X-treme: Who's for the high jump?

Although the ancient Chinese are credited with conceiving the idea of parachuting, it was a Frenchman, Andre Jacques Garnerin, who made the first drop, from a gas-filled balloon in 1797. Skydiving has come a long way since then, and individuals wishing to throw themselves out of aircraft currently have a choice of several disciplines.

Martin Crossley first jumped when he was 16 years old. "It was the excitement that drew me to it," he says. "I only intended to do one jump, but I became hooked."

The obsession shows no signs of dissipating: now in his thirties, Crossley is a director of the North London Parachute Centre Ltd.

"At first I didn't have any money, so I made some by packing parachutes, making tea, cleaning the planes - anything for more jumps."

The UK has around 35 parachute organisations approved by and affiliated to the British Parachute Association. These range from full-time professional centres to weekend clubs run on a voluntary basis.

"On the face of it, skydiving may seem dangerous, but, with our stringent procedures and reliable equipment, it is very safe," Crossley assures me.

"We jump with two parachutes that are equally reliable. As long as we do what we're trained to do, the odds are well in our favour."

Various skydiving disciplines are available: "freestyle" is essentially aerial ballet; while "skysurfing" involves strapping a board onto your feet to "carve" through the air.

"Style and accuracy" or "head-down" skydiving is formation jumping in groups. Formation skydiving is probably the most popular variation, but new disciplines are developing all the time.

"It's much more than an adrenaline rush," says Crossley. "Once you've overcome the fear factor, you're there to perform as well as you possibly can - it's a very skilful sport."

Once you've managed to suppress those initial overwhelming feelings of an impending high-velocity death, you'll find that you can manoeuvre yourself to a high degree while free-falling, and learn how to "fly" your body.

The basic skydiving body position (a stable spread of limbs resembling an eagle) will bring you to speeds of 120mph. By dropping your arms and sticking your legs out you can move at 80mph, backwards and forwards.

You can also alter your vertical speed. By standing on your head you can reach around 200mph, but maintaining these kinds of speeds can put considerable strain on the human body.

My own attempts to skydive were thwarted last week when the UK experienced its very own El Nino. I felt both extreme disappointment and relief on missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"On my first jump, I wasn't sure what to expect," says Crossley. "Apart from a feeling of terror, there are a few things that remain in your mind.

"When you first jump, you don't feel like you're falling - it's more like floating around in the middle of nowhere.

"You're in a plane with lots of noise and wind, then you exit the aircraft and everything goes silent. It's a wonderful, peaceful experience - and it's very good for stress relief, because your mind is totally focused on something totally different."

For additional information on skydiving, call the British Parachuting Association (0116-278 5271)

THREE PLACES TO LEARN TO SKYDIVE

North London Parachute Centre Ltd

The pounds 130 beginners course includes hire of equipment and coaching in everything you need to know to make your first solo jump (round- and square-canopy training). Once completed, you qualify at the Category 1 level of parachute training. Jumps thereafter are pounds 25, or pounds 175 for a tandem jump.

Chatteris Airfield, Stonea, March, Cambridgeshire (01725 513330) Tue-Fri 10.30am-sunset, weekends 8am-sunset

Cornwall Parachute Club

First-jump course costs pounds 135 (square canopy only); pounds 25 per jump thereafter. Prices include equipment and tuition.

Frans Ranch, Old Naval Airfield, St Merryn, Cornwall (01841 540 691) Summer: Wed, Fri & weekends 8am-sunset; rest of year: weekends only

British Parachute Schools

The cost of the first course is pounds 170 (square, static-line parachute); pounds 32 per jump thereafter. Prices include equipment and tuition.

The Control Tower, Langer Airfield, Langar, Nottingham (01949 860 878) Mon-Sat 9am-sunset, Sun from 10am