America Gets a Dose of LSD at Spaceland Houston
By Alethia Austin
In the photo above, jumpers fly a vertical formation during the LSD Big-Way Head-Down Camp. Photo by Daniel Angulo.
After having great success in Europe over the past four years, the LSD (Level, Slot, Dock) Skills Camps made their way to the U.S., landing at Skydive Spaceland–Houston in Rosharon, Texas, in July. LSD Camps are designed for jumpers who want to progress their big-way vertical skydiving or group angle-flying skills. Over the years, the camps have featured internationally acclaimed coaches such as Floris Drevel, Tex Leos, Anna Moxnes, Melissa Nelson Lowe, David Nimmo, Dustin Marlatt, Luis Adolfo Mendez, Ally Milne, Ryan Risberg and Marie Sjodin and world-class camera flyers such as Daniel Angulo, Gustavo Cabana and Adrian Daszkowski.
Nelson Lowe, who holds 23 world records, led July’s LSD Big-Way Head-Down Camp at Skydive Spaceland–Houston, and Angulo captured a beautiful collection of photos from the weekend. Jumpers came from far and wide for the camp, which focused on 22-way formations. Throughout the event, participants took COVID-19 precautions, wore masks and practiced social distancing as much as possible.
Alethia Austin, creator of the LSD camps, said, “LSD Camps have always been work camps. These camps, whether the LSD big-way vertical camps or the LSD Get Sideways angle camps, are about working on the fundamentals of group flying. These camps strip the jumps back to the basics of the jump plan in order to give a solid space for jumpers to really hammer in the discipline and techniques needed to fly big-ways or movement group jumps.”
LSD is planning additional camps through 2020. Those interested in attending can find information at facebook.com/groups/lsdcamps or by emailing lsdcamps@gmail.com.
Alethia Austin | C-42799
Vancouver, Washington