How To Prepare Your Hair And Beard For Skydiving

Preparing your hair for skydiving is pretty basic: get it securely out of your face. Let’s hop into why it’s important to prepare your hair and beard for one of the funnest (and fastest!) rides of your life. 

Hey, You’re Blocking My Peepers

That’s right, if you, as a tandem student, fail to secure your locks for the skydive you run the risk of clouding your instructors’ vision. We do not require our tandem students to wear helmets, which makes it even more critical to manage that mop! Imagine whizzing through the sky at about 120 miles per hour (oh yeah) with some precious cargo strapped to the front of your body and then not being able to see – please no! Your tandem instructor is a professional with at least 500 skydives, and your safety is at the forefront of their mind from the second you walk in the door until gliding onto land. 

A Slap In The Face

Not only does not having your trendy tresses tied back run the risk of temporary vision impairment, but it can really hurt. That’s right, hair whipping around at such a furious speed can cause some serious slap marks – to your face and your instructor’s! We want you looking tip-top for that awesome skydiving video, and some nasty red marks aren’t very conducive for cute pics. 

Owie, Don’t Pull My Hair! 

Having your hair free-fallin’ with you creates the potential of it being a snag hazard. A snag hazard is anything that has the potential to catch onto something that can then result in a potentially hazardous situation. For example, did you know that skydivers are recommended to have a minimum of 200 skydives to wear a camera? How come? It adds some extra surface area that can hitch onto something in a very, very bad way (like the lines of a parachute). 

Items that can fall into the common “snag hazard” category are all jewelry (especially rings), loose shoelaces, baggy clothing, and yes … hair! We don’t want your hair snagging on the door of the airplane (ouch!) or getting wrapped around your face, so get it back! Note: Bobby pins (or any type of hard clip) is a biggg no. Those little pins can become darts and fly off your head and into your instructor’s face. 

Don’t Block Your Smile

While we always put safety first, skydivers often joke about jump priorities by saying, “Look good, have fun, safety third.” OBVIOUSLY this is a joke, but let’s be real, looking good is important! When we look better, we feel better. And like we said earlier, we don’t want your beard or hair windmilling around your face and compromising your photos and videos! 

Sooo, How Can I Tie My Hair And Beard Back? 

Tie your hair back in a way that makes you the most comfortable. We want you to feel good on your jump day, and we generally recommend soft ponytail holders or elastics. If you like tying your hair in a low bun, go for it! There’s no need to attempt a high bun or complex braid if it’s not your thing – the day of your tandem skydive already has enough firsts! 

If Gandalf or Jason Mamoa in Game of Thrones are your role models and you’ve taken after their luxurious face fur, tie it down to ensure that beard-eating isn’t in the cards. We promise it’s much less embarrassing to braid the beard than it is to have to chop it from being so knotted. 

Can I Wear A Head Covering ? 

We advise against relying on a wrap or hat to keep your hair secure. Keep in mind you’ll be rocketing through the sky, and it could fly off.  If you choose to cover your hair for religious reasons, you are still welcome to come experience the freedom of soaring through the skies with us! We want you to be comfortable during your skydive and can figure out a way to make sure that happens. 

What If My Hair Comes Loose!?

If your scrunchie decides to betray you and fly off into the unknown, it’s okay! You honestly won’t even think twice about it until you land and your friends look at you like … well, like you just fell from the sky! And although you won’t look picture-perfect, it’ll be very evident that you had a blast! We recommend picking up some detangler and some extra patience on your way home, though. If you’re worried about your do coming undone, double-tie it! 

Pulling your hair and beard back will save you from the emotional and physical headache you’ll have if you don’t. Please contact us with any questions! Blue skies!