Here is a profile I found of not your typical Indoor Skydiver –

Sue Noyes, 55, of Berkeley does her skydiving at 30 feet and under. She climbs inside a vertical wind tunnel and flies in the pressure created by a set of fans.

Why: I have always been an athlete, dancer and a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Over the past two years, I have had to scale back because of arthritis. Looking for a way to get a fun and challenging workout that was kind to my joints, I checked out indoor skydiving.

Greatest accomplishment: Becoming a Level 2 tunnel flier. I have learned how to fly on my belly, back and in a sitting position as well as a number of transitions like barrel rolls and flips. My goal is to become a Level 3 flier by the end of this year, which means I have to learn how to fly upside down.

Gear you can’t live without: My second-hand helmet with purple wing decals. Once I become a Level 3 flier, I will reward myself with a custom flight suit.

Where you train: I fly at iFly SF Bay in Union City. The instructors make you believe that anything is possible.

Time you get up in the morning: My cat gets me up around 7 a.m.

Best time to train: I like to train in the evenings when the really good fliers are there. I always learn from watching their form and transitions.

Most annoying thing people assume about athletes in your sport: People always say that they do not want to try indoor skydiving because they are afraid of heights. Everyone starts out flying on their belly about 3 feet off the floor with an instructor holding on to them. The instructors make sure that you do not progress to the next level until you are ready.

Advice you give a rookie: Relax and smile and embrace the intoxicating feeling of actually flying. It is amazing.

Article Link: SF GATE -Rising to the challenge of indoor skydiving

If you want give it a whirl yourself — Indoor Skydiving Los Angeles!

Hello all! I’ve always had a fascination with photography and have recently been putting a lot of thought in to picking it up as a hobby. So I started wondering which one of our activities would produce the most exciting pictures and so far Indoor Skydiving has been the most intriguing. A subject suspended twirling in the air is something that you can’t see every day and would be a blast to photograph. Here are some of the best shots I found on the web.

Indoor sports are all the rage these days — indoor soccer, arena football, indoor netball, and even indoor cricket. However, there is one sport that you might have never thought would don the indoor prefix — indoor skydiving. No we’re not high, although it’s not a stretch to say that the creators might have been a little under the influenced. And no, indoor skydiving does not require a very large hangar or a very small plane. Just a very tall wind-tunnel and a trampoline, seriously.

Skydiving is often deemed the ultimate rush, a life changing experience thats pretty much open to everyone — who’s not afraid of heights. Something about jumping from over 5,000ft up just makes a person think twice (more like 15 or 16 times). However, you can get a very similar thrill with indoor skydiving. It consists of a wind tunnel that stretches up to 100ft, a very large fan, and a trampoline like bottom. The fan generates winds from 80 to 150mph that suspend a flier over the trampoline so that the only thing that happens when you fall is that you gently bounce back up (if only real skydiving could have that reassurance).

There are three California locations for indoor skydiving. iFly, who’s catchy tagline is “Where people fly”, have locations in the San Francisco bay area and the Los Angeles area. Skydive Perris also has a vertical wind tunnel in Perris, CA.

Valentine’s day is such a perfect time for experiences. Sure, you can buy chocolates and flowers, but how about those special moments you will never forget? If you are still trying to figure out what to do today, you are probably already too late.

Here are some last minute (inexpensive) ideas that could save you on the most romantic day of the year:

All Day Rock Climbing in Anaheim

If you are new to climbing, this course is strongly recommended. Learn all about rating systems, belaying, knot tying, belay commands, different kinds of equipment, and basic climbing techniques. Class includes harness, shoes, and a 3 week unlimited membership.

Cost: $90 for Two people

Indoor Skydiving in LA & SF

If you have ever jumped out of a plane, you know how amazing skydiving feels. If you have not, indoor skydiving is a great place to start. Both guys and girls love this activity and it can be done for as cheap as $39. At the very least, you’ve got to check it out.

Theme Park Galore in California

A day at a theme park with your significant other can be VERY romantic. Most of the parks have a romance theme going today as well. You can purchase your tickets, print them, and be on your way in minutes. Here is a quick list of the parks available at a discount from Kijubi:

Disneyland, Anaheim
Universal Studios, Hollywood (Front of Line – VIP)
Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park
Six Flags Magic Mountain, Los Angeles
SeaWorld, San Diego
Legoland, San Diego
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

It’s finally time to start buying gifts for the holidays – Are you ready? One of the coolest things about Kijubi is that it has the perfect gift for just about anyone. From family activities to adventures for the thrill seekers, we’re sure whoever you give the gift to will love it. It’s unique. Here are some awesome ideas for you to consider gifting your loved ones:

Bungee Jumping in Los Angeles, CA:
Price From: $69.00 – Perfect for: Thrill Seekers
Imagine standing on the edge of a bridge with steep canyon walls rising above you. Your sweaty palms grip the rail, your throat is dry, and your heart beats so hard you feel it through your chest. You feel a rush as adrenaline surges through your body. Looking down at the raging water ten stories below, you hear the encouragement of your friends standing next to you as the countdown begins. This is the ultimate thrill of bungee jumping in Southern California.

Bungee Jumping in Los Angeles – Review By: Giselle – Ladera Ranch,CA
Activity	Activity Staff
Our guides were beyond exceptional; very friendly, professional, and patient. The hike and jump were unforgettable. My brother, sister-in-law, and boyfriend all enjoyed the remarkable day and will not soon forget this memory of a lifetime.

Flying Lessons in California:
Price from: $135.00 – Perfect for: Him
So many people have dreamed of learning how to fly. This can easily be done for under $200 on either a plane or a helicopter. Kijubi offers flying lessons in San Diego and the Los Angeles area. This is definitely an affordable, fun, and exciting adventure for any guy who loves the skies. For all those who have ever dreamed of flying, or wanted to give someone else the opportunity, you’ve landed at the right spot.  Introduce yourself or someone special to the art and science of flying.

First Flying Lesson in San Diego – Review By: Jyhnan – South Pasadena,CA
Activity	Activity Staff
My experience was awesome!!! I can’t believe I got to fly a plane! The staff was so friendly from the moment they saw me, and so sincere! Marty had to leave for Father’s Day and was very gracious about it, so Dave took me on my flight instead. They are all wonderful, the experience went just as I expected. No delays, no hassle. Very good service and very nice people… plus the planes were AWESOME!! I definitely want to go back sometime!

Indoor Skydiving in California:
Price from: $38.95 – Perfect for: Everyone
We have talked quite a bit about indoor skydiving in the past, but it’s for a good reason: people love it. You get to jump in a tube that has a huge fan blowing air so hard that it makes you float. It’s skydiving without the part where you have to jump out of a plane. Not to say that skydiving isn’t a great experience on it’s own, but this is a bit more doable by just about anyone, and the price can’t be beat.

Indoor Skydiving in Los Angeles – Review By: Dorlisa – Los Angeles, CA
Activity	Activity Staff
I had a great time. I was expecting it to be harder than it was. It was so much fun! The instructor my group had (Foti) was great. This was a fun experience. Totally worth it.

That’s it for now. We will continue posting great holiday gift ideas over time. Let us know if bought one of these and if your loved ones really LOVED the gift. We would love to hear from you!

For starters we would like to thank the staff at TechCrunch for putting up such a great show. TC50 truly provides an invaluable source of networking for both start-ups and companies in the technology industry.

Kijubi Table at TechCrunch50

We arrived in San Francisco on Sunday night and stayed at the Phoenix Hotel on Eddy. It’s not necessarily in the best neighborhood (the seedy Tenderloin), but the hotel, rooms and courtyard pool provide a great boutique-like feel (very South Beach). Monday morning we woke up at 5:45am and got ready to rock and roll. Upon arrival to the San Francisco Design Center Concourse, the check-in process took no more than a minute and was well organized. We found our table, set up our iMac and were ready to go before the 7:30am opening.

