STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

jen · Kate Spade

Anyone been skydiving?!

soods · Nine West

i havem i went three weeks ago, and i loved it. I have a fear of heights too, and honestly i wasn't scared until i was going up in the plane. But i wasn't scared to jump off. I was the first one too jump with my tandem master. One word, Awsome, it was the best experience ever. Hope you go, you won't regret it.

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

i've done it! it was one of the best experiences of my life! i was 19 at the time, a sophomore in college. i went with 5 friends and we all did tandem jumps (where you are harnessed to an instructor). we didn't want to take the eight-hour class in order to do a solo jump- and i'm definitely glad i went tandem. i couldn't imagine doing a solo jump your very first time!

i jumped from 13,500 feet. it was such a rush!!! the coolest part is that you don't feel like you're falling (your stomach doesn't lurch), it feels like you're flying! after about a minute of free-fall, my instructor had me pull the parachute and we floated down for the rest of the time. it's so funny because after flying through the air at like 100 mph in the free fall, you feel like you've stopped moving when the parachute goes up. i literally asked my instructor, "are we just hanging here? will we ever get down?" haha... the view was incredible on the way down! i went in southern maine and we could see the ocean, mount washington, and even boston in the distance. so cool. the landing was fun too- some people fall on their butts, but i stuck my landing. yay!

one thing i would recommend is getting pictures/video of your jump. it's extra $, but so worth it. i had a videographer jump with me (he was literally hanging out the plane holding onto my chest strap right before we jumped). he took amazing still shots and a great video too. they interviewed me before and after my jump for the video and set it to music. definitely a great way to commemorate the event!

go for it! have so much fun! let me know if you want to know anything else....

Hermes

well, I'm deathly afraid of heights (I work in the ren cen, and have a hard time looking out after the 25th floor or so) and I can't imagine jumping out of a plane... I seriously think I would go into hysterics. even though I am all for pushing myself against my fears (like forcing my self to lean against the rail and face the window in the elevator) I know it would be a big waste of money for me, because I really think I would freak and not do it. But then, maybe I wouldn't want to waste the money when I got up there and would force myself and just close my eyes. Also, I've always wondered if the fear is the same as if I were in a plane - like when I am flying, I always want a window seat and do not get vertigo... wonder if it's the same, or if the lack of barrier (wide gaping hole in the plane) would give me vertigo (you know, that feeling where you are kind of being pulled to the edge kinda?) are you thinking of doing tecumseh?

jen · Kate Spade

I don't know if I should go to tecumseh or detroit...I don't know which one is better or how to find out which one is better.