Just Plane Fun

Parachute is secured, goggles are in place and blood pressure is high. Maybe the highest it’s ever been. The 10-person plane throttles down the runway, there is no turning back. It was March 18, 1999, when Jeremy Divan first willingly jumped out of a moving airplane. Since then, he mastered the sport and has done it 9,000 more times. “I remember my first jump like it was yesterday,” says Divan, founder and owner of Glenwood Springs-based Roaring Fork Skydivers, the only skydiving facility in the valley. Skydiving falls on most bucket lists, and is the ultimate adventure for adrenaline-seekers. The opportunity to see the world like a bird—to fly in the sky—is a rush unlike any other. The thrill, in the first 10 seconds, is utterly terrifying and incredibly exciting at the same time. But sensory overload quickly kicks in with the welcome views of majestic Mount Sopris and the Flat Tops Wilderness. Roaring Fork Skydivers offers tandem skydiving and this summer, the company debuts a training program that will teach jumpers how to become certified skydivers, obtain their license and allow them to jump alone. Divan, a pro-rated skydiver, is all about safety, and he wants to share the sport so that everyone else can get their own first. roaringforkskydivers.com