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Show tit f ",- v , J CWwm W . , I i - H f ., . f If you're a skier, and "getting air" is your idea of a thrill, then this should be the ultimate: 3,000 feet of air. The sport is called paraskiing and it was on display last' weekend at the Parkwest Ski Resort. Paraskiing combines elements of both skydiving and skiing in one hair-raising hair-raising competition. "It takes a different breed of person to race on skis and parachute," said Ted Mayfield of Jackson Hole. "Both sperts defy the law of gravity, and you've got to be good at both." Forty-seven contestants, including eight women, travelled to Parkwest from as far away as Florida to compete in the three-day affair. af-fair. At stake was a chance to represent the United States in international competition com-petition next year. The goal of each competitor com-petitor was to accumulate as many points as possible in both jumping and skiing. The two events were designed to be run separately, although a special performance was organized Saturday morning which combined both jumping jum-ping and skiing at the same time for the sake of the PM Magazine television cameras. Here's- how it worked: each contestant was given four jumps from a helicopter hovering about 3,000 feet over one of the lower slopes at Parkwest. The idea was to come as close as possible to a 10-centimeter bullseye sitting sit-ting in the snow. At first all the crowd could see was a tiny black figure silhouetted against a blue background. Then there was ! RESTAURANT "Park City's Tinest Restaurant Open for Dinner Seven Nights a Week o:00tn 11:00 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11:00-2:00 649 - an explosion of color as the canopy-type parachute opened and the jumper maneuvered toward the target. Linda Miller, a Salt Lake City skydiver for the past 12 years, said the uneven terrain and high altitude add to the difficulty of the jump. "I'd say there are about 15 of these jumpers who would dead-center on level ground," she said. As it was, several jumpers made picture-perfect jumps, hitting the target with one foot as they piled into the wet snow. One contestant wasn't so lucky. Jesse Farrington of Puyallup, Washington, was unable to open the main canopy of her parachute. As the people on the ground held their breath, she managed to break away from the useless canopy, went back into a free fall, then pulled the cord for the reserve parachute. It opened. Farrington survived that experience to finish in first place overall among the women in the meet. "She handled it perfectly," perfec-tly," Linda Miller said later. "The adreneline starts flowing a bit, but you know what you've got to do. "I've got over 2,000 jumps, and I've only had two malfunctions. And both of them were my fault. Malfunctions do happen occasionally. oc-casionally. However, fatalities that result from malfunctions are rare." At about 500 feet up, the jumpers began their final approach to the target. They were aided by altimeters attached at-tached to the front of their harnesses. "We have a specific altitude and distance from Live Entertainment Turn Dist.ul 7177 the target ito start the approach), ap-proach), depending on the way the winds are blowing," Miller said. The jumps were completed com-pleted by Sunday alternoon. On Monday the contestants turned their attention to the other element ol the competition: com-petition: taking two runs down a NASTAR-caliher giant slalom course. According to Maylield, paraskiing was started by jumpers "having a good time skiing." However, he said the sport is starting to attract some iirst-rate skiers, and being competent in both areas is essential. The number of paraskiers is still tiny when compared to the membership ol the United States Parachute Association iUSPAi. Miller estimated there are about 200 active paraskiers in the United States, while the parent organization has an enrollment of about 18,000. Finishing in second place m the women's division behind Farrington was Joy Burtis of Seattle. Third place went to Maria Ledbetter ol Salt Lake City. The winner ol the men's division was Tom Heinicke of Montana, a former Salt Lake City resident. Second place went to Nick kingery of Salt Lake City, while Mike Mangold of Colorado was third. Most of the contestants will be in Jackson Hole lor another, paraski meet this weekend. The combined results of both races will be used to pick the six individuals in-dividuals who will represent the United States in international inter-national competition next year. The event was sponsored bv Lite Beer from Miller Bt Patrick b Sa (FDurnamcnt Entry Fee: Member $10 Non -member $1 5 Pick up your entry form at Prospector Athletic Club f A i 2. i.? nm mr? r.v Story and March 20 and 21 Help us celebrate with all the green beer you can drink!!! t-shirts prizes iff refreshments PROSPECTOR ATHLETIC CLUB 649-6670 T7T mm m -1 (SUil SlMilliiln& o :-UShi A. ' , fTIT f4i 1 V TV photos by David Hampshire v Featuring daily luncheon specials Monday through Friday Sandwiches, dinner specials Thursday, Friday and Saturday . 5-10 p.m. 6497060 442 Main Strot the ultimate ' ,'V I I; 1 The Newspaper Thursday, March 5, 1981 Page All Ti O O ettin mi i Ml ill I ys Lunch 'S? Dinner M Seating from 1 1 :30 to 1 ():()() g DailB peciala mf Fine German Pastries m Cappuccino Expresso m J 402 Main Street ifey-cA Park City ttf in , Hit., t w, V 1 If t |
