How to Relax Before (or After) Your First Skydive

1. LEAVE YOUR MARK!

Scheduled for the afternoon? Get amped and show the world by leaving a colorful display! There’s a sweet graffiti wall you can tag in our awesome little town of Salisbury. It’s legal, it’s free, and it’s a great place to leave evidence of your freefall adventure! Grab a can of paint and get expressive–it’s a great way to let off some steam and get excited for your jump.

(Photo Credit LordSalisburyNC on Twitter)

2. GET ACTIVE.

About 45 minutes from the dropzone, you’ll find the fun, flowy biking and running trails of stunning Lake Norman. It’s a super-relaxing place to commune with nature, and there’s tons to see along the well-maintained, well-marked trails that circle the forest-fringed water.

One of the oldest of these (and, arguably, the best) is the beloved Adler Trail. At only eight tenths of a mile, it is an easy trail for most anyone–and a quick one to squeeze in during the early morning before your skydive. The trail meanders along by the old swimming area at the park lake, swings by the Park Lake Dam, then rambles around shoreline of Lake Norman before it loops back to the trailhead.

(Photo Credit Best of Lake Norman)

3. GET ON THE WATER!

Okay, so this doesn’t really fit in before a skydive, but it’d be pretty much the best-ever afternoon followup to a triumphant jump. The U.S. National Whitewater Center (or USNWC) is just a little under an hour away from the dropzone, and it’s boss. The USNWC is an amazing campus–the world’s only non-profit outdoor recreation and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking and hiking. We like to think that it’s the Carolinas’ other outdoor experience gem–besides us, of course!–and it’s the perfect complement to a skydive for the most adventure-driven weekend of your life. So splash right in! The water’s fine.

(Photo Credit USNWC)