There are a lot of strange traditions and terminology used in skydiving. Many of this sounds super strange to non-skydivers or to jumpers new to the sport. I often laugh, thinking how crazy we must sound, when having conversations about skydiving. And skydive names are no different, wingsuit rodeo, horny gorilla – like what? Seriously though, imagine how it must sound to someone near by, when you and your friends are talking about the super cool 3-way that you had this past weekend. They would probably glance over and give you some strange looks. Honestly, do you blame them? Some skydiving terminology is quite ridiculous. And so, this week lets have a laugh over the top 5 strange skydive names!
Horny gorilla
Imagine what the heck someone would think, if they heard you talking about a horny gorilla. This is an absolutely hilarious and strange skydive name. I think it might be the skydive name that would get the most sideward glances if you spoke of it in public.
So what is a horny gorilla skydive? Well, a horny gorilla is when skydivers exit the aircraft, with their legs wrapped or linked together in the middle. And now the skydivers grip their legs tightly together and are all facing each other in freefall. They begin to beat their hands on their chests like a gorilla. And this is what a horny gorilla skydive is! You can do it with two or more people, and its a funny way to exit the aircraft.
Where did this strange skydive name come from? If you know, please share with us the origins of this funny skydive name.
Wingsuit rodeo
This is another strange skydive name but when you know what it is, the name is actually fitting! So lets break it down real quick. A wingsuit is one of those suits that skydivers or base jumpers wear when jumping from a plane or from a mountain. It is likely most people know these “squirrel suits” from YouTube videos of base jumpers flying super close to mountain sides. Next we have rodeo. Imagine what happens at a rodeo, people get on the back of a bull and ride it, holding on for the bumpy ride, trying to keep on the back of the bull.
Ok, so now that we broke it down, can you imagine what a wingsuit rodeo is? A wingsuit rodeo is when a skydiver with a wingsuit exits the plane with a normal skydiver holding onto their back. The normal skydiver holds onto the wingsuiters skydive container while sitting on the wingsuiters back and together they fly in freefall. Its lie a magic carpet ride at 10,000 ft.
It can be tricky to exit the plane and hold onto the wingsuiter without falling off or you guys going into a crazy spin. So when the wingsuit rodeo works successfully, it is a lot of fun. Most of the time some more wingsuiters are flying beside you guys, and t of course there is some epic footage. A wingsuit rodeo is a strange skydive name, but it is a crazy amount of fun!
Swoop’n’chug
Strange name? Yes. Fun? Also yes. Skydive swooping is referring to high performance canopy piloting and landing. Instead of landing your parachute in a conservative manor, swooping basically means you make landing your parachute as badass as possible. Canopy pilots perform manoeuvres to increase the speed and distance across the ground when landing. Maybe the word swoop itself is not that strange, its actually kind of fun! But when you say swoop’n’chug, yes its a bit of a peculiar name.
Surely you know what it means to chug. And if not, it must have been a while since your teenage years. Don’t worry we won’t tell anyone. To chug is to drink a large amount of alcohol, most likely beer, in a one single action. So put it all together, swoop n’ chug! High speed performance canopy landing, with one of your mates waiting in the landing area holding a beer. The skydiver should swoop their canopy and land while grabbing the beer that is being held out to them. What comes next? The chug obviously!
Just a quick note that should be pretty obvious. There is no more jumping after a swoop’n’chug skydive. That is it for the day, and now its time to celebrate the jumping day!
Hop’n’pop
Do you know what is better than a coffee to start your day? A hop’n’pop! This is another strange name for a type of skydive, but it is a very common skydive. A hop’n’pop refers to when a skydiver exits the aircraft and deploys their parachute immediately. Normally a skydiver jumps from a high altitude and experiences freefall for about 50-60 seconds prior to deploying their parachutes. However, in a hop’n’pop, a skydiver is exiting the aircraft at a much lower altitude, so their is no time to experience free fall. The jumper must deploy their parachute immediately in a hop’n’pop.
So why do skydivers make hop’n’pop jumps? Well, its a great way for canopy pilots (swoopers) to practise their high performance canopy piloting. They do no have to go all the way to full altitude. Its much more time efficient to only go to 4000-5000 feet. The jumper is able to get out of aircraft, land and pack for the next skydive, much quicker than if they went all the way to full altitude, completed free fall and then deployed their parachute.
2-way or 3-way
To me, I think this is a hilarious way to refer to a skydive. The strange name, 2-way or 3-way is actually a very obvious meaning in terms of skydiving. It means, two people jumping together, or three people. Quite self explanatory really. However, it is a strange name for a skydive in the sense that if someone doesn’t know what you are talking about, they might think you are referring to another type of thee-way that you had this weekend. I am sure you can let your imagination run wild with how strange it would sound to someone over hearing your conversation!
Why do we like 2-ways or 3-way skydives? Well, its an awesome way to have a more personal and intimate jump with your buddies. Actually, we have a whole article about why we love 2-way skydives, and you should check it out here!
Keep coming back
As you can see there are some strange names for skydives, but trust me there is a lot of fun behind the names! And although we often forget how funny we skydivers must sound to others, there are moments when we can reflect and have a laugh at our sport. We can’t take ourselves to seriously while throwing our bodies out of perfectly good airplanes! Are there any other strange skydive names that you can think of? Please share with me, if you know any!
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