To all of our subscribers, advertisers, contributors, website readers, printers, Twitter and Facebook followers, friends and family – thank you for an absolutely amazing year.

2009 saw Skydiving Magazine shut its doors after 30 years of trusty service to the skydiving community and a few months later, the birth of Blue Skies Magazine.  We are grateful for all the support we have received in the past few months and look forward to continue to put out the most kick-ass magazine we can.

Here is to a very happy 2010, beginning with only the mildest of hangovers.  Now lets go get this party started!

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If you happen to be a straight shooter with upper management written all over you, take note.  The PD Factory Team (aka Flight-1) is looking for a person of the organized variety to become their General Manager of Operations.   We don’t know exactly what that means, but it sounds fancy.

If you’d like more information about the position, check out their website.  On there is a link to their Facebook feed that you must click on, so we are guessing that fluidity in Facebook speak is a must.

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Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the official start of the countdown to summer. So what better time to report on the Endless Summer Boogie, held at Skydive San Diego November 21-22. It’s not possibly because this story has been sitting in my inbox for that long. No, that wouldn’t make any sense at all.

Endless Summer Boogie

by Chad

Nearly 44 years have passed since Director Bruce Brown and his ragtag crew tailed budding young pros Mike Hynson and Robert August across the globe with the ambitions of “following summer around the world”. The Endless Summer has since given birth to a way of life, a vibe, a longing to find what makes you happy and to simply go for it. Southern California’s crystal blue skies and wave-battered beaches no doubt evoke the very spirit that spawned the influential documentary. It’s this very same search for freedom, fun and family that lures skydivers all across the Golden State and beyond to Skydive San Diego’s Endless Summer Boogie. With world class load organizing, food, raffles, music, schwag, bungee-runs and beautiful weather, the Endless Summer Boogie has once again delivered and lived up to its lofty title.

Flyers at the Endless Summer Boogie are much like the diverse crowds of long and short boarders you’ll find scattered along the San Diego shoreline: a hodgepodge of young and old, new and well-weathered. Those that made their way to sunny Skydive San Diego were treated to load organizing from a broad array of talent and disciplines. Boogie-fevered freeflyers of all skill sets were rounded up by organizers Moo, David Gershfeld, Matt Lewis and Chad Ross. From three-way horny-gorillas to the Taft crew throwing down eight-way sequentials, anybody and everybody had an opportunity to get a little vertical. Not to be outdone, Gary McDonald, Julie Richter, and Padu Merloti led the horizontal front. Newbies and groms had a unique opportunity to partake in quality three-ways while the more seasoned boogie-goers were treated to multipoint big-way relative work. The end result: two full, safe and dynamic days of nonstop prop-turning fun.

Photos by Matt Lewis & Nick Boyd

And what would a boogie be without nightlife? As a heavy marine layer sleepily rolled in over head, the mood shifted from dirt diving and packing to rehashing the day’s shenanigans. During dinner, boogie organizer Matt Lewis raffled off Performance Design and Apex swag along with apparel from Gravity Gear, not to mention the handful of lucky ticket holders scoring killer deals from Cookie Composites, Velocity Sports Equipment, Precision Aerodynamics, UPT and Liquid Sky. As an added bonus, a bungee-run competition was held for anyone up for the challenge. Winners from both a men’s and women’s heat collected a handful of free jump tickets. A margarita slushy machine not only illuminated the course but aided in “rehydrating” the whiplashed racers.

Under a crisp San Diego night sky, DJ Moo set the vibe for the remainder of the evening with an imaginative compilation of music spanning generational genres. If one was lucky enough to catch it, even Terry (the drop zone’s veteran pilot) was doing a little twist and shout. In retrospect, the boogie-goers were doing what they do best: boogieing. Aided by an early southwest sunset, the party waltzed its way through the night in truly Endless Summer fashion.

The same year Brown was in the midst of filming his now epic documentary, a kite builder by the name of Domina Jalbert was in the process of designing what would later become the first of the ram-air canopies. The wonder and excitement of those days has fueled a growth in both sports. Brown’s was the sea, and ours is the sky. One thing will never change, however. And that is the spirit and passion to find and capture what makes you happy. Skydive San Diego’s Endless Summer Boogie is just that; a tide pool of people looking to find what makes them happy and, in turn, happily finding what makes this particular boogie so unique.

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Brett from Australia sent us a link to a very cool video indeed:

Off-Track to the 5th dimension

For some reason, fifth dimension makes me think of multivariable calculus, which I took from an odd Russian professor, with an econ major friend who took the class for the fun of it. Thankfully this video is a lot more enjoyable than that was.

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If you’re thinking of buying new gear anytime soon, now is the time to do it. Several manufacturers have announced price increases.

United Parachute Technologies (UPT): There will be a price increase on Sigmas and Sigma canopies effective January 1, 2010. Sigmas prices will be increasing to $5,340 (from $5,185). Tandem canopy prices will also be increasing. New prices for tandem canopies still to be determined. UPT

Aviacom (Argus AAD): The price will be increased from 939.00 Euros/$1244.00 to 955.00/$1399.90 Euros MSRP on February 1, 2010. All orders registered before February 1, 2010 and paid before March 1, 2010 will be supplied at the old price. Dealer discount structure remains the same. Argus

Vigil USA: Vigil 1 AAD pin units are now $1,320; Vigil 2 AAD pin units are now $1,470. Vigil

If you know of any more, post it in the comments or e-mail us at admin@blueskiesmag.com so we can get the word out. Happy shopping!

–Updates–
Performance Designs (PD): Performance Designs notified their dealers the beginning of this month that they would be releasing an updated price list for their products and services for 2010. No word which canopy prices will go up, go down or stay the same. PD has given their dealers a new price list for each of the last few years. From one year to the next, some models went up in price and some didn’t. Word is that the 2009 prices are effective through December 31st.

The Vigil price increase is just for the U.S. market; European prices will remain the same.

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National Geographic Adventure magazine is holding open voting for Readers’ Choice Adventurer of the Year (<-click that link to vote!), and dean potter is in the running for his fusion of rock climbing>

Read about him here. And take note – the December/January issue is the last for National Geographic Adventure, so snag your copy now.

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If you have our November issue, you know there are many compelling reasons to visit sunny Florida for all your jumping needs this winter (Cali, you’re next on our “Traveler’s Guide” list.) If you do not have our November issue, you can subscribe right here, super easy!

Back to the topic at hand, Chris from right here in DeLand, brings us news of some low-key big-way action:

There is an informal group meeting Saturdays at Skydive Deland for introductory big-ways. Martin Sutton is organizing group skydives for people who want to learn and get experience on larger formation skydives. He has the blessing of the DZ and folks like Carl Daughtery who participates occasionally. Here is a link to my YouTube site to see my 399th and 400th skydives on the big-ways. It’s been a lot of fun and everyone is learning a lot. Anyone is welcome to attend no matter your skill level. Everyone is considered in the dive plan so there is the best chance of everyone being in and gaining confidence.

YouTube Link: MrSkyslut's #399 & #400

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