Instead of gifting chocolates, bags, cups, or other schwag, we decided to give away tons of fun activities to reinforce what our website does. Talk about a relevant and exciting way to engage people. How did we do this? Twitter. We gave people simple instructions: Follow us: http://www.twitter.com/kijubi, Tweet: “RT #Kijubi #TC50 http://bit.ly/frvzb” and tell us “What Kijubi Doing?” Many people won prizes like indoor skydiving, sailing, fishing trips, theme park tickets, plus so much more. In the end we gave away over $5,000 worth of activities, adventures, and fun things to do. I was told we were the most tweeted about company at the show that day.

I would say the absolute best part of launching at TC50 was the press we received, the wonderful connections made with VC’s, angel investors, potential partners, and industry bloggers. After attending several other tech shows, this one proved to be the best networking of all, and a great way to launch Kijubi!

Check out some of the articles written about Kijubi:

TechCrunch.com: Kijubi Launches Booking Engine For Local Outdoor Activities
New York Times: A new resource for travelers
LA Times: Kijubi launches at TechCrunch50: 6 outdoor activities you wouldn’t expect from a travel site
SoCalTech: Interview with Billy Fried, Kijubi
BlackBookMag: Kijubi Active Vacation Search Engine Debuts

There are also lots of bloggers writing (or re-posting) great things about Kijubi. You can check out the Google Blog results for Kijubi here.

We would highly recommend you consider launching your tech product or service at TC50 if the opportunity to do so is available.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun this was. From the time we arrived until the very moment we left we seriously had a blast. Indoor skydiving is exactly that, skydiving inside. You get the same feeling of skydiving, except you aren’t jumping out of a plane. Instead, you are in a large tube with a huge fan on the bottom, otherwise known as a wind tunnel. There are several in California, but we went to the one in Hollywood.

After providing our e-ticket we were escorted into a room where Matt, our instructor, gave us the techniques we needed to know about skydiving in about 15 minutes. We then watched a 10 minute video that shows you live examples of how to do what you are about to experience. Once the video ended Matt took us to a locker room where we got into our flying gear; the suit, helmet, goggles, and ear plugs. They even had shoes and sox if we needed them. There are lockers to store your belongings, and you definitely want to use them or you will loose it in the wind tunnel.

We were now ready to do our activity. I went first! You walk up to the entry of the wind tunnel and you can feel the energy. It is extremely powerful. Cross your arms against your chest and just fall forward. The wind immediately picks you up and like magic, you are flying on the spot. There are techniques you can use to maneuver yourself around the tunnel. For example, if you extend your arms and legs, you rise up to the top, if you bring them in towards your body, you drop down. If you slightly tilt both of your hands to the right or left, you turn in that direction.

The instructor is always in the tunnel with you, so you really have nothing to worry about. If you are comfortable in the tunnel, they will take you to the top and bring you down several times and spin you around. I highly recommend everyone try this out sooner than later. It is just an amazing experience that can’t be missed.

There are several different packages that can be purchased, and they are listed below.

First time Flyer Packages

Single Flight – $39.95 – 1 minute flight
Double Flight – $59.95 – two 1 minute flights
Quad Flight – $99.95 – four 1 minute flights
Family Package (up to 5 flyers) – $239.95 – ten 1 minute flights

Experienced Flyer Packages

10 Minute Flight - $195
20 Minute Flight – $375
40 Minute Flight – $675
60 Minute Flight – $975

Party Flyer Packages

Standard Party Package - $429.95 – 16 flights for up to 8 flyers
Ultimate Party Package – $1199.97 – 48 flights for up to 24 flyers

I don’t recommend doing the 1 minute flight, as you will definitely want more. Get ready for one of the best activities you will ever experience. Indoor Skydiving in Los Angeles is also a great idea for a gift.

Here are some shots of me flying:

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. Most businesses offer people a long, 4-day weekend to go do things. California has so many different places to visit and things to do, it is trully incredible. When it comes to California’s nature, you really have every choice you can imagine. Oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, jungles, deserts, small, medium and large cities. It is one of the few places in the world where you could go surfing waves in the morning and skiing down slopes in the afternoon, and be back home for dinner.

