marcin

I've been jumping a Next for several years, after owning a Javelin (which I hated) and a Vector. This is the safest rig AFAIK for freeflying in terms of everything staying shut. You can actually lift the rig by the bottom flap without undoing it, due to unique closing method. Riser covers are impossible to get undone in freefall (except when it comes to actual deployment, of course ). Design of yoke prevents the harness from slipping off your shoulders (OK, a bit of gym and wide shoulders helps too ). Only issue I had, was poor quality webbing on the harness, i.e fraying on the leg straps and the thread coming loose on some parts of the container. Also, on a couple of ocasions I felt uneven in the harness during deployment and thought this could be due to one riser cover staing shut in the initial phase of deployment, but I never got to the bottom of it (potential disadvantage of bomb-proof closing method) I wonder if we know eachother?

Do you think a regular miniDV camera (PC 330) would benefit from high-resolution (eg) Raynox lenses? I use Diamond/Waycool .3 and .25 but I feel somehow the video quality could be better.

3 years ago ACL, hamstring graft. No meniscus damage. 7-10 day gradual loading with crutches 10 day - little walk without crutches (straight legged, as it was pretty weak) 14 day- first rehab (1 with physio and 2x at home) 17 day - driving (clutch!), 90 deg flex. 35 day - gym (few times a week rehab with physio, other days gym or at home) 2.5 month mountainbiking and heavy mountain hiking 4.5 months my first MTB marathon (got hooked and doing it since, nice side effect of physiotherapy ) Flex around 135-140 deg. 7 months - skiing (my leg felt stronger than before surgery) 8 months - first skydive Never wore a brace (my surgeon said is mainly for your brain and does not prevent ACL-tearing movement, which is the twisting and not the sideway movement), worked hard as hell for 8-9 months and exercising since. You'll be fine, just dont rush it. Keep your pain treshold high and keep a diary

7 weeks post op I am feeling much better, my back and abs really strong from all the rehab, no pain whatsoever, so the future looks brighter

So far the best advice I received

Yes, I've heard some negative opinions about the spinal fusion. My surgeon simply removed part of the fragmented disc, but apparently because of the remaining disc being pretty disfunctional, the two vertebrae will naturally fuse to some extent (also something about tendons hardening and becoming bone-like structure as a body's natural defensive response to spinal instability). I dont know how will that be different from surgical fusion. One well-known surgeon warned me against rehab exercises and attempts to try to increase the flexibility of the affected segment, saying that it will prevent the fixation. So I am a bit confused now. Tom, you must be doing a lot of base jumps, the increased opening shock is then not causing you problems? Other discs around the fused section are not showing signs of deterioration? Are you doing some regular back/abs exercises?

My symptoms were quite rapid. Two days following the rupture my left leg was numb, some muscles completely out. At least the initial really strong pain was gone when it went all numb . I was operated within a week but my left calf and part of the buttocks is still 95% out (3 weeks post op). Hopefully it will recover within foreseeable future. No pain in the back so far. I wish I paid more attention to it when it was only bulging. If you can, try to exercise regularly your back and abs with rehab-type (not gym-type) exercises, so it only stays a small hernia.

Few weeks ago my disc hernia b/w L5/S1 ruptured. The free fragment was removed surgically. Obviously that disc is pretty much degenerated. Doctors say no extreme sports for the future..., its not really my idea of life... Apparently I should expect for the two vertaebras around that disc to naturally fixate with time leaving somewhat limited mobility - this is apparently good, leaving less chance for instability. Rest of my spine is quite good. Anyone having similar problems, perhaps some time ago? Are you still jumping, are you having any symptoms?

I've been screwed then. On a jump with Olav and Sven few years ago I had to do 3 an was only able to complete 2. So I failed . Same few years ago in Eloy. TJ wanted me to do 3..., with friggin' vladiball, that was dancing around meters to each side. I should have checked Olav's site, I guess..

I thought it was three rotations for AD-A (eg. helicopter, flip, cartwheel)

It is certainly different from tracking, at least the way I used to do it. It took me about 30 jumps with Marco load organising to start feeling it. Before that it was frustration and thinking "its just some crap tracking in ridiculous frog-like position", Then suddenly light goes on and you feel it! Its like becoming weightless. You can realx your body, no need to tense the muscles as in flat tracking or hd flocking (OK, I havent done much of that). Forward speed is quite incredible and on my belly Pro-Track recorded vertical speeds of 130-140 km/h (87 mph?) at times, and I'am 83 kg/182 pounds naked. The funny part is the 3D work, seeing someone right below you, feets away on their back and yet not falling on them, since the burble is very flat. Not too many people do it, even more people discard it without having the chance to work extensively with an instructor. From what I saw it does take 30-40 jumps for most people to stop "tracking" and relax into atmo position. While they track, they may be able to follow an atmo formation, but will not be able to fly a clean dock. I'd have difficulties to explain the technique, its best to jump with someone and watch/imitate. One sensation I could describe is feeling the air on my chest, coming from below, relaxing and then you get this lift and no-gravity sensations. At least thats me.

What about: freeflying is a skydiving discipline? . Atmonauti is a skydiving discipline? Who invented skydiving and do they have the trademark registered?

