Irish Echo Sport

Christmas shopping can be incredibly frustrating, particularly if you have to shop for those people who have everything.You end up resenting them for their amassed possessions and contentedness, and a desire to make them happy becomes a desperation when you realise you can’t think of something that will even raise an eyebrow.So here’s a hint: the solution lies in extreme sports.  For, until someone figures out how to bottle time, gifting someone an experience is the best way to satisfy your need to give a worthy present, and get them back for their smug happiness by forcing them out of their comfort zone.Such was the case when I drove out to Simply Skydive in Penrith last week.A friend at Irish Echo HQ had ‘gifted’ me a free jump, and while I’m not afraid of flying, I usually like to keep the windows closed, drink a glass of red and nod off on the shoulder of the person next to me.This was not the plan.I would be strapped tightly to the belly of a professional skydiver, and thrown out the back door of a small plane so that gravity could have her wicked way with me.It was a first time affair for me, and having searched ‘parachute failure’ in Youtube several times, hoping to find nothing (I was disappointed), I was prepared for the worst. (more…)