Climbing parachuting is a sporting and recreational discipline, allowing a very wide audience to discover nature from another angle, at several metres above sea level.
But this activity still requires a short period of preparation, or even micro-training, provided for example by a professional in mountain sports. Through this publication, we return for a moment to the main tips that help you prepare for a parachute flight…
Choose a spot with a nice view
A spot is simply a site from which you start your sporting activity. This starting point, in addition to being favourable to the practice of an outdoor sport, generally allows you to enjoy a unique natural panorama – surfers will not tell you otherwise! For skydiving, it’s exactly the same thing: there are many natural and tourist sites all over France, which allow you to start from a fine sandy beach or directly above the water, by means of a cable connected to a platform.
The city of Nice, for example, is considered in many ways to be a parachutist’s paradise. You will find a reference point for the practice of upward parachuting. The best time to practice parachuting in Nice is usually between May and September. You will then be able to enjoy ideal weather and a favourable climate to admire the French Riviera region.
Prepare your swimsuit for your parachute flight
Climbing parachuting is a discipline that can be practiced in full dress, but it is still advisable to wear a swimsuit. Indeed, you will often start your activity at the beach, even directly above the water and you can quickly get soaked if you are not careful! A swimsuit is still the best way to feel comfortable and enjoy the benefits of the beach and the summer season.
For additional reasons related to your comfort, the swimsuit allows you to be a little more free of your movements while being equipped with a harness and a lifejacket which remains mandatory.
In most cases, you take off from the beach, with a large sail as a parachute. This equipment is connected to a boat by means of a cable wrapped around a winch, which allows the descent and ascent in a very flexible and progressive way. No risk of sea sickness here: parachuting is a natural discipline, and allows you to enjoy a rather exceptional panorama of altitude. The instructors at the helm are responsible for taking you to a height that generally reaches 30 metres above the water: all you have to do is admire the landscape and let yourself be carried by the sail!
The return is done gradually along the beach, feet in the sand. You can take advantage of it to go swimming afterwards, or spend time with your family on the beach for a moment of relaxation, without having to change beforehand! Finally, note that upward parachuting can be practiced by several people, in pairs or even in trios.
Have a solid breakfast the day before
Even if parachuting remains a relaxing activity for which you just have to let yourself be carried away by sailing, it is still a thrilling discipline!
We will recommend that you prepare yourself well, several hours before starting your activity. The day before, don’t hesitate to eat properly and have a solid breakfast. Strong emotions tend to deepen, and with upward parachuting you will tend to have more than enough reason!
If you come to the Nice region for your holidays, and stay in one of the hotels near the beach, take the opportunity to test the buffet at will from sunrise! Croissants, rolls, jam and orange juice are just waiting for you and will allow you to be fit enough to inaugurate your first flight!
Don’t forget to capture the moment
Very often, the adrenaline is so strong during a skydiving session that we forget… to immortalize this magical moment between sky and land / sea! That’s why it’s important that you can make sure that a GoPro camera can follow you during the few minutes you spend at altitude. Generally, this equipment is provided by the professionals who accompany you in this activity, but do not hesitate to ask for more information about the modalities!
The GoPro camera is really the ultimate high-definition instrument for recording all your sporting moments: it is a relatively solid equipment, designed to operate in extreme or difficult conditions. No need to worry, therefore, when you go on an adventure with an HD camera: all you have to do is find the ideal fixing point and let it happen!
Relax and enjoy!
As we have had the opportunity to mention above, parachuting is a somewhat different activity in the field of altitude sports since it is mainly a matter of letting yourself be carried away by the sale and enjoying the show above all! How can we not be tempted by such an adventure, even though France has many magnificent natural sites that only parachuting can bring to light from another angle and in 360 degrees?
The French Riviera, for example, is one of the most popular tourist sites in France, and remains an essential point of passage for water sports lovers. Imagine sliding through the air, at an altitude of nearly 40 metres, and flying over the Baie des Anges! You have nothing else to do but let the wind take you on a journey of discovery of a natural and historical heritage that is unique in the world.
We have just reviewed the various tips for getting the most out of an activity such as skydiving. As you can see, this is above all a summer activity, which generally opens around May and until the end of September depending on the region. Relaxation is also a word: enjoy this activity as if you were going to the beach, and don’t worry about anything else: the professionals take care of your safety and explain how to behave when you take off. In doing so, all you have to do is let yourself be carried away by the sail, and by a natural ascent that will never cease to amaze you!
