freakydiver

No doubt - give me my deep Colorado powder and I'll get my surf on in that instead - just have to watch out for trees, no huge ass sharks! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Forget uploading maps - just bring your topo with you. IMHO one can save a ton of cash on a GPS that allows maps to be uploaded, and carry along a much much more detailed Topo which can really help out. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

NICE!!!! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Damn it thats the one I was going to use! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

I use the Venture - it has a built in compass for sure. I use if for alot of backcountry excursions in Utah and never needed more than it provides and we get quite far out there too... PM me if you want specifics. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Gotcha gotcha - just tryin to learn... I really do appreciate your initial and secondary comments FO SHO so don't get me wrong... It seems like my Sabre really starts flying out of its dive (or rather planing planeing? lol ???) rather quickly on letting up on the front riser? Is this normal? Is this what ground hungriness, or in my case lack of it, is? I'm more afraid than anything or eating it, just wanted to see what yall think I might be doing wrong that might get me into the shitcan... I am totally looking to get reemed and appreciate an extremely critical view of me, it can only help me to improve... Anyhow - thanks as always! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

All points taken... Actually, the baloon jump was a completely different jump than the one I was landing. I usually look around a ton more, but the landing was after a cessna load with two tandems and myself. I knew I had no one to worry about. I'm used to big ass DZs in the midwest where if I don't have my head on a freakin swivel, I will die . Also, I didn't really spiral down continuously to get to my initiation alti - I did one 360 after checking my altimeter to get to my initiation alti, after my high alti check, I usually begin just using horizon aspect to gauge where I am at to being the carve. I ended up at my comfortable 6 second carving riser setup alititude after the one 360 and a little correction towards the right. This was planned and not just for kicks by any means. Question though - is a six second carve killing speed or creating any safety issues? Also, imho - I slowly let up on my front left riser at about 35 feet, i don't really think I just hung on it until the last possible scary moment, thats just the way I learned on front double riser approaches... I definately stabbed the toggles a bit too much, but I've always had problems with that. If you can believe, that was one of the lesser examples of my tendency to be stabby. I do see and do understand your points though. The thing is, I don't want to do anything more than smooth slow carvers. I consider 270s, 360s and on and on, way above my level. But I did go measure where I considered the start and end of my swoop and it was about 110-120 feet - I guess my question is, is that shitty for a Sabre 135 loaded at 1.5 ish? I do appreciate your comments though, and you definately have me thinking about where I am at currently in my slow ass swoop progression and where I'd like to get to. Blue ones... -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Hey do you find limits with the 3fps with max of 9? I would think one would... -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Really really well put! And how fukken true! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

If I may - I honestly don't think age has anything to do with intelligence - look at people like Travis Pastrana busting out backflips and 360s on a 250cc motorbike. Experience come ONLY from knowledge and also knowing what you don't know and need to learn. Sounds alot like what people need to know to learn how to swoop - i.e. - look newbie wannabee swooper - you are low on the totem pole, it will take you years to get higher on it, not 20 jumps, don't be stupid or risk ending up like fucking superman in a wheelchair and barely being able to use the shitter. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Canuck, I've seen your landings - I think you'll be fine on the Crossfire - it was more for anyone else reading this post... Also, I was just being honest in my question about rear riser flaring since I've never done it, never seen anyone do it, etc... I'm confused because I thought if a swooper completed the front riser dive, I thought that they only use rear risers to plane out and finish the landing... Just wondering - and DOOD - you are at my home DZ so I'd cut you slack if you robbed a bank -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

No opinions? Please people rip me a new one here... lolol -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

My suggestion for landing out? Don't get fancy shmancy, -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Well the swoop was like last Friday and the baloon was like last month actually heheh... I'm starting to get dialed back in to the freaking 5200 msl lz... Edited: Oh yah - how bout that baloon exit, i was rollin the windows down tryin not to lose it lolol... I wish I could do hundreds of dead air exits mmm... Oh yah, it wasn't quite a 180 either more like a 140 or sumthin heh. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

