NWFlyer

It's really not all that bad, it's just something you need to be prepared for - we didn't want you coming out thinking you'd spend your evenings/overnights in a t-shirt and shorts - sun goes down, more clothes go on (well, up till a certain point in the evening when clothes start to come off again but that's another discussion altogether!) I'm also one of those people whose body just "runs" cold, so I go a little overboard; others can get by with less, but better to have more layers/stuff that you can shed than to be shivering every night. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

In past years, ice has been readily available each day at the bar. With the bar closed, I'm not sure exactly what we'll have as an option - I certainly hope that's been considered by the new boogie management. Maybe they'll have a vendor come in at a set time each day ... dunno. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I was in Pasadena earlier this week. Carmageddon is ALL the local news can talk about. Hope it's over by the time I get back there Monday morning. Even though I don't go on the 405, the ripple effect will still be huge. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Just think, if you handled that like Shah sounds to be handling his, you could still be working on an Apple IIe Well, I work for an extremely large organization, so I can't say that my new laptop is going to be totally bleeding edge, but it'll be a big improvement over my almost 3-year old one. Was thinking of replacing my work Blackberry while I'm at it but I got the scoop that if I sit tight till September iPhones will be approved on the corporate plan. I figure if work buys it and pays for the plan I'm not personally giving any money to the cult, right? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Wow, I tried the exact opposite today - I was really nice to the guys on the help desk line and amazingly, good things happened. Call #1 to report a browser issue (which impacts my productivity since many of the apps I use daily are web-based). He sets up a service request for me, then at the end of the call I say "Oh by the way, I think I'm due for a new laptop, can you help me with that?" He transfers me over to a different area (Call #2) and they log my request for a new laptop (which he also informs me is 4 months late, which is like years in technology time!). So then I get a call back on the browser issue. He says "Hey, since you're also due for a new laptop do you think we can skip fixing this issue if you get your new laptop soon?" Fine, says me. He immediately follows up with the team that does the laptop replacements and I've got an appointment tomorrow to get a shiny new-to-me laptop. Both problems solved ... and being nice to everyone certainly helped. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yes, we do, and I am sooooooo looking forward to it! A whole different boogie experience! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

High 30s is the lowest I've seen it, but as Ed said, generally mid-high 40s overnight. Last year wasn't so bad cold-wise while we were there, but I think the fact that it was cloudy/rainy a lot kept the temps more moderate. I'll take more sun and colder nights! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

For those farther west, Skydance Skydiving in Davis, CA does them every so often as well. They require FAA medical/chamber training to participate. I believe the price is in about the same range as the ones mentioned above. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

This is an excellent point. By far the coldest night I've spent at LP was the one night in 6 years that I didn't have my Human Radiator boyfriend sharing the tent with me. No, he's not available for borrowing or rental. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Half the fun of jumping is playing "count the bruises" after a busy weekend and trying to figure out how the fuck that big purple mark got there. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think it says something that this post only has 64 views (at the time I looked) and 0 replies. DZ.commers must be self-selecting themselves out of the group that should read this post. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

What he said. This "IT guy" is pretty happy with my job, my coworkers, and my life. There are people I like more and people I like less on both sides of the IT/business divide, but since it's my job (as a grown-up who is paid large sums of money to be a professional and solve problems) to work well with all of them, I do. Last I checked, I was not being paid to check out "Bitches be Crazy" or go on vaguely racist rants about my coworkers. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

It's really a matter of personal preference. Both provide similar protection for your head - the full-face also adds protection for your face. Some pros of open face: open face helmets eliminate the risk of a fogged visor (but add the risk of fogged goggles). Some people (as you said) prefer the feeling of the wind on their face. Open face helmets are more comfortable in warmer weather. Open face helmets are less expensive than full-face helmets. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Full-face helmets tend to be quieter. As for vision, it depends on the design of the helmet - some have a very wide field of vision, others have a more narrow field of vision. Of course, a dirty or scratched visor will impact vision, but that's remedied by cleaning/replacing the thing. Full-face fit can be a trickier thing than an open-face since the shape of your head/face matters more, so it's very critical to try them on to see which works for your particular noggin. I wore an open face helmet till I had around 450 jumps then switched to a full-face and haven't jumped my open face since. I waited as long as I did to switch to a full-face partly because I had trouble finding one that I liked that also fit my (freakishly large) head. I like the additional protection that a full-face gives me from errant body parts, as well as the additional warmth it gives in freefall in the winter months. I don't have to keep track of goggles, which is nice. I also strongly prefer it in the wind tunnel because it keeps me from getting snotty after a long tunnel session. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Because then you don't have to get into the "Why'd you unfriend me?" drama. And there are people who are caught up enough in their online persona that they'll call you out on that... hiding is easier. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

All the cool kids are signing up for Google+ now. http://xkcd.com/918/ "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

These are great questions to ask the manufacturer of the jumpsuit you're considering ordering - they've worked with many thousands of skydivers of all shapes and sizes with all kinds of goals in their flying. Generally, though - a tighter fit with slicker fabric will make you fall faster; a looser fit with a heavier/draggier fabric will make you fall slower. Which one is right for you depends a lot on your body shape and weight. Someone who is 200 lbs at 5'8" is going to fall faster naturally than someone who is 200 lbs at 6'5" - those two jumpers will need different suits. So ... give a call to the manufacturer and talk through what your goals are and your shape/size to see what they recommend. And if you're buying a suit for RW (belly) work, don't let anyone talk you into buying one without booties. Yes, they'll cost more money, but they are one of the best tools to have in your RW arsenal. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Something about redheads being a very bad influence, if I recall correctly. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

After sunset? Wow, that must have been a weird boogie. I can remember less-cold years, but never "just my underwear" years. Then there's the years where all the dogs' water bowls developed a layer of ice overnight. Brr. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Me! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

That sounds oh so romantic, Krisanne. It was hella sexy, I tell you. Good thing the tents were plenty warm during the daytime. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

There's a couple places listed here. http://www.skydivelostprairie.com/Travel-Tips.html Having camped for 6 years, if you do wind up camping, my biggest recommendation is to bring warm clothes to sleep in - it makes a huge difference. My (oh-so-sexy) outfit of choice became long johns tucked into thick socks with fleece pants on top, then on top, a long-sleeve T-shirt with a hoodie sweatshirt. Big baggy fleece hat that pulls down over my ears, and the hoodie pulled up to keep my neck warm and keep the hat on. Of course, part of the need for that much is that I'm kind of stubborn about sleeping bags - I really really don't like the super-warm mummy style ones, so I've either slept in a less-warm rectangular bag, or on an air mattress under blankets and a comforter. So if you're willing to mummify, you may not need quite as much. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I find all guys who routinely categorize entire groups of women based on one shared trait to be ones that I avoid like the plague. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Other than renting a car or hitching a ride with someone from Kalispell, there aren't a lot of options. There are usually some folks flying into Kalispell - maybe post the day (or days) that you would want to leave from Kalispell and someone will see it and offer a ride. Not sure if a shuttle van service would be willing to take you all the way out to the DZ, but it might be worth a call: http://www.iflyglacier.com/ground-transportation.php Hopefully someone here can hook you up! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Skymama's facebook status: "Well, we jumped...and didn't see any shiny things in the sky. Darn clouds! That's what I get for waiting till the last one!" Bummer. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke