Raise the Sky conceived and organized Project XRW. The launch of Project XRW, or “Extreme Relative Work”, marks the first time that a parachutist has surfed on the back of a wingsuit skydiver who is still in freefall. Advances in technology and skill allowed the wingsuit skydiver in freefall to match the slower vertical speed of the parachutist for more than 20 seconds. The wingsuit skydiver opened his own parachute before landing.

The stunt was organized by Raise the Sky (www.raisethesky.org) to mark the 10th anniversary of Operation Freefall ® (www.operationfreefall.com), a national sexual assault prevention campaign. Skydive Moab (www.skydivemoab.com) was chosen as a location for its stunning scenery of red rock canyons.

Miss Nevada, Christina Keegan, joined world champion canopy pilot Jonathan Tagle and wingsuit flyer Jeff Nebelkopf. Keegan is a survivor of sexual assault, and has used her platform to publicly speak out. She did her very first tandem skydive – wearing her Miss Nevada crown – and enjoyed it so much she went a second time.

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PARACHUTIST SURFS WINGSUIT IN FREEFALL

“Extreme Relative Work” Project Raises Awareness for Sexual Assault Prevention with Miss Nevada

CONTACT: Eli Bolotin, eli@raisethesky.org, (603) 489-9152; Taya Weiss, taya@raisethesky.org, (203) SKY-TAYA

MOAB, UTAH, 24 April, 2010 – The launch of Project XRW, or “Extreme Relative Work”, marks the first time that a parachutist has surfed on the back of a wingsuit skydiver who is still in freefall. Advances in technology and skill allowed the wingsuit skydiver in freefall to match the slower vertical speed of the parachutist for more than 20 seconds. The wingsuit skydiver opened his own parachute before landing.

A wingsuit has not yet been landed without a parachute. While parachutists and wingsuit skydivers have made contact before, this extended contact in a surfing configuration was a new step. The stunt was organized by Raise the Sky (www.raisethesky.org) to mark the 10^th anniversary of Operation Freefall ® (www.operationfreefall.com), a national sexual assault prevention campaign. Skydive Moab (www.skydivemoab.com) was chosen as a location for its stunning scenery of red rock canyons.

Miss Nevada, Christina Keegan, joined world champion canopy pilot Jonathan Tagle and wingsuit flyer Jeff Nebelkopf. Keegan is a survivor of sexual assault, and has used her platform to publicly speak out. She did her very first tandem skydive – wearing her Miss Nevada crown – and enjoyed it so much she went a second time.

Keegan and the Project XRW team jumped on April 24^th as part of Operation Freefall, along with hundreds of first-time skydivers across the country. More than $100,000 was raised to fund community-based services for survivors of sexual violence. Raise the Sky and Operation Freefall are planning a follow-up video contest to involve even more licensed skydivers in the anti-sexual-violence campaign.

Aerial HD video and still photos are available upon request.

About Raise the Sky:
www.raisethesky.org

Raise the Sky is a non-profit organization that connects members of the worldwide sport skydiving community to humanitarian and charitable causes. Our mission is to use the promotional power of skydiving to facilitate charitable giving, community involvement, and “fearless outreach”.

About Operation Freefall:
www.operationfreefall.com

Operation Freefall ® organizes survivors of sexual assault and their supporters to do tandem skydives and increase awareness of sexual violence. The event is held simultaneously across the country on the last Saturday of each April, and it benefits both SOAR ® (Speaking Out About Rape ®) and local community-based anti-sexual violence organizations. In the past nine years, Operation Freefall has raised one million dollars with nearly two-thirds of that going back to local communities.

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Project XRW Fact Sheet

Accomplishment: The first time a parachutist has surfed on the back of a wingsuit skydiver who is still in freefall for 20 seconds or more. Advances in technology and skill allowed the wingsuit skydiver in freefall to match the slower vertical speed of the parachutist.

Equipment Used: Jonathan Tagle’s parachute: Performance Designs Velocity, 71 square feet, with special trim tab risers provided by Sun Path Products. Jeff Nebelkopf and Phil Peggs (videographer) both wore TonySuits X-Bird wingsuits.

Jumps: 8 Project XRW jumps completed by Tagle, Nebelkopf, and Peggs. Christina Keegan (Miss Nevada) did two tandem jumps with instructor Ben Lowe.