I made a little clip of a baloon jump I attempted to vid and also my swoop afterwords... I'm starting to get pretty comfortable with nice smooth 180's on my Sabre 135 loaded at 1.5-1.6 ish and am wondering what you all think about it. http://www.mylebaronproperty.com/baloonSwoop.wmv -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

"I have seem some of my peers do rear riser approaches..." ??? Correct me if I am wrong but rear risers are not used on approach but rather just before touchdown. Also, a Crossfire loaded at 1.5 WILL bite you in the ass very quickly if you aren't 110 percent attentive around it. Anyhow - good luck. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Training! Training!! FUCKING TRAINING!!! How about this - hey look mah, my first AFF class. Hey mah - we talked about how when I get off student status I'll see all sorts of hot shot landings on high performance canopies. Mah, they also showed us videos of what people look like when they don't have hundreds of jumps on high performance canopies and burn themselves a hole in the ground. You shoulda seen all of the metal and surgery and $$$$ it took to fix these fools. In a hurry to be "cool" they forgot that a highly loaded wing can kill, I sure am glad they FUCKING SHOWED US THAT in AFF!!! Why doesn't that happen now? Would be so easy to instill the negative side of hp landings to the students during the first fucking course. Also, I am 26 years old and have LED many expeditions into the backcountry snow of Colorado and can gurantee that AGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WISDOM. The only thing that creates wisdom in an individual is for them to be shown what the fuck they don't know - i.e. hp landings and bad aftermath for AFF students. For me, it was my first dead guy under 6 feet of snow. From that moment on, I will guees, double guess, tripe and quadruple guess any decision I make in the backcountry. I also allow this to carry over into jumping. Now that I am carving turns in on final, I'm really nervous about the outcome and am going as slow as humanly possible about it, nice slow carving turns. Regulation is a joke and it will never happen. Educate these young guns or continue to watch them try to be cool. I recently visited another DZ, I was blown away to hear some of the 100 jump wonders, all they talked about was velocity this, cross brace that. People, get your heads out of your ass and get a canopy that won't kill you when more than one thing goes wrong. Live to jump another day and go 20 mph slower on your landings. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

People who do not listen. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Here is my problem - I think EVERY ASPECT of this sport rocks, at least I will end up well rounded hopefully! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Absolutely! And, if I may add... Perhaps a student on SL or IAD will learn free fall skills faster since they will ultiamtely be comfortable with the fact that their shit is going to open and they already know how to handle that portion of the skydive... My 1.5 cents. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Hmmm - they don't "always" blame the jumper as you say. If I remember correctly, one of the first warnings they have in their instruction manual is "do not rely on this equipment". I know I am glad I have one, yet, I jump like I don't. I try to only jump with people I know, I try to be as aware as possible of my surroundings. If you bounced when a Cypress could've saved you, try explaining that one to your friends and family. I care not to. Good luck. Blue wons... -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

"It's a serious issue and one without a simple solution." How about educating TSAs? I would gander it would only take them a couple of hours to learn what a sport parachute system is, what a Cypress is and how to look at both through an Xray machine and discern whether or not what they were looking at was indeed a sport parachute system. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

DAMN!!!! That was nutts! -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Nah - we'll let it slide this time. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

LOL IM NOT ARGUING JUST TO ARGUE. I guess you are too good to learn from someone else, but at my DZ the pilot makes massive adjustments if there is going to be an initial climbout. Now, that doesn't apply to all situations, but it was a simple, humble suggestion. Forget I ever spoke my friend. Forget I ever spoke. I will continue to watch seperation grow smaller and danger increase as it has indeed proven itself to do in my years in the sport. PS I don't know you therefore I have avoided you my whole life, but come to Denver and I'd be happy to buy you a jump or two. Also: "I assure that with reasonable (and by this i don't even mean fast) climb outs everyone on the load can get out safely, in a non hurried environment, with plenty of seperation, and not even come close to hosing the tandems." Honestly - in the real world, and especially at busier DZs, it is more times than not, unrealistic to put everyone out on one pass safely, but hey, it still happens that everyone does get out on one pass, go figure. -- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --