Adult summer camp – skydiving style.

Have you been to adult summer camp?

I guess I haven’t either, but I found the closest thing to it – Summerfest at Skydive Chicago. I mentioned in another post that this was one of my skydiving goals for the summer and what an adventure it was.

Summerfest is a skydiving boogie. For non-skydivers, this means a skydiving event or party – more accurately 10 epic days of skydiving with some of the best load organizers and coaches during the day with endless events and activities at night.

I skydive in Canada, where dropzones are comparatively small. What a culture shock it was to show up to a dropzone that was essentially a closed community. I mean you did not even need to leave this place! The hangar was equipped with its own store, rigging loft, class rooms, restaurant and manifest building, bathrooms, theatre and all with air-conditioning. They have two twin otters, a skyvan, a caravan and a helicopter for the event.

Behind the huge landing area you could find a large pond to swim, disk-golf, cabins, the tiki-hut and endless camping. This was all bordered by a huge row of vendors set up for the boogie. The night’s festivities ranged from obstacle courses, bubble soccer, zip lining, lip syncing contests, flame throwers and Mario cart racing with roman candles. These events cumulated with a night-skydive with lights that ended with a massive fireworks display with a limo being launched off a ramp, complete with helicopter.

I also was lucky enough to:

• Jump from a skyvan for the first time.

• Jump from a helicopter for the first time.

• Participate in my first hybrid.

Photo credit: Norman Kent

• Do a sit fly “campfire.”

• Eat donuts in freefall for my friend’s birthday.

• Win a lip-syncing competition…never saw that coming.

Photo credit: Gearless Chris

Photo credit: Gearless Chris

That is one heck of an adult summer camp. If you are interested in seeing more, check out Join the Teem for their Summerfest coverage.