Things to do, Thanksgiving in Los Angeles

Grand Tour of LA. If you have never been to Los Angeles, or if you are new to the area, this tour is a must. It lasta 5 1/2 hours and starts at 9:30am. There is free hotel pickup as long as you are in the area. You will see all the important spots in LA including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Bowl, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Kodak Theatre, Miracle Mile, Olvera Street, China Town, Music Center, LA County Museum of Art, La Brea Tar Pits, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. You will also have the opportunity to shop the LA stores of Rodeo Drive and check out the hip scene at the Sunset Strip. Tickets are $58 for adults, $40 for children (3-11), and children under 3 go for free.

Indoor Skydiving – This is definitely one of my favorites! Many people would love to have the thrill of skydiving, but don’t want to jump out of a plane. I can understand. It is a scary thought to jump from a plane 10,000 or 15,000 feet up in the air and hope your parachute works. Well, you can now experience the same feeling of skydiving, without the fear. It is a wind-tunnel that blows so much air from the bottom that you float. This is called Indoor Skydiving and it’s in Hollywood, California. There are several packages offered which are mostly the amount of time you would like to fly; 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 4 minutes. There are also packages for experienced flyers for 10, 20, 40, or 60 minutes.

Things to do, Thanksgiving in Orange County

Laguna Beach Kayak Eco-Tour – Laguna Beach is still considered a gem in Orange County. This kayak tour will most definitely be an unforgettable one. You will get to see beaches, sea cliffs, million dollar homes, birds, fish, and an up-close look at the famous seals of seal rock. The kayak trip lasts about 2 hours and departs at 10am. You will need to bring a swimsuit, t-shirt, towel, water, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and a waterproof camera. This one is a blast and anyone over the age of 3 can do it.

Disneyland Park Hopper Discount Tickets – Disneyland is a great place to spend time with the family. The Park Hopper tickets offer you the ability to go multiple days to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Parks, and the Downtown Disney District. You can hop around from park to park whenever you like for the number of days you purchase (2, 3, 4, or 5 days). When you pre-purchase these tickets online, you save up to $40 per ticket!

Things to do, Thanksgiving in San Francisco

Whale Watching Cruise to Farallon Islands – In my opinion, whales are the most amazing creature in nature. They are huge, smart, and friendly. This 6 hour cruise in a 65 foot catamaran is perfect for the nature-lover. You could see blue humpbacks, gray whales, elephant seals, dolphin, porpoises, and abundant sea-bird colonies. You will also get the chance to see some breathtaking views of the Golden Gate bridge and the San Francisco shoreline.

San Francisco Segway Tour at Night – Sure, it is always fun to go out in San Francisco at night. But this is one way that is sure to create some great memories. The segway tour is 2 hours long and will allow you to explore the city by the bay at night and see the best views and some hidden locations. It is calm and exciting at the same time.

Things to do, Thanksgiving in San Diego

Downtown San Diego Bike Tour – Biking is a personal favorite. As a child I used to ride my bike nearly every day, now it is less often, but that’s not to stop one for getting out and doing it. This bike tour goes through Downtown San Diego, waterfront riding, and the historic Gaslamp district. It includes a multi-speed hybrid-type bicycle, helmet, water, snacks, and of course, a guide. For $45 per person (minimum of 2) you get 2-2 1/2 hours of riding and can’t go wrong.

First Flying Lessons – Alright, I know this one is a bit more for the thrill-seeker, but I just loved it. You get a pre-flight lesson that teaches you the basics of flying a plane. Then you get on the plane (a Varga VG-21) and get another lesson about the cockpit, and off you go. The main pilot always has control of the plane, but from time to time, he passes it on to you, who is sitting behind the pilot. There are 30 and 60 minute flights available, and I must recommend the 60 minute flight. You will wear a helmet and goggles and the only thing you need to bring with you is a camera.