Salt Lake Community College Student Garren Edginton is filling up his summer free time with the free falling adrenaline rush of skydiving.
“I always wanted to do it [skydive],” says Edginton. “I grew up by the South Valley Airport, and as a kid, I would watch them [skydivers] jump all day”
Skydiving is considered to be the closest thing to human flight. It is an aerial sport performed at high speeds and does expose participants to a risk of injury and possible death. According to skydivemagazine.com, out of over 2 million skydiving jumps performed per year in the United States, about 35 result in a fatality.
“Most people just find it crazy,” says Edginton. “But I think a lot of what other people do is even crazier.”
Edginton experienced the thrill of his first few skydive jumps while safely attached to a professionally trained instructor for the entirety of the jump. This is called tandem jumping. The instructor controls everything from the exit to opening the parachute and landing.
Because it is less expensive and requires less training time, doing a tandem jump is recommended for the first time skydiver to decide if skydiving is something he or she would like to pursue. From there, a jumper trains for their Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) jump.
AFF training is for those that are seriously interested in the sport of skydiving.
The cost of skydiving varies by location. A local skydive company, Skydive Utah, charges $190 for one to four jumpers, $181 for five to nine jumpers, and $171 for more than ten jumpers and for active military.
For more information on how to get started skydiving visit the United States Parachute Association web site.
“If I didn’t have to work, I’d jump every day,” says Edginton. “And it’s not just the jumping. It’s the culture, the people, and the whole experience. ”