Skydivers board the Otter at the Moab DZ.

Moab, Utah, is known as a playground for adventure enthusiasts, and that playground has now expanded to the skies. Skydive Moab opened its doors in November 2003 and, less than a year later, held the MOAB (Mother of All Boogies), which truly lived up to the acronym.

The first boogie at Clint MacBeth's Skydive Moab in Utah October 1-3 drew 140 skydivers from as far as Australia. Quite a few BASE jumpers showed up, but skydiving was the main focus for all during this boogie weekend, with a Twin Otter and a King Air from Skydive Arizona. The DZ supplied free food and beer in the evenings.

A jumper comes in for landing at Red Cliffs Lodge.

The red cliffs, winding rivers and barren desert offered a beautiful backdrop to experienced and first-time jumpers. Not a single person rested his eyes on the way to altitude. Everyone stayed glued to the windows, in awe of the breathtaking views.

On Saturday, T.J. Landgren from the Arizona Training Center organized loads. Jay Epstein from Adrenaline Exploits had new Human Flight Innovations Phoenix-Fly tracking pants and jackets available for demos the entire weekend. Performance Designs and Aerodyne Research had representatives on hand with demo canopies and advice for jumpers landing at the 4,500-foot field elevation.

A demo jump into the luxurious Red Cliffs Lodge, a 45-minute drive away, was the highlight of the boogie. The landing area was a grassy, circular field 1,500 feet in diameter. Many jumpers who weren't on the demo caravanned from the drop zone to watch the event and enjoy the ranch.

With a total of 43 Otter loads, nine King Air loads and more than 1,000 jumps, the first Moab boogie was undoubtedly a success. One plan for next year's boogie includes a unique competition that would combine BASE jumping and skydiving.

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