When is the Best Time To Skydive?
Spoiler alert: skydiving is great any time of year, any time of day!
But we all have our favorite seasons and other personal preferences, so let’s explore all the options.
Here is our guide to picking the best day for your jump.
What is the best time of year?
Let’s start with availability: even though most smaller skydiving operations close for the winter, Skydive Cross Keys is open for jumping year round. The only exception is the month of January, which is when we close for one month to let our staff take a break.
Winter jumps
But isn’t it cold in the winter? You betcha! It’s actually about 20 degrees colder at jump altitude than on the ground. Does it stop us? Not really. As long as you’re dressed for the weather, cold temperatures don’t affect the safety of the jump, or the amount of fun that you’re going to have! So if your birthday is in winter and you’re itching to go skydiving, by all means, go for it – just dress warm. Some jumpers even prefer that brisk air and snow covered views over the heat and humidity. And a plane filled with smelly skydivers. Just kidding, they don’t smell (that bad, anyway!)
If you’re a first time jumper, you will definitely have that extra power boost of adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine flooding through your system, that will help keep you warm! (If you want to learn what goes on in your brain when you jump out of a plane, read this blog post!).
Some quick tips for winter jumps: make sure to wear extra layers, gloves, neck warmers and hats – especially fleece ones are great. Thermals are a winter skydiver’s savior too. More PRO tips on winter skydiving here…
Summer jumps
Are you more of a summer babe? That’s totally cool too, most people are! The breeze up at altitude feels absolutely amazing compared to the heat on the ground. And you can show off your sweet muscles for the camera, like these guys. Summer jumps don’t require as much preparation. Just remember to stay hydrated, use sunscreen and stay in the shade while you wait for your turn to go up. Summer is definitely the most popular season among skydivers, so prepare to have a bit of a wait, especially on weekends.
Spring & Fall
If you are the Goldilocks type like some of us – spring and fall are perfect for you. Not too hot and not too cold, it will be just right! Springtime and fall both have comfortable temperatures and nice weather, and the dropzones aren’t as busy so you can enjoy a more relaxed pace. The views in fall deserve a special mention – the foliage looks magical from above!
Weekdays vs. weekends
Is there a better day of the week, you ask? Let’s explore.
Weekdays are pretty relaxed around the dropzone: the pace is slower, there’s no waiting in line. You’ll get to meet some skydivers, watch some jumps, and enjoy our laid back vibe. Some weekdays you almost have the place to yourself, while everyone else is at work. Isn’t that an awesome feeling?
Weekends are quite the opposite, and add an extra bit of excitement to your experience. There’s usually at least 100 people around the hangar (more in the summer months). People are landing, packing, de-briefing, dirt-diving (that’s what we call practicing your skydive on the ground). You’ll see many other first time jumpers just like yourself, loads of license jumpers goofing off with their friends, planes flying all day, and heaps of parachutes in the sky. It’s a fast pace, but it’s great to be in the middle of so much action.
To be honest, we love what we do any day – whether a weekday or a weekend, you will have an awesome time.
Quick summary – If you are more of a relax on the beach kind of person, come jump on a weekday and enjoy the laid back vibe. If you tend to be more attracted to the hubbub and excitement of a fast paced place, you’ll love our dropzone on a weekend!
Lastly, what is the best time of day?
We do get this question a lot, and the answer is really – whatever works for you! You want to be fully awake, aware and at your peak to get the most out of your experience. If you’re a morning person, book a jump for the morning! If you’re like me and even the thought of a morning appointment makes you groggy – sleep in and book in the afternoon. Morning slots tend to move a little faster, while afternoon appointments tend to have a little wait time. Morning views have beautiful light for your freefall photos and videos; day time tends to be bright and warm, and afternoon and evening come with great sunsets. There is really no best time of day because they’re all that good. Heck, you should actually book 3 jumps throughout one day and compare the 3 experiences. You’ll be amazed how they’re all different, yet equally mind blowing. (Read about what happens on your 2nd and 3rd tandem jump here!)
What about the weather?
Skydiving is definitely weather dependent: we don’t push the limits with Mother Nature. However, we don’t really know what the weather is going to be on any particular day a hundred percent: the forecasts tend to be unreliable. Our best recommendation is, book your jump for the day that works for you. If you have any concerns about the weather on the day of, give us a cal before you head out! We are completely flexible with rescheduling your appointment to another day if the weather doesn’t cooperate. You can learn more about what weather factors affect skydiving in our blog post here.
Ready to book? Let’s get you in the sky!