[/If you think two canopies should fly alike given the same size you are wrong.]*** Not really what I think. That's why I wrote it flies "bigger". It is less twitchy and sensitive to toggle input. It also does not drop you as abruptly when the speed of the swoop decreases. I've actually been to their factory in Slovenia twice and met Stane on several ocasions. He never mentioned the sizing issue and I never bothered to compare, but you may be right. I'll try to do a comparison with friend's stiletto, but my 105 and his 107 pack similar (OK, PD nylon is more difficult to pack)

Having flown both Impulse/Cobalt 95 and Stiletto 107 I did not have the impression that we are talking same size canopy. Completely different animals and certainly did not feel equally "big".

I am not saying you should abandon the idea of Cobalt. Its a good canopy. If you refuse to jump anything bigger than Springo 160, than getting Cobalt 150 will keep you as safe (or unsafe). Cobalt feels "bigger" than most similarly sized other elliptical 9 cell. Turns will be less twitchy than springo, but it will dive longer and swoop further if you pilot it properly. You can check your lines as Dragon recommended, if theyre short, get longer ones (possibly by 10-15 cm)

It was an atmonauti boogie in France. I was shooting big ways, staying a lot in the air, since vertical speed of an atmo group is very low. It was the first time I used this lens and unfortunately I did not try my other lenses to compare. There were showers all the time and it was indeed humid and on times cloudy. It basically fogged up right after the exit. I'll be in Arezzo and Eloy in Nov/December weather there should be pretty dry. Maybe it will work there. I mean, if its not a problem specific to this lens, then its OK. It was just this warning from another experienced jumper, that his 20 mm had the same issue (not on the same boogie).

Just bought the Canon's fix 20 mm lens for my 20D. Tried it last week. Was told by a guy that he had moisture problems in the center with his lenses. Turns out all my pictures on that boogie had the same problem - spot in the center that pretty much ruins the photo. Frustrating. It was quite humid, but my 15 mm Canon lens never did that to me. Any experience with this lens? Should I be selling it to some ground attached photographer?

You always make safe landings.... Yes, for the past 110 or so jumps. It really is not enough to make any conclusions. But as it was said, if you dont believe so many experienced people telling you you should be jumping smaller canopy, than nothing will convince you. It's like trying a 1300 ccm motor bike with a fresh driving licence. You can go slowly and safely for some time, but why do you wanna have a 1300 ccm bike if you dont go 180 mph and bank in the corners at 45 degrees? Why do you need a 1.6 loaded canopy if you dont perform 270 degree turns to land and swoop 50 meters? Its like driving a powerful motorbike at a speed of 50 mph, only that you can stop the bike any time. You wont be able to stop your canopy in the mid-air and because in certain emergency situation it will go down really fast (say you have to turn suddenly to avoid another canopy close to the ground) it will be so much more dangerous than a lighter loaded canopy. You only get the negatives of a high loading (line twists may not be recoverable, its more difficult to get back from a long spot etc., no-wind landings require running out ot sliding on your butt, less margin for error) and you cant use the only positive (ability to swoop longer after aggressive turn). You will achieve so much more with say 1.2 or 1.3 (already too high for 110 jups by some standards) skillfully piloted. OK, answering your questions: Springo will open beautifully if fitted with the larger (factory) slider. It will swoop well with the carving approach if your brake lines are long enough (they're normally too short), meaning you will first start to feel resistance at braking somewhat above shoulder level. Cobalt: flies differently than Springo (I now jump Atair Impulse which is identical to Cobalt) it stays longer in the dive and has a higher rate of descent than Springo. It also swoops further. However it is pretty sensitive, especially at higher wing loadings, to assymetrical body position and may give you a lot of line twists (in my approx. 700 jumps on Impulse 120 and 105 I had like 20-30 line twist, but only had to cut away one - last week). Remember - you don't have the experience to understand that you don't have the experience. Have some trust in other people. Stay safe.

I want to start jumping with 550EX flash. 20D allows only 1/250 flash sync. Do you have any recommendations (settings etc ) to enable shooting quality pics? thx, m.

There is a DZ in Beni Mellal. Atmonauti organises boogies there in february, but a French-operated Porter flies there, I think from december till end of March . http://www.pacma.ma/. Nice, I've been there last year.

Unfortunately only had bad experience with their remote switches. Both tongue and bite switch broke after a few dozens jumps. They are badly designed/built for the purpose. Made a switch myself, based on friends advice, it does not look elegant, but does not break either.

Its a bit off topic but.. you should be setting your brakes, kill line and uncollapsing slider yourself. That's what I do. Most packers I know will not accept responsibility for that (they'll check it sure, but shit happens). This was you'll avoid a lot of trouble. I've had a lot of bad openings and now I always press my chin against my sternum on opening. It will prevent the neck from overstretching and injury if it opens hard.

Few weeks ago in Brienne

I don't know... It is the only relative work that happens not in fall, but in flight. You can dock with a person while you are directly above them, without falling on them (thank to fast glide and displaced burble) Using your logic, HD is no different from belly RW. We fall, we crack points. Bodyparts point in different direction.. oh, so what

In tracking you don't normally do 3D foot, foot-to-back, hand docks, flying in layers etc. For me atmo is that - creative vertical/horizontal relative work in an angle that allows it. Without the difficulties and limitations of headdown or "traditional" track. Atmo seems rarely be 45 deg, its more like 30 deg or less (especially with Gi :) ). I was doing average 156 km/h per pro-track. Falling on belly or "tracking" would be at least 185 km/h. Jezz - how are you man? Where do I see u next?