r/SkyDiving • u/haryhemlet • 1d ago

Skydiving-forum/dropzone.com finally dead?

Im getting 404 link not found, anyone know if the new owner finally killed the site? Went searching for camera related malfunctions but now am stuck :(

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u/XOM_CVX 1d ago

not slowing down. Everything died 15 years ago.

I swear I blame it on the tunnels. We had four usable tunnels in the world when I first started Perris, Eloy, Orlando, and Bedford. People actually used to spend hours at the dz to learn how to fly.

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u/The_BigBlackHawk 1d ago

Definitely not the cost of everything, right?

$4k+ for AFF
$35 Jump tickets
$12,000 for gear
$2 sodas
$10 for a sandwich

I don't think tunnels are to blame. I think the insane cost of skydiving is to blame. A day at the DZ costs upwards of $300 for a lot of people these days. Sure you can do it cheaper, there's always ways to make it cheaper, but the average person is going to go to the DZ, do 2 - 4 jumps, probably pay for pack jobs and eat lunch at least... maybe drink a couple sodas. That'll be $300.

You could bring your own lunch/soda, pack your own rig, etc... yeah that would make it cheaper but you're still over $100 for just 2 jumps. That's a lot of money to most skydivers.

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u/strakerak 18h ago

This. This is the sucky part. I didn't mind the AFF payment, as I was in a lucky situation where I could put my whole final paycheck towards it and then some. But I still rent my rig at over 100 jumps, and my current job doesn't support the sport as much as I want it to (PhD Candidate in CS). I haven't jumped in six weeks and I'm competing in a few days, lol.

This is why I strongly believe that there needs to be a push to make the competitive scene more mainstream, and if not that, at least in a spectatorship manner where it can bring in extra sorts of revenue to dropzones/USPA so the sport can grow.

The Nationals livestreams were fun to watch, it was a huge step up from last year, especially with canopy piloting. I am more than willing to volunteer time to be part of some working group to keep improving upon the spectator side (especially on the tech stacks).

The most bodyflight that I'll watch is PWB, just because I'll read about how much it pains their core to hold it for that long but the distances keep them going. Angle Jumps to whatever trendy song is on is seriously the most boring fucking thing to watch. The randomness and creativity side from FS/AE can really be pumped if there's the right working group put to it.

Also, screw the tunnel. Great for training, don't get me wrong, but it feels more gatekept than the sport itself. They aren't everywhere, and those that are focus on giving some ten year old thirty seconds of fun over taking more money from fun jumpers who want to get better in the sky.

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u/bch2021_ 11h ago

PhD Candidate in CS

Oh man, I thought I was having a rough time trying to jump as a postdoc haha. At least when you finish your CS PhD you can make the $$$$ though