Summary:

• Introduction and why I (Kenyon Salo) skydive...
• Certifications and qualifications...
• What will my first tandem skydive experience be like?

Introduction and why I (Kenyon Salo) skydive...

I skydive because it fulfills the six basic human needs for me and my soul. I ultimately do it because I am passionate about it, the people, my job and the overall experience I get to deliver time and time again to each and every person I come in contact with.

'Who would want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?' - Response - 'Have you seen some of the airplanes we fly?'

'Just remember I am the best jump-master in your price range!' - Kenyon Salo

Humor goes a long way in combating the fear that one may feel at times especially when faced with something as scary as jumping out of an airplane whether the plane is air worthy or not. As a jump-master I have a short amount of time for introduction, gear up, training, flight to altitude, skydive, canopy, landing and high fives for all involved.

While that whole process as listed above will last about 45-60 minutes that is a very short amount of time. Considering that soon enough the student and I are strapped tightly together, (closer than most people are comfortable with in most other situations...) falling at 120mph and hurtling towards earth. All this with a pre-conceived notion that you, as their tandem-master, will make all things that appear to be certain death end up with a happy ending.

Certification and Qualifications...

I have been skydiving for ten years and have over 2000 skydives. While that may seem like a lot to the Average Joe it is not nearly as many as some jumpers, I know, that are approaching 10,000+. Does that mean that they are more experienced? Not necessarily, but it does mean that they have been around the sport long enough to see all the aspects from all sides and may or may not have some useful information to add.

I can take tandem passengers for their first skydive or wear a video camera and stills camera to shoot video/stills of their skydive and for those that would like to continue in the sport I enjoy being an AFF Instructor and teaching them through their seven levels of skydive training.

Read more about skydiving, instruction, etc at USPA.ORG

BASE Jumping has been apart of my skill set and I enjoy that also, although it is much different from skydiving. Feel free to ask me about it at the Dropzone (DZ).

Kenyon initiating a gainer at the Royal Gorge Go Fast Games!

For those ten years I have spent nine of them at Mile Hi Skydiving in Longmont, Colorado. The one year removed was when I spent a year in Perth Australia and jumped at Skydive Express. Mile Hi Skydiving is the premier DZ in all of Colorado and in my opinion one of the top DZ's in the country. It is famous for its thin, crisp, clean air that is all around you, while you freefall past the beautiful rocky mountains. Views of Longs Peak are just off in the distance and on a clear day you can see Pikes Peak under canopy. Boulder Colorado is right around the corner and the open plains are just off to the east.

Weather is very conducive for year around jumping although I prefer the summer months because of the large amounts of activity and energy that the DZ provides during the warmer months. Other notables are the current gear, great staff and wonderful aircraft that is meticulously cared for by the DZ owner, Frank Casares. The immesely large 'swoop pond' also makes this a place for world class swoopers to practice and compete in their canopy skills all summer long.

Canopy swooping the pond at Mile Hi Skydiving...photo by Chris Bazil

This entire package that Mile Hi offers has enabled me to excel at all three levels of instruction at this DZ. It truly is a wonderful place for me to enjoy skydiving with friends and gives me the opportunity to meet new skydivers starting from their very first jump.

What will my first tandem skydive experience be like?

Sign in and request Kenyon Salo as your tandem master, videographer or AFF Instructor...

By requesting me, upon sign in, for tandem master, videographer or AFF Instructor your journey will begin on the right step. All instructors are qualified to take you on a safe skydive, but not all instructors are created equally on a 'personable set of skills' level. I have spent years training, learning and educating my own being about people, leadership, management, body language, fear, people skills, communication, teaching, customer service, life coaching and many other skill sets that make this more than just a skydive, but an experience that you will remember forever. One that you will not forget either the skydive nor your instructor...me...Kenyon Salo!

Getting paired up with a tandem master...

After signing in and waiting until your slot opens up in the plane you are then paired with an instructor...if you have requested me then of course you will be paired with me...if I am available. This is exactly where the fun and the experience really begins. I tailor my attitude, jokes, training and compassion for each student to their own individual needs. After asking you a few questions I read into who you are and how to best relate to you for the overall experience that you are looking for...whether you know what you are looking for that or not.

'What is with these funny looking suits?'

Yes, the jumpsuit makes your butt look big and no, you cannot wear it to the bar afterwards. We suit you up in these wonderful, purple, black and yellow suits with these cool grippers that we can help haul you around the plane in case you become too petrified to fall out of the plane. Each suit is sized to fit over you, not fit you. It keeps your clothes clean, allows us to keep track of you and of course makes you look like a million bucks in the photos. See for yourself!

'Is my harness too loose?'

Of course it is and of course we will tighten it before falling out of the plane. On the ground you are properly fitted with the la...

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Read more blog entries by: 'Kenyon Salo' at: http://www.tokenrock.com/blogs/ ]]> http://www.tokenrock.com//blogs/blog-Adventure-Coach-Blog-90.html Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:18:00 GMT http://www.tokenrock.com/blogs/The-25-Keys-to-an-Inspirational-Life-530.html The 25 keys to an inspirational life...Collaboration on a global scale with people you have never personal met is inspirational. The ability for one person to make a video that is so cool and innovated and then to add to that another person on the other side of the world sees this video and feels something different about what it says is inspirational. I recently added text to a video that I had written about a few months back. The text over the video allowed me to put the entire writing into a visual format for people to view in one sitting. It gave me the opportunity to really put into the edit

The 25 keys to an inspirational life...Collaboration on a global scale with people you have never personal met is inspirational. The ability for one person to make a video that is so cool and innovated and then to add to that another person on the other side of the world sees this video and feels something different about what it says is inspirational.

