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Published: January 8th 2008
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Big G Freefalling
check out what the G Force has done to Big Gees Shnoz!!! ROFL ROFL ROFL (( apologies in advance for my rambling but 3 hours after our jumps I am still buzzing like never before )
We came to New Zealand with a big list of things to tick off our must do list and a skydive was on top!
Now as a person who avoided the Rothesay fair big wheel because it tipped upside down and a bloke who has to ensure he maintains three points of contact on anything above 5 metres off the ground we are feeling pretty smug with ourselves.
We are the biggest feardies we know and when booking it yesterday in the Info site we both suprised ourselves when asked how high we wanted to go and in unison our reply was "15,000ft", you have a choice of 9,000, or 12,000ft as well as the biggy.
Our reckoning was that the fear aint going to be that much different 6,000ft higher, but we did not realise today that when jumping at this height you have an extra disclaimer to sign over the other jumps and due to altitude sickness you have to take oxygen from 13kft up which gave me the heebie geebies slightly!
Our
Big G's Big Right Leg
Go go gadget limb, I wonder what other parts the altitude has expanded?? mood was sombre this morning and I did not eat a bean, we hardly spoke a word............just to calm our nerves we decided to go on the Shotover Jet as a wee warm up. The driver belts you round the rapids at high speeds in a jet boat narrowly avoiding cliffs and doing 360 degree spins - pretty tame really !!
Back to the main event. Now I can say this as Graham has gone to the Pub, but ladies ....the Jumpmasters were hot hot hot!!! It was a welcome distraction and helped calm my nerves....you could smell the testosterone as you walked in the hanger to get suited up, everywhere you looked handsome men, looking reasuringly muscly ..
We got all suited up and then quickly told what to expect before walking towards the aeroplane. You sit between your Jumpmasters legs and he reassuringly squeezes his big muscly thighs around you and all of a sudden calm floats over you ( Graham did not quite experience the same calmness at this point - I am pleased to report ) ....that and the Master sat opposite me looked straight out of an Armani campaign really helped my nerves!
Boiled Egg anyone??
Graham seemed chuffed with his first prize of a boiled egg heeded wife Right enough of that, at the risk of sounding like a Jackie Collins Novel I must now tell you about the view, its a scorcher again today and the sky is cloudless, Queenstown is the most picturesque place I have been yet in NZ, it right on the banks of a big gorgeous bluey green Glacier Lake and next to mountain after mountain and when one of the ranges is called "the remarkables" you can only imagine how spectacular it was!!!
Just after this dutch guy jumped out at 12kft we got handed the oxygen to sook on, I still cannot believe how safe I felt even as I watched my videographer slide the door open and edge onto the side. All I remember is the oxygen mask being wrench from my vice like grip and being shuffled toward the edge...I just felt my legs dangle over, my Jumpmaster swinging back and forward and then wooosh...........
You fall fast, damn fast, are you upside down?, facing the ground?, the sky?, why could I hear the tune from the magic roundabout ? Then you feel a reassuring tap on your shoulder and you remember that you are strapped
to a big hunk of man and he is asking you to thrust your hips forward and stick your legs back between his and smile ..you betcha I did...
before you know it you are freefalling, at 200kmph ( terminal velocity ) but it does not feel that fast ...there are no words to explain how it feels ....the feeling of freefalling coupled with the overload of scenery below me was just breathtaking...mind-blowing
Talking of breath you cant breath up there at first...it is a crap feeling but I was just so calm about it....okay through my nose...nope....my mouth aaarrrrgh....my ears wont work okay just smile at the guy taking your picture and try and do something cool for the video .....my brain shut down and all I managed was blowing a kiss, thumbs up, ‘I am a little teapot ‘ poses etc and just as I tried to do the breast stroke the chute was pulled and I was wrenched upwards - another weird sensation but then you slow down and bonus you can start to breathe...
At this point you start to take in the beauty of it all, the mountains for miles around The
Like a puppet on a string
This is what happens when the chute first opens - how graceful huh! Remarkables, Mount Cook to name but two, then there was Lake Manapouri below - wowzer!!! It was coloured blues and greens of every spectrum truly truly gorgeous.
At this point you are still about 4000ft up and you start to chat, and at this point I asked Howard how many jumps he had done - a reassuring 2100 ish and he points out lots of the scenery as it gets closer and closer and then we land with me on my bum and its all over so quickly ( insert own joke here). If I had the dough I would learn to do a solo jump - thats how seriously good it is - me the feardy who would not go on a big wheel!! If anyone has the chance to do one, jump at it......it Rawks
If anyone knows big G, he hates heights, but he enjoyed every minute of the experience, his only regret was that he was not strapped to a hot lass, instead he was up close and personal with a big burly dude from Seattle. Frank you will be proud of your laddie! Next hurdle - some basic DIY skills!
So tonight
Just like that
My best Tommy Cooper impression we are off to a the minus 5 bar for a few celebratory drinks, although Graham is over the road in the bar as I type so he may be half pished already.
Just a wee note to say hiyagh to everyone back home and thank you for taking the time to read my rambling and apologies for typos x x x x x x x x
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Caroline
non-member comment
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!
Well it is amazing what a chick will do to get between the legs of a strapping hunk!!!! That looks so scary but well done- so proud of you both!!!! I could never do it! Glad you guys are having a fab time and looking forward to seeing your film of NYear it must have been amazing!!! Lots of Love x x.