BIG SIZES
IN HAUTE MARNE AT 3000 METERS OF ALTITUDE
The diversity of sporting activities offered in the different regions of France is also a way to discover them from another different angle, particularly by air and what could be
more attractive than discovering HAUTE MARNE in the context of jumps
in parachutes which will be an opportunity for you to admire its landscapes decorated with strong
sensations and adrenaline rushes as members and instructors from the French
instructors from the French skydiving federation.
An active sport par excellence, skydiving is a practice which consists of falling from a height of several hundred meters
up to several thousand when leaving a plane or any other aircraft and then arriving on earth to help of a parachute and
in the case of momentum from a fixed point such as bridges or cliffs we call the base jump or base jump and once in the
sky, the parachutist is in free fall for a variable duration and this depending on the height at which it was released in
addition to its relative opening altitude where it carries out its descent either individually which is aerobatics or Free
fly or with other skydivers which is relative flight before landing on earth by piloting your parachute in a suitable manner
to arrive on the ground in the designated space.
» Skydiving was in past years mainly reserved and used by seasoned professionals, armies or by rescue teams as part of airborne operations or logistical support on sites correspondents
but it was only from the 1950s and this also thanks to the improvement of equipment that it became gradually
established as a leisure activity then as a supervised sport and, subsequently, for around forty years,open to non-
skydivers in the context of tandem jumps where a person is attached to a tandem instructor which ensures the jump
is carried out in maximum safety conditions. The basic equipment for the jump includes a bag/harness with a main canopy supplemented by an emergency canopy, an automatic trigger which will activate the opening of the parachute emergency in case of failure to open at a height of 225 meters and 650 meters for two-seater parachutes the assembly
also consists of a stabilizer and extractor retarder comparable to a small sail during the fall and which is only found on
two-seater parachutes used during tandem jumps"
explains Philippe GONDET, instructor and experienced parachutist.
A Strong Dose of Adrenaline Rush
Once boarding the plane and once arriving at altitude comes the most thrilling moment which is the jump integrating a
strong dose of adrenaline rush often sought by skydivers and provided by the acceleration of the start, the speed of the fall and the sensations of the corresponding air.
»The usual fall takes place mainly at a height which varies from 3000 to
4200 meters for a duration generally between 40 and 60 seconds and this before the opening of the main parachute
which is generally activated at an average altitude of 1000 meters for 1500 meters for tandem option jumps. Performed
manually,the opening of the main parachute is carried out using a handle where the parachutist first feels a short deceleration bringing him back to a straight position then secondly to a high position before the opening of the canopy
which slows down in a few seconds its descent speed which passes successively from 200 to 14 kilometers per hour. For
landing functions and this thanks with 2 control handles, the parachutists maneuver in the so-called “rounding” position
which allows an arrival at the smooth ground before arriving in the folding area which is very often a hangar. Taking into
account the diversity of places and landscapes of the region, the views in the air in good weather whether above
CHAUMONT or LANGRES or the National Forest Park as along LAC DU DER are radiant also complemented by group
figures with other parachutists in parallel also with flights above the clouds which offer sensations that are sometimes
strange and which give a dimension of total freedom by having the possibility of moving in several options whether
alone, in tandem duo or in groups with the somewhat optical illusion of dominating the landscapes available to you".
tell me Catherine LECOINTRE and Jean François LHENORET, parachutists and instructors who are also members of the French parachuting federation. Contemplating the region from the air is an original way of discovering it and admiring both the beauty of its landscapes and the richness of its heritage and this type of activity carried out in particular in
tandem mode supervised by a qualified instructor who constantly to develop is also a fantastic asset for discovering our radiant territories from a different angle.
Report: Gabriel PAGE
Photos credit : Gabriel PAGE / French Parachuting Federation