Athletes:

Videographers: Phil Peggs (www.philpeggs.com) filmed the Project XRW jumps, flying a wingsuit with Nebelkopf and Tagle. He holds a US National Wingsuit Record in formation flying. Chris Hunter (www.hunterimagery.com) filmed Miss Nevada’s tandem, with Eli Bolotin providing a second outside camera angle.

Organizers: Eli Bolotin (eli@raisethesky.org), Taya Weiss (taya@raisethesky.org), and Kellie Greene (info@soar99.org).

Sponsors: Sun Path (www.sunpath.com), TonySuits (www.tonywingsuits.com), and Skydive Moab (www.skydivemoab.com)

Location: Skydive Moab (www.skydivemoab.com), a United States Parachute Association-affiliated dropzone in Utah near Arches National Park. On Saturday, April 24^th, one Project XRW jump was done into Mineral Bottom (part of Canyonlands National Park), and one into the Sorrel River Ranch Hotel (www.sorrelriver.com).

Cause: Awareness and fundraising in support of programs that promote violence prevention and help survivors of sexual assault seek emergency and long-term healing care.

Social Impact: Operation Freefall has raised a million dollars since its founding, with nearly two-thirds going to local community programs. Skydive Moab contributed $50 from every tandem video for the weekend to Operation Freefall. Raise the Sky coordinated sponsorship and media to raise awareness for the cause.

Jeff an JT take a dock on a beautiful day!

I have been skydiving for a while now.  I have been to incredible places, I have been on incredible jumps.  So its not very often that I can walk away from an event and truly say, “Wow!”

Its really hard to put into words just how special this weekend was for me.  So many amazing things came together to produce this wonderful event.  We had amazing jumpers, amazing scenery, and an amazing cause that could tie this event together and make it a success.

I’ll admit it, I still have heros in this sport.  So imagine how special it is when I get to jump with two of them, all while doing something new and exciting for both disciplines.  Its such a thrill to see Jonathan fly his small fast canopy.  Its amazing to see how much range Jeff can have on his suit.  Its amazing to see them both flying together, one in freefall and one under canopy.

In addition to the amazing jumpers, we also had amazing scenery.  I have long read about Moab and its beautiful scenery, but I had never quite appreciated just what that could add to a skydive.  I remember the 182 screaming down the Mineral Bottom Canyon, twisting and turning as we followed the river…It was incredible!  I remember opening over Mineral Bottom, taking in the cliffs, and then following Jonathan down as we swooped one of the finger cliffs…amazing!  Finally, I remember our last jump over Sorrel River Ranch, complete with cliffs and spires all lit up in the golden hour of sunset…breath taking!  I had never considered coming to Skydive Moab before, but now I will never consider missing a Skydive Moab moment!

Lastly, we had an incredible event to which we wanted to support and raise awareness, Operation Freefall.  Raise the Sky met SOAR and Operation Freefall, and an idea was born.  Project XRW and Miss Nevada teamed up for a special weekend of jumping.  We have some amazing video, some amazing photos, and an amazing story to tell.  This all was thanks to many people.  Special thanks to Skydive Moab, Sunpath, Tony Suits, Raise the Sky, and Operation Freefall.  As always though, I want a very very special thank you to go out to our lead organizer, Taya Weiss.  Taya dedicated (as she always does) countless hours of free work, all for good skydives and great causes.  Thanks Taya!

Phil's Camera Angle of me and Tagle

Project XRW has been an absolute blast! I’ve learned so much about my flying and the dynamics of Canopy Wingsuit Relative Work. I have 17 jumps interacting with a canopy now, and I can only imagine where we will go with more experience. I’m definitely looking forward to the next phase of XRW!

I’m still amazed every time I look over to see a canopy flying next to me and still have range to fly around it. It was a funny visual to see Tagle with his hands free hanging out under canopy. I can only imagine what he was thinking. It’s been a pleasure to work with true professionals like Jonathan Tagle, Phil Peggs. Eli Bolotin, and Taya Weiss.

It was even better to be doing this project to promote awareness for a great cause, Operation Freefall and SOAR (Speak Out Against Rape).

Thanks to Raise The Sky: Taya, Eli and Phil for organizing such a great event, and Operation Freefall for all the great support.

This project would not have happened without our sponsors: Tonysuit, Sun Path, and Skydive Moab. Thank you! The pictures alone are worth it!

Skydive Moab is one of the most scenic dropzones in the country has been a great host. The jumps into Mineral bottom and the Sorrel River Ranch were epic to say the least. The visuals were overwhelming. I can’t wait to come back!