I recently added text to a video that I had written about a few months back. The text over the video allowed me to put the entire writing into a visual format for people to view in one sitting. It gave me the opportunity to really put into the edit what I felt when I saw this video and 'what' I saw in this video.

Watch it for yourself and see what you think.

Tech Deck - Finding Inspiration

Below is the original writing that I posted...

A video based on fingerboarding/Tech Decking of which some adults consider child's play actually teaches you the 25 keys to living a great life. Adults can learn from their kids and kids can learn from watching something they love.

Stunned...I sat back in my chair after watching this brief five minute video to reach forward and click on the 'replay' button again. Each time a new version of the video was in front of my eyes. It was not that the actual video changed, but in fact my perception of the video had. I saw things I had not seen the first time, I heard things I had omitted before and I felt things that I had not noticed on the previous viewings.

I soon started taking notes, writing as fast as I could to document everything that was happening in my body, my mind, my psyche. Then it was there in front me. This video is clearly a metaphor for life. All the answers to life are right in this video for the world to extrapolate.

I decided to extrapolate it for you and here are the 25 easy steps.

Step 1: Watch this video in full...just watch...just take it in for what it is.

Tech Deck Pro (This is the shortened version...the full version created by Alexis Milant can be seen at the end of this post)

Short Version of the Video

Did you watch the video? Without it as a reference there is no need to continue. This video has a wealth of metaphorical thoughts embedded directly into it. Because of this nearly 750,000 people have watched and most think it is amazing, art, next generation in tech decking. I think it explains what life is and should be.

Here are the 25 metaphors to living a great life presented in this video. I will use the time stamp method for you to go reference in the future.

1. 00:01 - Keys to Life- They are always right in front of you...You simply need to be daring enough to try them out. Be willing to try new things. Apprehension to try something new is apart of life, but the keys to your success lay in front of you to grab, put in the ignition and turn that motor on.

2. 00:18 - Just Start - Pushing off with one foot will always gain you momentum on your journey. Once you are moving it is easier to stay moving and pick up speed.

3. 00:23 - Life Comes at You Fast- Be prepared to take life head on. The second you push off and gain momentum the obstacles in your life will most definitely present themselves. Your job is to navigate through them, over them, around them...but stay the straight line of the course you have set out or your vision of success will not be obtained.

4. 00:29 - Listen to the World Around You - Tune in to your world and learn to hear the answers that are always around you. You simply need to listen to what is going on inside your head, outside of your body and the world iteself that is telling you everything you need to know.

5. 00:46 - Eat Well - When presented with the options of all the food in the world...your choice should be to 'eat well'. Use the right cooking utensils, and oils to make the food that you put into your body. Enjoy the tools of creating great food to live a healthy life.

6. 01:00 - Be Artistic - Allow your creative side to be open to the world. We are all born creative. Then we are drilled with the basic fundamentals of learning unfortunately most of are eventually educated out of our creative sides. Recognize this need for 'you as a being' to be creative and you will never fail.

7. 01:10 - Travel, Travel, Travel - Be prepared to travel your home town, your state/country and the world we live in. Enjoy the obstacles that happen when you travel and import them into who you are and the own style that you create in your life.

8. 01:15 - Choices...Go Left And Choose Knowledge - When faced with a choice always choose knowledge first. It can be either schooling or self taught knowledge. Find things that challenge you to gain knowledge and then learn what it takes to conquer that task with the knowledge gained. Be the King who conquered the whole board.

9. 01:28 - Take In The Arts - Remember to stop and take in the world of arts that are all around us. Ponder them for what they are and then move on. Remember to stay open to your creative side.

10. 01:35 - Attempt Impossible Feats - When faced with a monstrous feat that nearly seems impossible...Attempt It! You may be surprised that you land with both feat and keep moving. Then do it again with vigor by running back up to the place of challenge only to face it again and show the world that your success was not just a 'one time' thing.

11. 01:50 - Go The Other Direction In Life - People that travel in the oposite direction of life from most people...will most often succeed. - Be prepared though, things will come at you fast in this direction too. (see #3) By now you will be able to handle this obstacles with no problem.

12. 01:55 - Continue ...

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Read more blog entries by: 'Kenyon Salo' at: http://www.tokenrock.com/blogs/ ]]> http://www.tokenrock.com//blogs/blog-Adventure-Coach-Blog-90.html Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:33:00 GMT http://www.tokenrock.com/blogs/Dreams-380.html I am exploring the world of dreams this week...both the ones I experience when my eyelids are stuck together and my brain seems to run rampant and the ones I have when I look to the sky or out my office window and think about what is to come.Stay with me as those dreams become reality and the understanding of what has got me to where I am, what is holding me back from my greatest self and what will allow me to make the leap of faith to a higher level of amazing proportions. I am exploring the world of dreams this week...both the ones I experience when my eyelids are stuck together and my brain seems to run rampant and the ones I have when I look to the sky or out my office window and think about what is to come.

Stay with me as those dreams become reality and the understanding of what has got me to where I am, what is holding me back from my greatest self and what will allow me to make the 'leap of faith' to a higher level of amazing proportions.

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Read more blog entries by: 'Kenyon Salo' at: http://www.tokenrock.com/blogs/ ]]> http://www.tokenrock.com//blogs/blog-Adventure-Coach-Blog-90.html