor. I’m sure some of you have an... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Misses Deadly Collision ...
Holy shit! That was close. Lesson learned: ALWAYS LOOK, even if you separate from the tracking group early and think there are no other skydivers around you (the guy in the gray parachute was in the same group). Just a few more feet to the left and these guys could’ve been another skydiving statistic. Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Wingsuit Flat Spin + Double Malfu...
A little ground rush is fun from time to time, unless you just had a flat spin in your wingsuit followed by a cutaway and reserve pilot chute in tow. A double malfunction can really mess up your day. If you were in this situation, would you have given up on the line twists that... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Crunch! 60 MPH Parachute Collisio...
At 60 MPH (about 100 km/h), the crunching sound of this gnarly parachute collision is like watching a car crash… minus the airbags and bumpers. I’m sure both of these skydivers wish they’d tracked just a little bit further apart for more separation. Remember to keep your head up, eyes open, and cover yourself with... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Scary Bridle Wrap Chokes Skydivin...
Ever wonder why you’re taught to throw — not hold on to — your pilot chute? Yup. This is why. Listen to your instructors. They know stuff. Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Low Pull. Two-Out. Roof Landing. ...
What do you get when a skydiver with only 115 jumps decides to use a camera and impress a girl? A video with too many mistakes to mention. After everything that goes wrong, at least he remembers to collapse his slider, right?! He’s lucky all this cost was a reserve pack job and a new... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Surprise!... Canopy Collision
Losing your helmet in freefall is never fun (watch closely at the 0:03 mark). Neither is a canopy collision/wrap immediately after dumping your main. This video is from the good ‘ol days — 1989 — back when, apparently, tracking away at break-off was only a suggestion. Oh well, nice video. Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Almost Hits Plane
Skydivers and planes go together like parachutes and gravity… except when planes fly along jump run when it’s time to pull. It’s a good thing parachutes and gravity still work well together, because that’s the only thing stopping this guy from hitting the plane in freefall. Have you ever had a close call like this... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: GoPro Camera Catches On Reserve H...
Don’t get me wrong, I love GoPro! But GoPro cameras and metal handles don’t play nice with each other — especially when freeflying. Yet another reminder to watch those GoPros and protect your handles. On the bright side, at least she didn’t lose her reserve handle. What’s your take on GoPros and/or metal handles? Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Survives Double Malfunct...
Mike Holmes survived a nasty double malfunction at Taupo Tandem Skydiving in New Zealand, making a nauseating thud as he hit the ground at 70+ MPH. His intense footage aired on the Today Show shortly after his accident in December 2006. I’m not sure that luckily landing in a plump patch of blackberry bushes helped... Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: Skydiver Crashes Into Paraglider
This is crazysauce! A skydiver crashes into a paraglider while tracking over a beach in Oludeniz, Turkey. I’m not sure I agree with blaming the skydiver or the paraglider; I think the mistake here was sharing airspace in the first place, but some of you might feel differently. What do you think? Watch Video »
Friday Freakout: AFF Student Loses Both Instructor...
Poor Robi Lanana never did a tandem skydive, but Andre Stepsky got video of Robi’s first AFF jump (level 1) at Skydive DeLand, which didn’t exactly go according to plan. Both instructors lose their grip on exit, but luckily he remembered to arch like his life depended on it and the instructors eventually caught his... Watch Video »