 | Let's start this story with a confession and understatement: my Friday the 13th trackrecord isn't the best ever. I'm not superstitious, but did manage to get my heart broken 3 times on a Friday the 13th within 3 years BY THE SAME GUY, among other things. Maybe it's a coincidence (I also could've been smarter and should've left after the first time) but it does make one wonder...right? I always check the calendar to see whether the 13th is on a Friday so I can at least try to not tempt fate on those days and avoid planning events that could potentially end bad (like 1st dates or jumping off a snowy mountain with a parachute). You know, just in case. But last February I forgot to check and I ended up parapenting from a Swiss mountain... |
Skydiving (from a plane) or parapenting (paragliding, no plane) were both high on my bucket list (it's a cliché), every time I was in Switzerland I could see the parachutes across the valley, but every time I tried to book my own 'jump' the weather turned bad or there wasn't a free spot left. Last February I got lucky: they had an opening on Friday morning! Without thinking twice I said YES and on Friday, my mom (who volunteered to be my chauffeur/photographer/mental coach) and I drove across the valley and took the skilift to the top. It was in the skilift I found out it was a Friday the 13th- that may explain my face in the first photo. But I was fine, suddenly a teeny tiny bit worried maybe, but otherwise fiiiine. On top of the mountain I met Antoine, my instructor, who mumbled 'you're very short' under his breath when I introduced myself. I thought my shortness was debatable, his tallness, however, wasn't. Antoine was at least 2 meters tall.
After going over the basics he helped me into the harnas-diaper (probably not the official word) and handed me a helmet. I was hoping for a cool black or silver helmet (you know, something that would look fierce in the photo's) but NO- Antoine and I were stuck with weird, bright YELLOW hats. And with the shape of my face and the fact that I don't tan very well (a.k.a. I was pale as a ghost once again), I looked like a freaking fluorescent egg. In the meantime we had to change spots 4 times and move to the other side of the mountain & back again because the wind kept changing, causing a solo parapenter to nearly get caught in the skilift below us. I got a bit nervous, thinking 'the universe' was telling me that jumping off a mountain wasn't a good idea today but Antoine stayed positive. Meanwhile my mom was running around like an almost professional photographer and saying great helpful things like 'I'm so glad it's you and not me!'
When we finally got to jump the height difference between Antoine and me (maybe I'm shorter than I thought) made everything a bit tricky, trying to run synchronously down a hill in particular, but we managed and within seconds we were flying over the slopes and the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful while the adrenalin was racing through my veins at the same time, unlike anything I'd ever done before. I was freezing my ass off and lost all feeling in my nose, but it was awesome. After a while Antoine decided it was (insert French accent) 'Selfie Tiiime' and he attached a GoPro camera to a selfie stick, yelling 'SMILE!' from somewhere behind me.
After going over the basics he helped me into the harnas-diaper (probably not the official word) and handed me a helmet. I was hoping for a cool black or silver helmet (you know, something that would look fierce in the photo's) but NO- Antoine and I were stuck with weird, bright YELLOW hats. And with the shape of my face and the fact that I don't tan very well (a.k.a. I was pale as a ghost once again), I looked like a freaking fluorescent egg. In the meantime we had to change spots 4 times and move to the other side of the mountain & back again because the wind kept changing, causing a solo parapenter to nearly get caught in the skilift below us. I got a bit nervous, thinking 'the universe' was telling me that jumping off a mountain wasn't a good idea today but Antoine stayed positive. Meanwhile my mom was running around like an almost professional photographer and saying great helpful things like 'I'm so glad it's you and not me!'
When we finally got to jump the height difference between Antoine and me (maybe I'm shorter than I thought) made everything a bit tricky, trying to run synchronously down a hill in particular, but we managed and within seconds we were flying over the slopes and the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful while the adrenalin was racing through my veins at the same time, unlike anything I'd ever done before. I was freezing my ass off and lost all feeling in my nose, but it was awesome. After a while Antoine decided it was (insert French accent) 'Selfie Tiiime' and he attached a GoPro camera to a selfie stick, yelling 'SMILE!' from somewhere behind me.
In the back of my mind I heard a friend with skydiving experience once telling me 'whatever you do, don't open your mouth because you won't be able to close it again and you'll look like an idiot in all the photo's' but the selfie stick was pointing at me, Antoine yelled 'SMILE!' again and I don't cope well with people yelling so I obliged and smiled. Big mistake, HUGE mistake: the second I did, the cold wind air-dried my tongue, teeth and gums and my face froze mid-smile. I knew I wasn't photogenic but those pics took things to another level. As the ground came closer I kept repeating 'I'm named after a bird, I'll be fine' in my head, I knew it didn't make sense (I do however share my first name with a bird) but it was the only thing I could come up with at 2000m. with my face freezing off. Antoine repeated the drill one more time, 'When we touch the ground, start running!', but with at least 200 meters to go till landing, I totally panicked- and started running. In the air. Dry-running. It must've looked ridiculous from the ground looking up: a very tall guy and a short girl (with very short legs) air-running while looking like a bright yellow egg. I'm so happy my mother wasn't able to capture the landing from the skilift! While I was dry-running for dear life (like being chased by an army of Swiss yeti's) I was also kicking poor Antoine behind me who was yelling 'NOT YET, NOT YET!'. I got my act together and when we actually touched down a minute later, I almost outran Antoine's long legs. He had to yell 'It's not a race STOP RUNNING'. Yeah. It was embarrassing.
Anyway, I survived Friday the 13th while tempting fate/throwing myself off a mountain- and it was fun! The GoPro selfies are horrible and it took me a while to close my mouth fully again (and regain my sense of smell) after the landing, but it was fun! That being said, I forgot to check my calendar again last week and have agreed to a first date tonight- on Friday the 13th. But I'll be fine. Maybe accidentally tempting fate again but I'll be fiiine. Right?!
Anyway, I survived Friday the 13th while tempting fate/throwing myself off a mountain- and it was fun! The GoPro selfies are horrible and it took me a while to close my mouth fully again (and regain my sense of smell) after the landing, but it was fun! That being said, I forgot to check my calendar again last week and have agreed to a first date tonight- on Friday the 13th. But I'll be fine. Maybe accidentally tempting fate again but I'll be fiiine. Right?!
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