After World War I and II parachutes were used for different purposes. Pushing the limits of extreme sports, new variants of parachuting was created. The origin of skydiving in uncertain but its popularity later on led to different sports and events around the world.
Others engage in this activity for thrills, while serious skydivers join competitions around the world. Parachuting sports are also included in the Olympics which made it not just another recreational activity for adrenaline junkies. Parachute skydiving comes in different variants.
Most of these variants are still related to skydiving with certain modifications. Parachutes come in different designs which make them accessible for different uses. There are many Parachuting organizations that hold events for their members.
Parachute skydiving
There are many sports that are related to parachuting. Most people are aware of skydiving as a recreational activity an extreme sport. However there are also other variants that parachute enthusiast engage in. Most of theses sports involve a lot of skill and requires proper training. They test the ability of the pilot to control their parachutes at different levels.
One of the variants is the Accuracy landing. The main objective is to land as close as possible to a target. Teams are composed of 5 members that compete in 8 rounds. The members of the team jump together from 2,700 feet to 3,300 feet. Each member should land as close as possible or exactly dead center of the target. The score is measured from the dead center in meters. Scores are added each round. They considered as individual and team scores.
Blade running involves participants flying down a mountain and making their way through slalom courses using their parachutes. Pilots use a different kind of parachute that gives them more speed. These parachutes have smaller surface areas. This requires a lot of ability in canopy control. It’s a winter sport which is a cross between slalom skiing and skydiving. Its inventor is hoping that it will get featured in the winter X games.
Canopy formation is another variant wherein participants built formations. This is done by flying their own parachutes close to each other and docking on their teammate’s parachutes. This may sound easy but it takes a lot of coordination and timing to be able to complete a formation.
If one of the team makes a mistake, the formation will break. Free falling is does not offer much time too and members should be very well coordinated and organized to be able to accomplish a good formation.
Freeflying is another form of skydiving wherein the skydiver makes different positions which increases speed. This enables the skydiver to perform different routines and formations. Besides the conventional belly-to-earth position, they also do sit flying, back flying, head up or down flying, and side flying. This can be dangerous because they increase the speed of the skydiver. Participants have to make the box position at the right moment to slow down and be able to deploy their parachutes.
These are some of the variations of parachute skydiving. They often range from potentially risky to extremely dangerous activities. Participants should take their corresponding courses undergoing any type of parachute sport.
After all, if anything fails while you’re up in the air you can fall down to your death. There’s a difference between taking a risk and inviting danger.