Flying into the Red Rock Rendezvous
With Beaver (the founder of prAna) flying the Skydive Moab Hot Rod, and the crew from Skydive Moab along for the adventure (Keith and Mario), this was a really fun day!
And the best way I could think of to get to the Red Rock Rendezvous and put some mileage on my new prAna wings….
new life goal.
Hi, watching this made me realise how dependent upon aviation fuel skydiving/wingsuit flying from a plane must be. Does this reliance upon aviation fuel factor in your approach to the sport? It just occurs to me as Prana say under the heading ‘sustainability’ in their website: “We’re always looking for new ways to fold the intention of sustainability into our materials and practices, working to reduce the impact on soils, water supplies and other natural resources.” Yet at the same time they are advertising though a sport reliant upon exploitation of natural resources. It strikes me as a little inconsistent with their stated intentions.
I don’t mean to be critical. And I know you are not responsible for Prana and their policies. I am also ignorant of the true environmental impact of flying those planes, I mean it may be less driving than a car. But wanted to know whether you have had similar thoughts, and if so what conclusions you reached.
it’s a very good question, and fuel is something I think about a lot…..I used to get annoyed at people riding ATVs on the trails here in Moab as I was running, until I reflected on the fact that I drive my car to get to the trails I run on, and I drive my car or ride in jetplanes overseas to go climbing (and have done for 20 years…..).
To answer your question about this demo jump at the Red Rocks Rendezvous: the Cessna we used for the jump took 6 gallons of fuel. As a comparison, I fill my gas tank at home every week (a Honda Fit, which gets about 40 mpg) with about 12 gallons of gas, just in doing my normal, local activities. All the participants at the Rendezvous drove their cars, trucks or RVs to the event, and some people flew into the Vegas airport before driving to the site. As climbers, our fuel consumption is never as small as we might hope. Until we can commit to never driving again, and only riding our bikes to work and play, we will continue to consume. As another comparison, when you take a commercial flight on a large airplane, it takes about 150 gallons of fuel just to clear the runway (though as always nothing is black and white, because this plane is carrying a large number of passengers who might otherwise drive their own cars to the destination, possibly using even more fuel cumulatively). Thoughts about fuel use and consumption always lead me to nylon and synthetics–the building blocks of ropes, slings, technical clothing, parachutes and food wrappers, all of which use petroleum to create. So I guess my conclusions have been to live as simply as I can (recycling everything from food packaging to the home I live in, re-using as much as I can on a daily basis, riding my bike for errands and driving a fuel-efficient car for trips, being vegan, adopting animals), and continue to enjoy the outdoors, knowing that I am still creating an impact but with as small a footprint as I can. This meshes with prAna’s philosophy: existing in the real world in a real way, doing the best you can to live joyfully and mindfully, doing the best you can to minimize your impact and doing the best you can to live your dreams.
Yeah Steph, thanks for your thoughts. Perhaps it is a case of balance. Always remembering that we live with the technology of 2012 – not 1612!
Although I can see a distinction, albeit a fine one, between transportation and the use of fuel for the actual pursuit of the sport. EG you driving to the trail in order to run, as opposed to driving to the trail in order to consume more fuel by driving an ATV.
Climbing is pretty well neutral in effect. But, the materials used in out sport are toxic, yet we (I) overlook that fact in order to climb. We travel and consume fuel in order to climb, yet we (I) overlook that fact in order to climb. In fact, would I be less of an impact if I stayed at home and watched TV instead? This is part of the problem with taking a particular position on a subject like environmental impact and converting that stance into a virtue/moral. It opens that position up to question or challenges of inconsistency/hypocrisy. Especially where that position is designed to assist with the aim of commercial gain.Maybe it is more straightforward, as you are, to accept that some breach of the principles of ‘rightful living’ will occur if you have a lifestyle that unavoidably means canning loads of fuel/plastic for fun.
Cool website
thanks Dan, and thanks for the good discussion!
You’re an inspiration; wish I had the courage… it’s an experience just watching!
we’re glad you liked it 🙂
[…] you can then fulfill the requirements to obtain a pro rating which allows you to do demo jumps for exhibitions at events, and this is always a really fun experience jumping into unique places where normally you’d […]