Jeff

My View of a Jump

It’s always fun and exciting when you get to experiment with new flight characteristics, so when I was asked to join Project XRW I literally jumped at the opportunity. You always learn so much when you’re able to push the envelop of skydiving in a controlled environment. And what better place to do it than Skydive Moab, in Utah.

Until we did the first few jumps, we were all kind of stuck in our own heads wondering if it was really going to work. It all looked good on paper, but was it really going to work? With just 2 jumps under our belts we started to feel the confidence boost. Then jump after jump it just got better and better. Admittedly, the initial visuals were a bit awkward to get over. Just watching Jeff fly his wingsuit right next to me, while I was under a perfectly good canopy, was strange at first.

The second day of the project was amazing. We had perfect weather and amazing scenery over Mineral Bottom and the Sorrel River Ranch. Jeff and I were really starting to loosen up, so we began to challenge ourselves with the interactions. On the last jump of the day Jeff maneuvered his wingsuit right up into slot for me to grab his harness. I was so excited, I yelled in his ear… “I gotcha!” Shortly after that, Phil Peggs came over and docked with Jeff completing a 3-way formation. We all had big smiles on our faces.

I want to thank Raise The Sky and Operation Freefall for organizing this event with the generous support of Sun Path, Tony Suits, and Skydive Moab. I feel great to be part of a project that raises awareness and supports programs to stop sexual violence in our communities. Special Thanks to Jeff Nebelkopf, Phil Peggs, Taya Weiss and Eli Bolotin for their expertise in making this project a success.

Looking forward to the next chapter in XRW.

-jt

Another incredible day in the Moab sky, and the 10th Anniversary of Operation Freefall!

The Raise the Sky team did four XRW jumps today: two at Skydive Moab on the dropzone, one into beautiful Mineral Bottom, and one into the gorgeous Sorrel River Ranch Hotel. Nebelkopf and Tagle continued to work on surfing maneuvers, dialing it in until they felt completely confident in the canopy-surfs-wingsuit configuration. At one point it was going so well that Phil Peggs, flying video and taking pictures all day, was able to join in and take a dock on Nebelkopf!

Miss Nevada (Christina Keegan) did her tandem jump today and rocked it completely. She even figured out how to rig her crown to stay on in freefall – very impressive. Her jump was part of Operation Freefall, an initiative that sees more than 100 survivors of sexual assault and their supporters jumping on the last Saturday of April to raise awareness and funds for sexual violence prevention and care. With sexual assault prevention part of her platform as Miss Nevada, Christina has bravely spoken out about her own experience surviving rape in order to help others.

Raise the Sky is all about using the power of our sport to do good things both in the air and on the ground, raising funds and reaching out to our communities through awesome skydiving events. Our Project XRW was proud to join Miss Nevada and the national Operation Freefall team.

What we do is amazing and inspirational. Today we shared in the everyday courage of survivors who come to skydiving to heal, reclaim their lives, and to prevent future violence. There is nothing braver than that.

The day ended perfectly. After jumps into Sorrel River, the team had dinner there to celebrate the milestones achieved: Christina’s first skydive, Tagle’s first wingsuit surf, Jeff’s first experience as a mid-air surfboard…

The photographs from today turned out so well that we’ll be submitting them for print as part of the Parachutist article I’m writing about this project and Operation Freefall. Stay tuned for some video and a few photos to be posted here tomorrow after Phil has had a few hours of sleep and a chance to recover.

Sleep well, guys, you have earned it. And sweet dreams shouldn’t be difficult after today.

April 23, 2010: Project XRW

Phil Peggs is a pretty modest guy. I’m bumping this photo up on our blog because it is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Jonathan Tagle surfing Jeff Nebelkopf, and Phil Peggs taking pictures, in the air over Skydive Moab, all for a good cause and in support of Raise the Sky’s partner in this event, Operation Freefall. This Raise the Sky team is taking inspiration to a whole new level. Looking forward to Miss Nevada’s tandem jump and another beautiful day in Moab!

5:00 AM came very early for the XRW Athletes.  Coffee (thanks Clint!) and cereal (thanks Eli!)  helped get us on our way to Skydive Moab, ready to skydive!

JT and Jeff arrived ready and excited to begin the project.  They had a nice dirt dive, where exits, approaches, and camera angles were discussed and finalized.  After a short briefing with Pilot Dave, the jumps were ready to begin!

I want to say this right now…THANK YOU SKYDIVE MOAB!  Thank you Eli!  They have been the best hosts, and we really appreciate them opening up the Dropzone so very early for us!

