sky surfing

[flygirl60 0]

Does anyone here know much about sky surfing or were there is a good place in or around Georgia to learn it.
It is one of the main reasons I wanted to take up skydiving. I saw some sky surfing pics of Viviane Wegrath and I decided that that is what I want to do. I know I have a long way to go....but I am determined to get there.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Waiting for DivaSkyChick to step in here as she's been known to do a little skysurfing.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[skybytch 273]

I don't jump a board.

From what I've heard the best way to go about it is to first learn to fly - stable - in at least a sit and a stand (head down would be helpful to). Once you've got that down, take your gear and a credit card to one of the dz's offering skysurf instruction (Perris is one dz that has a skysurf school; there are others just as good) and learn the basics from a pro.

Good luck! Viviane is a wonderful person, btw... hope you can meet her someday and let her know how she inspired you.

[flygirl60 0]

Thanks!

[kevin922 0]

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Thanks!

Also do your research on the risks of it.. skydiving itself has inherent risks but skysurfing is really pushing it on things. I don't do it so I can't tell you first hand, but I have interviewed people who were "greats" in the sport who have since quit skysurfing.

Try birdman it rawks :)

Kevin

[hobbes4star 0]

also learn to front flip into a stable sit position. this will be very very useful for your second skysurf when you get to get ontop of the board.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[julesUK 0]

I started skysurfing last year. In the UK there are very few experienced surfers but I was lucky that the UK champion, Dave Sturgeon, jumps at my local dropzone and was willing to provide free ground training.

It really is improtant that you get a lot of instruction from someone who is very experienced - not just someone who has done it a few times. Skysurfing is also something you need to spend some time trying to begin at - I would recommend spending a week or two at one of the professional surf schools. Keith Snyder at Eloy, AZ is excellent - very approachable and full of useful advice for beginners. http://www.surfflite.com/school.html

You do need to be a proficient head-up flier plus some headdown experience is useful so that you can cope with what the world looks like when you are upside down hanging from the board.

Here is a list from a long document that Tamara Koyn wrote of what you should be able to do before starting:

I. Recommended Experience:

--Hold stable stand-up from 9,500ft to 3,500ft with ease and have good control of stand-up freestyle. This may take up to 50 stand-up freestyle jumps.
--Be able to start and stop 360 degree flat spins in the back to wind orientation.
--Be able to perform the following sequences:
1) 360 degree Pirouette to the right and one 360 degree Pirouette to the left while standing up
2) Stand-up, Single Layout BL to the Stand-up;
3) Stand-up, Single Layout FL to Stand-up
--Be able to recover any instability into the standup position
--Optional but recommended sequences for learning advanced sky surfing:
1) Stand-up, Single Layout Cartwheel to Stand-up
2) Stand-up, Single Layout Half Twist BL to Stand-up
3) Stand-up, Single Layout Half Twist FL to Stand-up
4) Stand-up, Single Layout Full Twist BL to Stand-up
5) Stand-up, Single Layout Full Twist FL to Stand-up
6) Stand-up, Single Layout Half Twist Cartwheel to Stand-up
7) Stand-up, Single Layout Full Twist Cartwheel to Stand-up
--Experience with freestyle movements with accelerating rotational effect: (With a sky board, one may experience unexpected rapidly accelerating rotational effects depending on how the board catches the windflow.)
1) Front Reversal into Tucked Backloops
2) Flip Throughs into Side Tucked Backloops
3) Pinwheel into Side Double Stag Backloops
4) Pinwheel into Top Spinner
--FreeFlying is a good way to add entertainment, skill, and challenge to stand-up flying. Also, a skydiver who can mount the belly of another in free flying becomes familiar with the feeling associated with standing on a sky board.


Some of the above is overkill but if none of it means anything to you then there's not a lot of point starting on the board - even if you get on top of it you won't know what else to do. Learning to do most of the above will provide you with plenty of fun.

Just one final word - be prepared to get very frustrated (often) and very scared (sometimes). When it goes wrong it goes very wrong very fast. I am just coming to end of a long break from the board after scaring myself "£$%less last year when I tried to move from the baby board to the intermediate one.

Have fun, Jules

[Unutsch 0]

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I saw some sky surfing pics of Viviane Wegrath

she's superb... i mean, i saw her for the first time (on the TV of course) on the 98 Boards over Europe SkySurfing Competition as she bounced a little on the landing. But since then, she became one hell of a SkySurfer... how the f*** is she able to fly the board and her body on the side in a controled way right of the exit????

Check out the site of the Fallen Angels FreeflY Organisation:
http://www.padliangeli.org

[bodypilot90 0]

check out titusville, they are a bit closer.

[hobbes4star 0]

keith snyder is a great teacher. that is whom taught me.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[flygirl60 0]

Thanks julesUK lots of cool info there sounds llike it will be a blast just learning the stuff I need to know before I even get started with a board!

Life is what you make of it......so DO SOMETHING!

[DivaSkyChick 0]

Wahoooo, welcome to the joy of strapping one on!

As everyone here has said, it's all about getting training. Keith Snyder at Skydive Arizona was my coach and he ROCKED. Very patient and explains stuff really well.

Your profile lists you as a student. Most people won't train you on the board until you have a few hundred jumps and can fly a controlled stand, among other things. So for now, I suggest you just jump your ass off, pay attention to the smarties at your DZ and here on the DZ.com and get some time under your belt.

And check out http://www.skysurfer.com (that better be clicky!) which looks to me like the only new website devoted to skysurfing there is.

Another site with loads of info is http://www.koyn.com/CloudDancer

Hope that helps. PM me if you just wanna talk surfy girly stuff!

Mandy

---
www.facebook.com/mandyhamptonfitch

[flygirl60 0]

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Your profile lists you as a student. Most people won't train you on the board until you have a few hundred jumps and can fly a controlled stand, among other things. So for now, I suggest you just jump your ass off, pay attention to the smarties at your DZ and here on the DZ.com and get some time under your belt.]

yes, will only begin classes in three weeks (waiting till I can pay it all up front and get in as many jump as soon as I can) I know thinking of skysurfing at this point is jumping the gun quite a bit but I tend to set my goals high then try to catch up lol.
I would love having a skydiving chick to talk to every once in a while, especially a skysurfer chick. All my friends and family are about sure I have lost my mind. which of course may be true but what the hell I have never done anything in my life that even comes close to comparing to skydiving.
I also have to say thanks to all you old hands out there who take the time to answer the post of us newbies. I have found that I can come here and ask almost anything about skydiving and get good solid answers. Thats valuable to those of us new to the sport...Kudos

[QuickDraw 0]

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Viviane is a wonderful person, btw... hope you can meet her someday and let her know how she inspired you.

I saw her in Spain over christmas.....and she inspired me too.

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning