Can You Listen To Music While Skydiving?

The songs that make our personal Top 40 are typically a mix of music that amps us up, chills us out, and meets the moment. And it can serve as an important - or even transformative - element to a profound experience. Skydiving most definitely qualifies as a profound experience, and combining your soundtrack with skydiving sounds amazing. But ... it's not quite that simple. Before you make the ultimate modern-day "Songs for Skydiving" mixtape, let's answer the question: Can you listen to music while skydiving?

Keep Your Listening Ears On ...

This is the long and short of it. When you go skydiving, you're not just a passenger like you are at an amusement park - you are part of a two-member team comprised of instructor and student. Your instructor takes care of most everything, but you do need your wits about you to perform certain tasks. Making the magic happen requires awareness. As such, it's not recommended that you listen to music while skydiving. Here's the skinny -

On The Ground

Dropzones have a vibe - and that's often accompanied by some music. Don't get lost in it - or in your headphones - though, as there are important things to get done before you jump. Missing your pre-jump briefing means you won't be jumping. You'll likely have to wait for another load, or if the DZ is booked solid, you might have to reschedule. No bueno.

On The Way Up

Unpressurized light aircraft are not deafeningly loud, but they're not quiet either! If you were to rock your headphones, you probably wouldn't hear your jam too well. Plus, the ride up to jump altitude is a great time to relax and focus your mind on what's ahead. You will be able to talk to those right next to you, though - especially your instructor, who will happily answer questions and review procedures as you climb.

During Freefall

Despite what movies would have you believe, you cannot talk in freefall - and you still wouldn't hear your music too well. Skydiving at 120mph is not going to hurt your ears, but the rushing wind will cover any other noise. You could say that this part of skydiving has its own soundtrack unlike any other! It's critical to have your other senses in gear and recall the plan.

Under Canopy

Once your parachute is open, you can definitely hear things again. During canopy flight your ears are just as important as your eyes. You can't look everywhere at once, but your ears can help you gain context and perspective. While under canopy, you need to be aware of other skydivers near your position - and you may hear them before you see them due to the sound of parachute deployment.

Also, the rules for skydiving require you to be well clear of any cloud. Weather can change on a dime. Should you find yourself in a cloud, your ears are crucial to listen for shouting or singing to communicate your position to any others who might be close by. Of course, you need to be heard if you're the one shouting and singing too! Seriously, no headphones in flight, guys ...

After You're Down

Now you can bring on the bars. Sing loud and proud because you. Just. FLEW! Listen to the music that reflects your experience! Dance in celebration of your accomplishment!

Here's some more music-related skydiving advice. You only experience your first skydive once. Relive the whole event over and over by investing in the video - it is absolutely worth the money. As you might guess, there are some usual song suspects that grace a great many skydiving videos, including:

• Beautiful Day - U2
• Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
• Jump - Van Halen

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Ready to get your groove on? Come jump with us!