Misjudged glide angle based off thermal conditions, had object fixation on LZ, got into a no pull zone, low pull, 180 off heading opening, near cliff strike. Did a few things right and a lot of things wrong. All in all, lessons learned. Pull one from the luck jar. External video and commentary by Adrenaline Addiction. Exit: Notch Peak, Utah (West Face, 9,400’) July 5, 2019. 80 degrees Fahrenheit, 1-2mph head wind + thermals on exit and in flight, 5-10 mph varying headwind on landing with significant amount of rotor.
Suit: Phoenix Fly Onesie Power.
Gear: Crux, Hayduke Lite 260 sq ft., Slow Slider, Snatch 38 Sq Ft.
Things I did right:
I was current. Having just gotten back from Europe two weeks prior I had spent the past month improving my starts and glide and was comfortable and confident in my suit and ability.
I was rested, well fed, hydrated, and tuned-in both mentally and physically on exit.
I acted and corrected my off heading immediately without hesitating and sacrificing needed and precious seconds.
Gear. Say what you want about brand wars or wasting money on the “latest and greatest”, I can confidently say that if I were under a much older or less responsive canopy I most likely wouldn't have been able to turn it around as quickly and would have had a cliff strike. I’m a firm believer in spending the money for good gear, regardless of brand, especially early on when skills haven’t been honed through time and experience.
Things I did wrong:
I picked a target and LZ without any first or second hand knowledge of the line I was flying. This caused me to get tunnel vision and focus on that end goal rather than my surroundings.
Scouting: I used the remoteness and difficulty of getting to the LZ as an excuse to break my own rule of scouting the LZ before every new object. From 3,000’ up I assumed the canyon walls in the LZ were much taller and further apart than they really were.
I used rear risers instead of toggles in a situation where every foot of altitude was crucial.
Low pull. Spending the last week of my Euro trip in Lauterbrunnen I had gotten far too comfortable with pulling lower than normal. Big, open, grassy fields and sub 2,000’ flights can do that to you.
Pack Job - My pack job was from the end of my Euro trip leaving LB two weeks prior. Subsequently it was a last day, last minute, pack job before boarding my flight that was far from my typical OCD hour-long pack job. Once again, had I researched the flight and LZ more and given more thought to the technicality of the jump as a whole I would have repacked to make sure everything was top notch.
Slider choice. It could be coincidence, but I’ve noticed a significant amount of off heading openings with the slow slider vs the standard slider when one piece tracking. Once again, if I had repacked for this jump I would have used the standard slider vs the slow slider.
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