Smoke on the ... Everything

Competitors at the Canopy Piloting World Championships are plagued by the dense smoke that has engulfed the area.  So, at breakfast in the hotel, PD Factory Team members and some of the South African delegation decided to bond with the locals with a few vodka toasts to set the morning off.  The smoke is pretty thick outside so our chances of jumping are low.  These guys started the meet roulette game early.

Breakfast of Champions

While many of you will have been following the outstanding achievements that have been going on at the World Championships in Russia, you might not be aware of the other dangers that are present.  The Canopy Piloting World Championships is about start at Kolomna, near Moscow.

Competitors are still arriving and some have been here for a week.  But Moscow and huge parts of Russia are engulfed in smoke from peat fires that have arisen after the unusually high temperatures this year.  Many of the competitors that gave such inspiring performances in all of the disciplines that have already competed are still stranded in Moscow- the staging airport on their homeward journey.  They should get out in time, coughing and spluttering, but for some of us our competition hasn’t even started yet.  In fact, an Air Base in the town where the competition will be held was recently consumed by the fires and 200 aircraft were destroyed.  Just a few hundreds metres from one of the hotels that we’re staying in there are blackened trees showing how close the fire came.

But now the fires are heading to Chernobyl and there’s a risk of radioactive material mixing with the drifting smoke.  Canada and Poland are evacuating their embassies and the Russian Surgeon General has recommend that anyone that can leave the area should do so.

All this sounds pretty challenging and our lack of on-site training jumps is a real concern.  But really the more problematic issues are that of a huge bunch of skydivers hanging out and not having much to do.  This is when it gets dangerous and mischief comes in to play.  So watch this space to see how it plays out (assuming we’re not consumed by the smoke and fires that is).

The Canopy Piloting World Cup started in South Africa on Wednesday and is due to conclude on Sunday.  So far 2 rounds of Speed have been completed and, with the exception of 4 re-jumps, 2 rounds of Distance have also been completed.  This included Canadian competitor and PD Factory Team member Jay ‘Sexy Pony Tail’ Moledzki smashing the World Record with an impressive 175.92m on round 2 on his Comp Velo 79.   This currently leaves him in first position with almost a 40 point lead ahead of some strong competition.  The 5,000′ elevation and changing wind conditions have resulted in a large number of zero scores.

For skydivers, weather holds can be the most dangerous time, particularly at a Canopy Piloting World Cup.  For some, there was time to kill, and the Australian delegation challenged some of the other nations to an improvised game of indoor (well, in-tent) cricket.  Others took the time to get some much needed rest, particularly following the early starts we’ve been having with 0530 take-offs.  Here are a few pictures of competitors resting while they wait for the winds to drop.

Smile! You're on BlueSkies Camera!

So, for your viewing entertainment, we bring you the first day of Last Big Splash. Let us know what you think (but be kind, it’s our first foray into video-land!) and enjoy!

We’ll also have several sweet photos from photographer Justin Carmody in the November issue of Blue Skies Mag, so keep your eye out for that—and stay tuned for Day Two of Last Big Splash…

Photo by Thomas Gurski

German swooper Moritz Friess trekked across the Atlantic in order to train and compete at the new pond at Skydive Spaceland in Texas, the host of the 2009 USPA Nationals coming up in October.

This is a photo of him going the distance in the distance event (duh) – 480ft which qualifies as a new German national record (pending).  Only Hans Paulsen of Skydive the Farm, Georgia managed to eek past Moritz going 510 ft, which is a new Texas state record (pending as well).

Moritz went on to take first place overall against some hefty competition.  Pun intended, this is Texas after all.  Local swooper Justin Priece came in 2nd and Hans Paulsen took third.

By Mike Shatalov

10. It’s a new lineset, the canopy just doesn’t fly right!
9. I was just practicing a new turn/trying something new.
8. Didn’t get laid/got laid too much last night.
7. The wind pushed the top skin of my canopy causing me to sink in the turn/move off course.
6. My chest strap was so long it created extra drag.
5. I was laughing too hard after watching Ian Drennan face plant.
4. Man, i caught a thermal at like 1000 feet, that threw my turn way off and caused me to vertical.
3. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and reflected the light from Venus into my eyes.
2. I had an extra serving of the weak sauce with my steak last night.
1. I just got scared.

Got a better excuse for your lame swoop? Don’t be greedy—add it to the comments and share the excuses.