June 2020 - Skydive Interlaken

In this article, we would like to outline the current Coronavirus situation in Switzerland as of 28th June 2020 and provide some tips about travelling around the country during this sensitive time. All of this information has been sourced from the official website.

Recommendations by the Federal Council

As cases in Switzerland slowly decrease, many restrictions within the country have been lifted. The Swiss borders reopened on the 15th of June, which means people from all over Europe are able to visit again. Although things are slowly starting to return to normal, the reality is that the virus has not disappeared and the only way to keep reducing the spread of the virus is to continue to follow the rules on hygiene and social distancing.

To help with contact tracing, a new app has been developed called “Swiss Covid App” you can find more details about this here.

Overview of recommendations by the Federal Council:

If you feel ill, stay at home and call your doctor, you will then receive information on what to do next
Keep 2m distance from other people – if you can’t keep distance wear a mask.
Face masks must be worn on public transport
Wash your hands every time you come home, after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing or preparing food.
Wash your hands with soap and water until you get a lather, then rinse thoroughly and town dry with a clean or disposable towel if possible.
Avoid shaking hands.
Cough or sneeze into your arm not your hands.
Continue to work from home if possible.

More details about recommendations here.

Restrictions Lifted in Switzerland

The good news for us here in Switzerland is that almost all restrictions regarding coronavirus have been lifted. As of 22nd June, the only measure that is still in place is the ban of large scale events (more than 1,000 people), which will remain in place until August 2020.

Swiss Safety Concepts

Safety concepts which are based on rules and hygiene have been developed by the Federal Office of Public Health for businesses and event organisers in the tourism industry. Swiss businesses are obliged to have these concepts in place before reopening to the public.

Public Transport

Thanks to Swiss public protection methods, you can also feel a little safer when travelling on public transport in Switzerland.

Face maks must now be worn by all people using public transport
The cleaning of stations and trains has been intensified, especially handrails, buttons, and ticket machines.
Until further notice, bathrooms in some of the bigger stations including Basel SBB, Bellinzona, Bern, Genève Cornavin, Lausanne, Locarno, Luzern and Zürich HB are free of charge to encourage handwashing.
Hand sanitizer has been provided at the bigger stations.

What about us here at Skydive Interlaken?

We are happy that, thanks to an excellent protection concept and strict adherence to the protective measures, we were able to reopen on 11th May 2020. This means that your summer dreams of helicopter skydiving over the Swiss Alps doesn’t have to wait! To book your slot, or get more information you can visit our website.

See more about our protection concept below:

Extract from our protection concept:

No group formations over 30 persons.
Employees and guests keep the distance of 2m on the ground.
Masks recommended for distances under 2m.
In freefall, the guest is without a mask, the tandem master ensures mutual protection using a mask, including a safety helmet with visor.
For Funjumpers: There is always one place available on each tandem load (for CHF 95.- per jump), please contact us the day before. A Funjumper load (max 5 people) is CHF 475.- per load. Face masks are recommended in the helicopter, full visor helmet is no longer compulsory/necessary.
Helicopter sightseeing flights are possible.
Door handles, railings and other surfaces that are regularly touched by customers and employees will be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

See our full concept here.

What is the best weather for skydiving? The most popular question we get here at Skydive Interlaken! This is because everyone’s skydiving dream depends on one thing, you guessed it – the weather. In this article, we will do our best to explain the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to skydiving and different weather patterns.

Our dropzone is located one of the most beautiful places in the world – the Swiss Alps! Alpine climates have rapidly changeable weather which is extremely hard to predict – even for professionals. Weather apps are totally unreliable, and should not be used to determine whether or not we will skydive on a particular day. Here at Skydive Interlaken, we can jump on most days of the year, and the different types of weather can make the landscape even more diverse and exciting. Therefore, if you are interested in booking, don’t bother checking the weather apps – just book! If we are certain that you will not be able to skydive due to weather we will contact you the day before to keep you informed.

