Thrill seekers fulfill lifelong dreams through skydiving

Heather Cory

Matt McClure, left, and Skydive Las Vegas dive master Justin Mocke land safely at Boulder City Airport. The duo reached speeds of 120 mph during their three mile drop.

By Jeff Pope

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 | midnight

Skydive Las Vegas

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Matt McClure can cross off No. 7 on his life's list of things to try at least once.

The 21-year-old banker recently left the safety of an airplane and experienced the thrill of free fall at Skydive Las Vegas, based at Boulder City Municipal Airport.

Prior to his maiden leap, McClure, who lives in Summerlin, was generally looking forward to the experience.

His friend Amanda Walthers, who marked her 23rd birthday by skydiving, was more hesitant. While filing out paperwork, she forgot her address.

"I'm freaking out," she said.

After gliding safely to earth harnessed to an experienced skydiver, Walthers of Centennial Hills looked pale but said she had fun. McClure, who had been so confident on the ground, said skydiving may have been the stupidest thing he's ever done. But, he said, he didn't regret trying it once.

"I don't want to tempt fate again," he said. "I got that story now, so I'll move on to another extreme sport."

The desire to launch one's own body from an airplane, free fall at raceway speeds and glide safely back to solid ground under a canopy of Nylon is the fulfillment of a life-long dream for many people, said chief skydiving instructor Mike Burgess.

"I think since childhood everybody has always imagined what it would be like to fly, and I think that's probably what draws most people," he said. "Then, of course, there's the excitement and the adrenaline of it."

To be accurate, skydiving is not flying but falling gracefully.

Skydive Las Vegas takes divers to 15,000 feet, or nearly three miles, above the ground. Divers free fall for about a minute at 120 mph before the chute deploys and they glide for five to seven minutes back to earth.

While airborne, skydivers can simultaneously view Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California, Mt. Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, the entire Strip, Valley of Fire, Lake Las Vegas, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. On clear days, the western edge of Grand Canyon National Park is visible.

That's assuming, of course, their eyes are open.

"It kind of feels like you're floating but until you do it, you can't describe it to anybody. It's the type of thing you really have to go and experience for yourself," Burgess said.

Instructors provide a 20-minute lesson on the basics of tandem diving before taking off. Divers must weigh less than 240 pounds and be in relatively good health.

Each jump master has a minimum of three years in the sport, at least 500 jumps and is certified to perform tandem dives.

Burgess, who in 16 years of skydiving has made 13,000 jumps — 9,500 of them tandem jumps with first-timers — said very few people chicken out or get sick from the fall.

"You get a smile stuck to your face for about two weeks," he said. "When they get done, they'll never look at the sky the same way again."

Neither will those on the ground watching as their friends and family members appear in the wild blue yonder as tiny white dots trailing from the plane. They stood by a fence marking off the landing zone, trying in vain to identify the jumpers so they could snap pictures.

Following his first-ever jump, 50-year-old David Levin of Fort Lee, N.J., informed his mother by phone of his death-defying birthday celebration.

"She said, 'That's wonderful. It's the kind of thing you do once in your lifetime and never again,'" Levin said, emphasizing the word "never."

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or jeff.pope@hbcpub.com.