Hardwear Sessions

By Mountain Hardwear Athlete Julia Niles

I had a conversation with Dan from England last night at dinner about deep water soloing. He just came from Mallorca so was filled with facts about how to do it properly. Here's the list on how to jump from very high without getting hurt:

15 meters up and Julie Niles forms a know in her throat. | Photo by James Q Martin

1) Always leave your boots on
2) Blow out upon impact to keep your eardrums from blowing out
3) If possible fall into choppy sea
4) If there is no "chop" then throw a big boulder in the water a few seconds before jumping
5) Don't jump from high ground when there are no people in a boat ready to rescue you below
6) Don't breathe underwater: sadly we are no longer in the womb.

Julie Niles Climbing in Kalymnos Greece | Photo by James Q Martin

Not that we did too bad out there. We took a boat from Vathi on the Island of Kalymnos to give our ropes a day's rest. But there is a discernible knot that forms in my throat at about 15 meters that makes it very difficult to go any higher. I'm convinced that a few practice jumps are all I need...