What To Wear When Skydiving In The Cold

Can you go skydiving in winter? Sure! You just have to be a little more prepared for the experience than you would if you were jumping on a steamy summer day. If you know what to do, you not only can jump in winter, you can enjoy wintertime skydiving! As long as the weather conditions are safe, skydiving is an all-season sport, and if you’re a snow bunny, you’re very much invited. Here’s how to prep.

1. Wear Dem Layers

On the ground, cold weather usually means your puffiest puffy jacket. Not so in skydiving! Instead of bringing your fluffiest down to get you down, bring a whole bunch of thin, close-fitting layers. They are really the best way to stay warm because they create insulating pockets of air in between them without adding freefall-inappropriate bulk. Most experienced wintertime skydiving pros love to layer up with a couple layers of fleece, which has the most appealing properties for this purpose–warmth, softness, weight-to-warmth ratio and ease of washability (when you end up sweating anyway because OMG SO EXCITING).

2. Thermal Up

Wear your sports thermals from top to bottom. We don’t just mean the waffle-textured thermal cotton your grandpa passed down to you (though you certainly could go that route, if you want to). We mean the stretchy thermal gear that cold-weather runners rock under their shorts and slick-lookin’ runners tees, or that snowsports folks use as a base layer. Some skydivers use wool base layers, others stretchy Under Armor. It’s a personal preference, really. The key is to make sure they move with the body and they’re designed to chase the cold.

3. Get Your Hands Under Cover

Hands, all the way out there at the ends of your arms, are super-vulnerable to cold weather. To keep them from getting chapped or painful at terminal velocity, wrap ‘em up! Bring some nice thick gloves–preferably, that secure shut around the wrists. Glove liners help, too.

4. Get Real About Your Personal Cold Tolerance

More of a beach person? Not really that into cold weather? We totally understand. If you’re the kind of adventurer who really doesn’t enjoy the cold, you might perhaps consider waiting ’till springtime to make your jump. The sky certainly isn’t going anywhere, and neither are we! If you’d prefer to jump into a sunnier New England than a snowier one, we’re happy to accommodate that preference. Just let us know when you book your reservation, and we’ll see you for shorts season!