BIG SIZES
IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY 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 through airs and what
could be more attractive than discovering the PYRÉNÉES ATLANTIQUES in the frame
of parachute jumps which will be for you the opportunity to admire its radiant
landscapes full of thrills and adrenaline rushes like me this was clarified by members
and instructors of 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 this is 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 esta-
blished 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 with an emergency canopy, an automatic trigger which will activate the opening of the emergency
parachute in the event of non-opening at an opening at a height of 225 meters and 650 meters for two-seaters para-
chutes, the assembly also consisting of a stabilizer extractor similar to a smail stabilizing sail during the fall and which
is only found on parachutes two-seater chutes used during jumps in tandem mode"
tell me Philippe GONDET,
instructor and parachutist seasoned member of the French skydiving federation as well.
A Strong Dose of Adrenaline Rush
Once boarding the plane and arriving at altitude comes the most thrilling moment that is the jump incorporating 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 kills 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 para-
chute which is generally activated at an average altitude of 1000 meters for 1500 meters for tandem option jumps.
Peformed 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 successively increases from 200 to 14 kilometers per hour. For landing functions, thanks to 2 control handles, the parachutists maneuver in the so-called “rounding”
position which allows a smooth arrival on the ground before arriving in the folding area which is often a hangar.
Taking into account the diversity of places and landscapes of the region, the views in the air in good weather whatever
above BIARRITZ or along the beaches of the Basque Coast as well as the Pyrenees Mountain Massif are radiant figures
also completed by group figures with other parachutists also in parallel with flights in above the clouds which someti-
imes offer strange sensations and which give a dimension of total freedom in having the possibility of moving in seve-
ral 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 skydivers and instructors also members
of the French skydiving federation. Contemplating the region from the air is an original way to discover it and contem- plate both the beauty of its landscapes and the richness of its heritage and this type of activity, particularly in super
vised tandem mode by a qualified instructor who is constantly developing is also a fantastic asset for discovery under a
different angle of our radiant territories.
Report: Gabriel PAGE
Photos credit: Gabriel PAGE-French Parachuting Federation
