Comments on: Jumping with Gloves

By: Len Sim

Len Sim — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:24:30 +0000

Just wanted to say I really like your site and will definitely be back!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:20:16 +0000

skywardiva – agreed. the right kind of gloves is extremely important. Rick and I recently spent an hour or so wandering around a local sporting goods store so he could find the perfect pair – with enough grip to grab his hackey and still thin enough that he could feel everything needed.

Thanks for this information. Keep us posted on how the investigation turns out so we can all learn from this incident.

Blue skies!

By: Skywardiva

Skywardiva — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:28:24 +0000

Interesting topic…it certainly became a huge issue of discussion here in Canada, when a skydiver recently “went in”—having not pulled his reserve until it was too late! There are many skydivers who swear by gloves and it’s become a standard piece of their skydiving gear. Serious competitors also wear them (usually white) as it obviously helps the judges view the required points on the dive…BUT wearing the right kind of gloves is critical in a safe skydive! There has been some “speculation” (we haven’t seen any final report released yet?) that this skydiver was jumping in the cold—as is quite common here in Canada, and he apparently had on a pair of “bulky” winter gloves that probably contributed to him not being able to find or pull his pilot chute to release his main canopy. Some say…he fumbled around for too long trying to release the main and unfortunately pulled his reserve far too late!
Moral of the story…if wearing gloves is your thing—wear the right kind and invest in a good pair of skydiving gloves. Bulky winter gloves may keep your hands warm but it’s important to maintain a certain amount of mobility in this sport, and the wrong type of equipment or apparel can be fatal!!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:31:39 +0000

cw – I’ve come to realize that gloves are a blessing for those of us who have a hard time in chilly weather. Now, I don’t come down from jumps with my fingers throbbing from the 120+ mph winds. Brr…

peter – thanks!

pedro – good to hear from another glove wearer! And yes, for the most part, I’m a religious helmet wearer…there are the occasional times it gets left in the hangar, though.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:50:05 +0000

Gloves definitely!

As someone who is used to jumping where the landing area is mainly dirt I will always jump with gloves (unless I forget them at home, that is ).

Also, while in freefall, you can hurt yourself by accidentally bumping into someone and it’s always good to wear them for the same reason you wear a helmet (I hope you do ).

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:54:58 +0000

Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest. diflucan online

By: cw

cw — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:51:51 +0000

Started AFF in September and the weather was still nice (Northern CA). 2 weekends ago it finally started to get chilly and I had to consider gloves as my hands looked and felt raw upon the first landing of the day. Borrowed some snazzy bright green gardening gloves for the rest of the day – my hands stayed warm and were protected during a crash landing. Finally bought some baseball gloves and they worked wonders this past weekend! Yes, I was nervous about feeling the hackey and being able to grip it…I must have done handle touches a hundred times on the way to altitude! Not sure if I will continue to wear them into spring/summer.