I will not lie or hide behind my typical bravado…I was very nervous.  A lot of preparation and thought has gone into this project, and I do not want to be the weak link!  I have been quite restless the past few nights, hoping that I can deliver “the shot”!

7:00AM – Wheels Up!  Moab UT, what beautiful country.  If you are not familiar with the area, let me give you a quote from Eli, “it’s like flying over mars!”  Moab’s deserts and mountains which are mostly sandstone, combine beautiful reds, oranges, greens, and tans.  It is a totally surreal experience which I have never had before!  Tourists come from all over to charter flights over the country we see on each climb to altitude.  Pilot Dave made sure to give us a scenic flight to help familiarize us with the area.

7:25AM – Exit!  Jonathan takes a short delay while we take a lazy circle before exiting ourselves.  As we catch up to Jonathan, we both notice that something has gone awry with his RDS.  We both kept a safe distance as he deals with a bucking canopy and his unruly slider.  Shortly before breakoff (remember only 10K), he has it sorted, and we maintain our proximity – learning our sight lines.   On to jump 2!

8:00AM – Takeoff Jump 2!  We decided to refine our jump run/exit order.  We now run away from the drop zone, Tagle exits first and does a 180, and then we continue flying away to increase the distance, and let Jonathan sort his RDS, Trim Tabs, and heading.  We then make a quick 180, exit, and then chase him down.  This gave us a much better approach, where we could approach safely, slowly, and on level.  Jeff wasted no time in going for the dock.  I guess Jeff felt that a simple dock was too easy, so he decided to play pat-a-cake with Jonathan instead (video to come!)

9:00AM – Jump 3 – More docking!  Jeff, Jonathan, and myself are all feeling the approach and fall rates.  Jeff and Jonathan are maintaining docking distance, and work on holding their docks.  I still cannot get over the most amazing visual I have EVER SEEN in skydiving…Jeff in free fall…Jonathan under canopy…flying together DOCKED!!

11:00AM – Jump 4 – Well…I screwed up and went low… but I still got this..

Project Extreme RW (XRW), hosted by Raise the Sky, Operation Freefall, and Skydive Moab, will explore the possibilities of how skydiving’s two fastest growing disciplines can interact in the air. A wingsuit flyer in freefall and a high-performance canopy pilot will come together for every type of interaction made possible by gravity and the skill of the athletes. Performance Designs Canopy Pilot Jonathan Tagle and Tonysuit Wingsuit Pilot Jeff Nebelkopf will work on body surfing, upside-down links, and other never-before-seen configurations.

The XRW launch will take place on the weekend of April 24^th at Skydive Moab and will raise awareness of the incredible work of Operation Freefall. Practice jumps at the dropzone will be followed by exclusive footage shot against the backdrop of a red rock canyon. Miss Nevada will do a tandem jump the same day as part of the Operation Freefall event.

The Athletes

The Cause

www.raisethesky.org

www.operationfreefall.com

Raise the Sky is a registered non-profit organization that connects members of the sport skydiving community to humanitarian and charitable causes. Raise the Sky is committed to growing the sport in new ways and telling its best stories to a wider public audience. We have chosen Operation Freefall to benefit from the launch of Project XRW and, with our Operation Freefall partners, arranged for Miss Nevada to do her first tandem at Skydive Moab on the same day, April 24^th.

April 24^th marks the 10^th anniversary of Operation Freefall, an annual event where survivors of sexual assault and their supporters go skydiving to live out loud, reclaim their personal histories, and fundraise for victim/survivor support services. Both the tandem and expert jumps will draw attention to this great cause. Video footage and still photographs will highlight the Raise the Sky/Operation Freefall partnership, the athletes, Miss Nevada, and the wonderful sponsors of this event.

Event Schedule

Thursday, 22 April: Athletes (Tagle and Nebelkopf) arrive

Friday, 23 April: Athletes and videographer practice jumps at Skydive Moab. Miss Nevada arrives.

Saturday, 24 April: Project XRW Launch and Operation Freefall 10^th Anniversary. Athletes jump into the dropzone and/or a second location for final footage. Miss Nevada does tandem for Operation Freefall. Media welcome.

Sunday, 25 April: Weather Date for Athletes. Miss Nevada departs.

Monday, 26 April: Athletes Depart.

SD version 1 – For download, to be watched only a computer (de-interlaced)

SD version 2 – For download, to be burned to a DVD (interlaced)