The Good…

Blue skies (and no wind)
A skydivers dream. Blue skies (and no wind) make the day of skydiving stress-free. No need to worry about the weather coming in and slowing us down; we can just jump and enjoy the sunshine! When you see blue skies, and no wind – you will have no problems skydiving on this day.

Blue skies and some clouds
Blue skies with a few clouds around actually make the experience even more exciting! So if you see a few fluffy clouds around on the day of your jump, don’t worry, they will make your experience even more interesting.

The bad…

Wind

Strong winds are bad news for skydivers. High winds can push a parachute into places that skydivers really should not be – like over the town, lake or mountains. And even if the parachutes are able to make it back to the landing area, a strong wind can give a very dramatic backwards landing – so jumping in too much wind is a no-go!

Fog
A fog layer can look beautiful from the top! But again, can make things difficult for skydiving. The helicopter can usually find its way above the fog layer, but then we can’t see the ground – which can be a problem if we want to land safely back on the dropzone. We don’t carry a GPS and neither do the helicopter pilots, so if there is fog then we will wait until it clears.

Rain/Snow
Flying in the rain/snow sounds like fun! But unfortunately, if a parachute gets saturated with water when flying, it can get too heavy, and stall, which means the parachute (and the skydivers attached) will fall out of the sky… not ideal! So, any type of rain system, whether it be a small shower or a lightning storm is an absolute no-go for skydiving.

And the Ugly (but also beautiful?)…

Föhn

An added danger here in the Alps is a very strong, warm wind called the Föhn (in English it translates to “hairdryer”). Caused by a large pressure difference between the two sides of the Alps (Lugano and Zurich), this weather creates beautiful lenticular clouds (see below image), and the air feels warm – but can be absolutely deadly for those who fly.

In this type of weather system, the wind can go from 0 to 150km/h within a minute, so you can understand why this is the most dangerous type of weather for us skydivers. When the Föhn is high, we usually keep our feet firmly on the ground.

Here at Skydive Interlaken, our number 1 priority is safety! We have been jumping in this exact spot for 20 years, so it is safe to say we know this area and the different weather patterns well. This means, you never have to worry about the weather or your safety when you come to skydive with us.

If you would like to see what the weather is doing right now, you can always check out our live webcams here.

For more details about Interlaken, check out our website.

Not up for something as extreme as skydiving? Why not take a relaxing helicopter scenic flight instead! Get a taste of the Swiss Alps from above, in pure comfort – without the rush of adrenalin.

Here in Interlaken, we are extremely lucky to have such a diverse landscape, with many different attractions and natural wonders right on our doorstep. Because the area is so widespread, the easiest and most relaxing way to see many of these attractions are from the sky in a helicopter.

The helicopters ability to hover makes it possible to navigate these wild landscapes in the greatest of comfort and safety. The huge 360-degree panoramic view allows us to get up close and personal with glaciers, waterfalls, valleys, and mountain summits.

This experience has the whole family in mind! Whether you are disabled, old or young (from 3 years) a scenic helicopter flight can be one of the greatest experiences of your life.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular sights:

The famous trio Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau

These three famous peaks are what bring many people from all over the globe to this area. The trio includes the most technical climb in the Alps (Eiger North Face), and Jungfrau (4,158m) one of the main peaks in the Bernese Oberland.

Aletsch Glacier

Aletsch Glacier belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage and is the largest glacier in Europe, at 23km long and nearly 1 km thick is a must-see.

The Sphinx Observatory at Jungfraujoch 3,466m (Top of Europe)

The Sphinx is an astronomical observatory located between Mönch and Jungfrau (called Jungfraujoch). At 3,571m it is one of the highest observatories in the world and looks absolutely spectacular from the helicopter. Jungfraujoch or as you might know it “Top of Europe” is one of the most famous attractions in Switzerland.

Whether you choose to visit the largest glacier in Europe, swoop over the world-famous Alpine trio of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, skim across beautiful Alpine lakes or hover over mountain valleys we can help you and your family explore the most fascinating corners of Switzerland in comfort and style!

If you are interested in booking or want some more information see our website.