doorgirl

So what was the oxygen like? I've never done a high altitude jump.

He's probably bankrolling his poker, which can actually be quite profitable if you have superior skills. He may or may not have these superior skills, and if not "investing" in the Sklansky poker books from 2+2 Publishing could end up giving him a great return. In the long run it's a game of skill, not luck, and I know a number of people making a good living off of poker. To him, the $250 dinner could be the same as a big hand that he lost, and so the reward to him for taking his buddies out to dinner may be much larger than it would be to you.

What about "No, but I should have"? Didn't get hurt or anything, but I freaked myself out and sat out the rest of the day.

Guess I was just over reacting to the incomplete riser release fear. I think that you have thought this through more than I have, which is not surprising considering how much more experienced you are. I will delete the "detach RSL" idea from my head. Thank you.

Thanks for the advice Bill. I always assume my first will be a cutaway with no time to spare and drill that way, but if I ever find myself under a canopy that flies OK in the air but won't land I'll probably go for the release first. In that context, do you think that's ok? My AFF instructor thought that it was ok to do that in that situation as long as I knew it was much more likely a cutaway would not be "nice" and I would need to cut it away as fast as I can and not even think about the release. I'm just looking for other opinions for that situation. And as a bit of background I'm an ex-floor trader so I'm quite good at split second decisions, although those only FELT like they were life or death.

I'm a newbie and just got my first rig - with a RSL. I understand that sometimes it can fail even when I'm not cutting away, but it's probably a lot more likely that I'll get hit by car car than have that particular malfunction do me in. So my thought is that if I am cutting away well above my hard deck and everything is "going well" (no broken limbs, not passing out, etc) I will have the time to disconnect my RSL as I move my right hand down to red and left goes to silver. If I don't have time or I don't locate it on first pass, I leave it to do it's thing. I figure this takes out *some* of the risk of RSLs, and because this was part of my thinking from my first EP and stays in my mind I *think* that I'll be able to do this in an "uneventful" cutaway. And if it is an "eventful" I'll be damn happy have an RSL there to back me up. So, wise sages, do you think this will get me killed or does this make sense? My procedure is: 1. Oh Shit (realize I need to cut away) 2. Where am I? (think of my altitude, decision may be made for me. and this is when we also may need to just dump the reserve w/o cutting if we're too low) 3. Right to red, pulling on RSL only if a) I've had time to think if I should and b) I should 4. Left to silver 5. Peel/punch right 6. Peel/punch left 7. Look over right Thanks in advance!