Diana Martin checks her altitude during an AFF jump with instructors Erin Engelsen (left) and Dennis Dorman at Skydive the Ranch in Gardiner, New York.

A freefall photographer caught this damage to his closing loop, which was relatively new, while packing during a busy weekend of jumping.

If you’re a northern jumper, winter gives you the opportunity to travel south, experience new DZs and get a break from the freezing weather. However, if you aren’t able to travel to warmer climates during the winter months, you’ll need to store your gear.

At its summer board meeting in Arlington, Virginia, the USPA Board approved significant changes to Skydiver’s Information Manual Section 7-2—Professional Exhibition Rating.

With the dog days of summer behind us and the home stretch of the skydiving season approaching, it’s important for jumpers to keep their guards up. July is typically the most fatal month in sheer numbers, but the fatality rate stays consistently high through October, even as the season begins winding down.