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Skydive Midwest
4 reviews for Skydive Midwest
I did it folks! I had my first (and definitely not last) skydiving experience this weekend. There aren't enough words to describe the actual experience so suffice it to say it was amazing and intense to say the least. We had a group of 7 total and everyone loved it so if you've ever thought about doing it... go! And when you do decide to take the plunge, pun intended, personally I think you should go to Skydive Midwest. After hearing some rumors about various places to skydive that are close to Chicago we decided to go to Skydive Midwest even though it's 90 minutes away in Wisconsin. I'm glad we did.
The people working there are friendly in a no-nonsense kind of way. They will answer any questions that you have but just know that everyone's experience is different so it's just one of those things that you have to mentally prep yourself for on your own. The only negative thing I can say about the experience was the wait. Even though you make an appointment be prepared to spend a large portion of your day waiting for your turn. Check out the website for group rates, pictures, Q&A, and bios of people you may see there. Definitely do the pictures/video!! My photos were amazing quality considering they are taken falling through the air at 120mph. Yes, you're going to look silly in the jumpsuit. Yes, your cheeks and lips are going to flap around like a hound dog when you're mid-jump. Yes, your hair is going to be messed up. And yes, you will be seen from angles and positions that may not be the most flattering. But this is all part of the fun. Even if you decide that skydiving isn't for you and you never do it again you should still have something to remind you of what an amazing 60 second freefall is like.
DO IT!
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Funny (4)
- Cool (7)
First of all I made the mistake of booking this adventure with Adventure Sports, aka Sky Ride. They are a third party vendor and so when payment is made with them, you have to take your issue up with them. So Adventure Sports/Sky Ride and Skydive Midwest just end up pointing fingers at each other when both should take responsibility for a negative experience. When I spoke to a sales person over the phone I was booked to be there at 1pm on a Saturday and was told that I should be done by 4pm and 5pm the latest. So, we rush through our lunch to ensure that we are at the location at 1pm. We see a large number of people that are waiting around and a group of girls that had already complained that they had been waiting for over an hour and still hadn't jumped yet. I took that as a bad sign, which it was.
We waited for about an hour to have our training, which was 15 minutes only. We talked and met with more people who had been waiting since 11am and noon, and it was already 2:30pm. They only have port-o-potty's at this place and so we decided to see if we could make it to the outlet mall at Kenosha to kill time and use the restrooms. Also, I found it to be very unsanitary that the staff members inside Manifest would run into the port-o-potty's barefoot! Gross! We left there knowing that they were on Jump Group 13 and we were in Jump Group 27, with each Jump Group lasting 15-20 minutes with one plane flying we knew we'd be waiting for a few more hours. We were continually told it would be just another hour. Our anticipation and desire to do this only lessened. We had no real choice but to wait since we had called and tried to get a refund with Sky Ride and tried to speak with Skydive Midwest staff members inside Manifest as well to get one as well. Our concerns were also that we were jumping close to sunset and that our videos would be dark, worthless, and pointless. It's also illegal to be jumping after dark. I felt truly bad for this group of family where the wife had set this up for her husband as a birthday gift for them all to do together. They were also planning on being at a party that they were throwing where she was supposed to be preparing food.
We finally got on board the plane at 6:45pm. The only saving grace to this place was the instructors that you are tandem jumping with. Since it was already getting late they were totally rushing us and I felt that. I didn't appreciate it as I thought about the monetary and time investment setting my day aside for it. I could see that the fun jumpers who were able to just do it on their own were also jumping before us. I couldn't understand how or why they were fit in before some of us who had paid more as well as them including walk-ins. In any case, I was glad that my instructor, Ray, was looking out for me and was concerned that I might be cold since it was later in the evening and got me a skydiving suit to wear. We boarded the plane with nervousness and fear and the rise of the airplane made the tension grow. I did like the excitement of the drop, and it was fun. My ears were popping quite a bit on the way down and I laughed the entire way.
I was amazed that so many people were saying that the wait was worth the jump. I have to say that I disagree. I mean I could get to an amusement park and get the same thrill and excitement over and over in 7 hours for so much less...if you don't know what I mean go to Cedar Point and ride the Millenium Force or the Dragstar!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Funny (1)
The Bad:
I very recently went to Skydive Midwest on July 19,2009. I was there the same day as the person who just reviewed below me and got engaged. I had a different experience from him.
First off, the staff there was really rather dissapointing, especially the guy who seemed to be running the show in the manifest and the young lady who worked with him. He really did not and would not answer most of my question and repeatedly would just answer "
i don't know" and "you will find out later". The young lady in the manifest was more clueless than him. Before everyone says that it was about the weather being poor outside, i wasn't asking when we were jumping.
The ground school was a joke which took no more than 15 minutes. At Skydive Midwest, you basically just pay to jump, you are not taught really anything nor are you expected to do anything in the actual skydive. You are not told at what altitude you would need to pull the chute, because you don't even wear an altimeter or pull the chute.
The Good:
July 19, 2009 was Skydive Midwest's second annual tandems for troops. It is a fundraiser to help raise money and awareness for disabled veterans and I believe the charity is called wounded warriors. The had a cook out, music, and raffle to raise money for the wounded warriors. They also gave away free and discounted skydives to people in the armed services.
Because of the fundraiser they also had a plane there that was not theirs. It was a large plane that had a rear closing hatch that allowed people to jump out of the back of the plane which was really cool.
That is why it is getting two stars.
Conclusion:
It is closer and cheaper than Skydive Chicago. BUT, i guess you get what you pay for because Skydive Midwest is a much smaller, inefficiently run, and overall less enjoyable experience than Skydive Chicago is.
Can't say enough about this place. It was my first skydive experience and it was fantastic. Great staff that are very welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable. The video and photographs they took were awesome. The video was well put together, personalized and they captured the moment really well. The photos were even better, crisp, clear and they obviously took quite a bit of talent to take. Skydive Midwest is located just a few turns from the freeway (I-94), and their prices are even a bit less than most other places near Chicago.
Part of the reason I am gushing about this place so much is that my girlfriend - wait - fiancee and I got engaged right after our jump. The staff were very generous, accommodating and trustworthy - I gave the diamond ring to the staff to bring to me after I landed even though I had never met them before- and everything went smoothly. It made for a spectacular engagement.
Whether you're going for a jump or you're planning something more, go with Skydive Midwest. They are truly a class act!