It’s called the Mother Of All Boogies.
For those who don’t skydive – a boogie is when skydivers come together to jump all day and party all night.
Skydive Moab, which opened its doors 11 years ago, organized the first Mother of All Boogies – or the M.O.A.B. – soon after. The 2014 M.O.A.B. will take place Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 24-28, for four days of jumps with a main base at Canyonlands Field Airport.
“We wanted all our friends and fellow skydivers to come out and experience the beauty that Moab has to offer so we decided to do a skydiving festival,” said Clint MacBeth, owner of Skydive Moab.
With one added off-site jump, for a total of three, this year’s boogie is set to be the best yet with an expected 225 participants, Macbeth said.
“Most people, if they have jumped with us, come out for this event again and they never miss it. They come out every year,” Macbeth said.
Newbies are welcome, too. Tandem jumps are available for first-time skydivers for $235, but the skydivers must call ahead for a reservation. Local residents can get a $35 discount during the boogie. Those too afraid to take the plunge are welcome to watch from a tent at Canyonlands Field near the landing site for free. Jumps are from 7 a.m. to sunset each day.
“This is the ideal spot to watch the event, because the other landings are hard to access,” Macbeth said.
Licensed skydivers are the only ones who can register for the event, and all skydiving are licenses welcome. However, some of the off-site jumps require more experience.
Most jumpers have License A, which requires 25 jumps. From there it goes up to License D, which is more than 500 jumps, Macbeth said.
“Most of the people with less jumps, they want to come because they like to travel around. They are new into the sport, so they want to see different skydiving centers,” MacBeth said.
A bigger plane will be used for this year’s event and jumps, holding as many as 23 people, as opposed to the four-person planes used previously. The jumps will be also be at 14,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet, giving skydivers about 30 seconds more of “freefall.”
This year, the boogie will feature three off-site jumps: Moab Airpark, Sorrell River Ranch, and a private property in Castle Valley.
The event is hosting a barbecue at the airport on Friday, Sept. 26, catered by skydiver Jeff Randleman for all Boogie participants.
Skydive industry vendors will be on-site to show new products off, as well as the Quesadilla Mobilla and a canteen with food and beverages. The registration fee is $45, and jumpers pay $27 per jump.
Macbeth is looking to continue to grow the annual event.
“Skydivers are a different breed than most people, but they are here to have fun,” he said. “They skydive multiple times each day and they sleep for 6-8 hours and head out to the airport to do it all over again. Its like jumping into Mars is what most people say it is.”
Skydivers are a different breed than most people, but they are here to have fun. They skydive multiple times each day and they sleep for 6-8 hours and head out to the airport to do it all over again. Its like jumping into Mars is what most people say it is.
More than 200 participants expected at 11th annual “Mother of all Boogies”
What: Mother Of All Boogies skydiving event
When: Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 28, beginning at 7 a.m. each day
Where: Canyonlands Field Airport, 110 W. Aviation Way (U.S. Highway 191, mile marker 143.8)|
