(Photo by Skydive the Ranch)

I went skydiving for the third time on Saturday, and this was by far my best experience. After the first two times you really know what to expect, and if you’re jumping with friends who have never done it before then it really makes you appreciate how daunting the jump can be for the first time.

I had the honor of jumping with Reuben Roach, Nick Mooney, and Bruce Winter this time. It was Nick and Bruce’s first time but they both handled it well. Most people say they want to try skydiving, but not everyone takes the opportunity to do it.

For their first time, we were jumping in 30 degree weather, with ice still on the tables as we did our check-in. With a falling speed of more than 100 miles per hour, that means it was set to be a nearly zero degree jump.

That being said it was a clear day, so the sun was warm, with still beautifully fall colored trees.

We jumped at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, New York. This was the third time I’ve jumped there, and each time I’ve been met with professionalism and an overall great experience.

Everyone wore masks throughout the entire process, and instead of handshakes people did fist bumps because of the coronavirus.

Normally I’d have the experience recorded, but I opted out of the recording this time to save some money. I somewhat regret that choice at this point, because the videos they provide are a great way to relive the experience, and now I only have my lackluster memory to rely on.

I will say that I was able to relax much more this time. With a brief thought of, “Here we go again,” before jumping out of the plane, I was able to really take everything in on the way up and down.

With the adrenaline pumping, everyone reported that they hardly felt the cold.

One of the tandem jumpers we rode up with said he has more than 10,000 jumps on record, and a part of me wonders if he still finds it exciting. When I go back next year I’ll have to ask him about it, and see what his thoughts are on the experience as a whole.

For anyone who is interested in skydiving but hasn’t taken the opportunity to do it, I would say give it a shot. It’s kind of like a roller coaster ride, you don’t have to do much besides enjoy the experience.

If I could recommend one thing to a first time skydiver, I would suggest you bring some friends along for the experience. It’s a unique shared experience and a great conversation starter.