koala

Wait - I'm dumb as shit here - I just thought of the only skydiving helmet that actually is a protective device IMHO - the ProTec. Ask yourself - why don't people wear protecs? They are bigger, bulkier, and just flat out not cool looking. But fact of the matter is, if you make a mistake and your head hits the ground, wouldn't you rather have the protec and its shock absorbing/dissipating charecteristics?*** Uhmmm... my boyfriend made a low turn under a stiletto 120 and he was wearing a protec (he usually wears a full face helmet, but that was a "fun jump"). When he impacted the ground his chin strap broke (the thing that didn't resist was the plastic peace you use to close the strap, i don't know how is it called in english) and his helmet flew away... He broke his femour (some pieces...), the great part of the bones in his face and had a head trauma (fortunately with no consequences). It's difficult to say if the protec was a positive or negative factor: probably it absorbed part of the impact anyway before breaking, but wearing a full face helmet would have prevented all the hurts in his face... Anyway... no helmet at all and he would be dead... but I don't think protecs are better than other helmets...

I once had the same problem (one steering line blocked) while riding my reserve. I had to cutaway 'cause my Sabre was spinning in a fast rotation. I was far from the drop zone, in a place full of vites and cows, not an easy place to land... So I was concentrated more on finding a place where to land safely, rather than solve the problem with the steering line (I tryed a few times, pulling hard, but the ground was coming fast...). When I began my flare the steering line got free, and I just fell into the mud... Am I the only one who experienced something like this? Blue Skyes - Koala