An anniversary gift that will not sit on a shelf

An anniversary has the awkward habit of coming back every year, each time asking for something that has not been done yet. Flowers have. Dinner has. A minute of freefall from 4,000 metres probably has not.

There are two ways to arrange it. Either you both jump, each in your own tandem, on the same day. Or one of you jumps and the other comes along and watches from the ground. The jump costs the same either way, from 1,150 zł per person; what differs is how you buy the vouchers and how you plan the day.

You both jump

There is no separate “couples” product. You buy two vouchers in one order, and the quantity discount applies itself. It counts items across the whole basket, so two vouchers in one order make two items, while two separate orders make one item twice. The ladder below is read straight from the catalogue, so it shows the thresholds the shop actually applies.

• Two people — 3% off.
• 3 or more — 5% off.
• 5 or more — 8% off.

The vouchers do not have to match. One of you can jump with a camera and the other without, and the discount still counts the items. At checkout each voucher can carry a different name.

Each of you jumps in your own tandem, with your own instructor; you are not strapped to each other. The date is arranged with the voucher code on the booking page, separately for each code. When you arrange it, say that you are coming together and want to jump on the same day. The order in which you go up is settled on the day, by the weather and by how busy it is.

One jumps, one watches

This is the version for couples where only one of you wants to leave the aircraft. The other comes to the dropzone, books nothing and pays nothing. Take-offs and landings can be watched from the ground without restriction.

The footage covers the exit, the freefall and the canopy opening. The landing is best seen from the ground, and that is where you meet, a few minutes after the canopy opens.

If you are buying it as a secret, remember that the voucher is made out to the bearer. If they say no, someone else can use the code, and that includes you.

The film as the keepsake

The day can leave a film behind, but only if the voucher includes one. Nothing is carried in the hands on a tandem: no phone and no camera of your own.

The hand-cam is in the instructor's hand, pointed at the face of the person jumping. The camera flyer is a separate skydiver who leaves the aircraft with the tandem and films it from the side. The footage is handed over after landing.

If you are both jumping and both want close-ups, each voucher needs its own hand-cam, because each camera films only its own passenger. When the date is arranged, say that the voucher includes filming.

The time of day shows in the picture too. Late afternoon gives low, warm light, and mornings tend to be calmer. If you have a preference, mention it when the date is arranged.

The anniversary date and the jump date

These are two different dates and they are better left that way. You hand the voucher over on the anniversary; the jump happens when the weather and the calendar agree, within 12 months of purchase.

Season and jumping days

We jump from April to October, at weekends and on selected weekdays.

An anniversary in January therefore means a jump in April at the earliest. Validity runs from the day of purchase, so a voucher bought close to the anniversary covers the whole of the next season, while one bought six months early covers only part of it.

If the voucher should arrive on the anniversary itself, set a delivery date at checkout and give the other person's e-mail address. The message goes out on the morning of that day, with your dedication and an “Open your present” button, and your own copy arrives as soon as the payment is booked. With two vouchers in one order, both land in the same inbox.

What the anniversary voucher looks like

Above the name of the jump it prints “For your anniversary”, with two overlapping rings in gold near the top. It also carries the recipient's name, who it is from and a one-line dedication. You can put it together in the voucher studio and see it in a live preview before buying.

The PDF comes in four papers and three sizes. A5 is half a page and fits an envelope, the cheque is a strip a third of an A4 page tall that slips inside a card, and A4 looks like a certificate. Night and photo paper use a lot of ink, so for a home printer the print or gift paper makes more sense.

How to plan the day

• Keep the whole day free, not an hour. The order of jumps is settled on the day by the weather and by how busy it is.
• Dinner after the jump, not before. Anyone who has been drinking, even the evening before, does not jump that day.
• Do not put the jump right before a flight or anything else that cannot move. Too much wind or cloud too low means a new date, at no extra cost.
• Leave jewellery, wedding rings included, at home or with whoever stays on the ground. Dress comfortably and sportily, in lace-up shoes.
• Bring photo ID and the voucher codes. The harness, goggles and jumpsuit are waiting at the dropzone; the rest is in the guide on what to bring and wear.

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