Helicopter Skydiving Interlaken – a once in a lifetime experience
A once in a lifetime experience is exactly how it sounds – an extremely special moment that you may only get to experience once in your life, and Helicopter Skydiving over the Swiss Alps is just that!
On the edge of the Swiss Alps, nestled in-between two deep blue glacial lakes lies a town called Interlaken which is known as the adventure capital of Europe thanks to the many adrenaline activities available.
Interlaken is located in the heart of the Jungfrau region and is central to many spectacular sights such as the pristine valley of Lauterbrunnen and the mighty peaks of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.
This raw and natural beauty makes it one of the most beautiful places in the world to experience skydiving, and the helicopter allows guests to get significantly closer to these incredible sights.
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What's in this Article
Your skydiving in Interlaken, Switzerland experience
If helicopter skydiving in Interlaken is on your bucket list, here’s what you can expect.
The journey starts with a convenient pick-up from your accommodation around the Interlaken area. Greeted by the friendly staff at the office, you will then check-in and have a safety briefing before getting geared up with a jumpsuit and harness.
Once you’re all geared up and ready to go, you and your instructor (and maybe another tandem passenger and instructor) will hop into the skydive van and drive five minutes through a cute village to the heliport.
First glance at the helicopter and your heart starts to beat faster – you realise this is actually happening! After some photos/videos, you will then follow your instructor into the helicopter to sit comfortably inside.
The first thing you’ll notice is how spacious it is and how many windows there are – you’ll get a full 360-degree panoramic view of your surroundings.
The helicopter engines start, and you feel as light as a feather as you hover off the ground and power into the valley. You are now in the air, flying over the most gorgeous mountainous landscape.
Getting lost in the scenery and flying past waterfalls, rivers, forests and mountains, you’ll almost forget about what’s coming until your instructor starts doing his final checks and putting on your goggles.
You’re at 4,000 metres now, everything looks tiny from up here. The door slides open and your instructor guides you onto the skit of the helicopter. You stand there for a few seconds as your instructor takes photos/videos.
You are completely speechless at this moment. This is it, as your feet leave the helicopter you feel a rush of adrenalin!
You start to feel the air pressure and realise that you are now in freefall, flying your body around over the most mind-blowing scenery. The feeling of freefall is like nothing you’ve experienced before.
After around 45 seconds, everything goes quiet, you look up and realise that you are now under a parachute – and you did it! You celebrate with your instructor and can now relax, flying the parachute over Interlaken and it’s deep blue lakes.
After landing safely back on the drop zone outside the office, you feel like a million bucks. Nothing can wipe the smile (or tears) from your face, it was one of the most incredible things you have ever experienced in your life!
Once you’re back to the building, the team will help you take off the gear and offer you a complimentary mulled wine (in the winter) or beer (in the summer), as you watch your video or photos back on the big screen.
Ready to join us? > Click here to book your jump.
Frequently asked questions
What’s so great about the helicopter?
There are many benefits of Skydiving from a helicopter. Since only five people (including the pilot) can fit inside, you will have the luxury of enjoying the experience with only one other tandem passenger.
You will be sitting upright the whole time and will never miss a thing out of its massive 360-degree panoramic windows. Unlike an aeroplane, where you’ll be squished up against other 10 passengers trying to see through the tiny windows.
Helicopters are incredibly manoeuvrable and can hover, which means we can get closer than ever to objects – perfect when flying around mountainous terrain!
Is tandem skydiving safe?
Tandem skydiving is extremely safe!
The tandem equipment used today for skydiving has been continuously developed and improved for over 40 years. One of the most important safety innovations considered in skydiving was the invention of a life-saving device called the AAD.
The AAD (automatic activation device), is a small device that monitors air pressure and speed and when things are not going to plan (you don’t have a parachute open at a certain altitude), this device will immediately release the reserve parachute.
On top of the equipment, Skydiving tandem instructors have to be put through intensive training before getting qualified. In particular, the Swiss regulations are high and Skydive Interlaken is an official member of the Swiss Skydive Federation which means we have certain standards to keep up with and are audited regularly.
This is important for the safety of both our instructors and passengers.
What is the best weather for skydiving?
Alpine climates have rapidly changeable weather, which is hard to predict – even for professionals. Weather apps are totally unreliable, and shouldn’t be used to determine whether or not we will skydive on a particular day.
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.
What’s the best time of year to Skydive in Interlaken?
We have four different seasons in Switzerland, and they all have their advantages when it comes to visiting the area, and skydiving.
- Winter (December – March): The most beautiful time to skydive! At this time of year, the Swiss Alps are covered in a thick blanket of snow and the cooler air temperatures means the visibility is better than ever! Interlaken comes alive in the winter with ski resorts, Christmas markets and different activities so it’s the perfect place to hang out during this magical time of year.
- Spring (April – May): As the Swiss Alps starts to defrost, the most beautiful flowers start to bloom and brightly colour the whole Swiss landscape. Spring is known as an in-between season, but is still a great time to skydive! If you hate crowds, then Spring is a fantastic time for you to visit Interlaken.
- Summer (June – September): Interlaken is a Summer lover’s dream with its two huge lakes either side of the town, and countless activities and hiking options around the region. It’s great for skydiving and by far our busiest season. So if you love BBQ’s and being out on the lake, then this is the season for you.
- Autumn (October – November): As the weather starts to cool, the summer tourists go home and leave us with a mind-blowing red, orange, yellow landscape. Autumn is a beautiful time of year for hiking, mushroom picking, paragliding and many other activities! But it’s less busy, so perfect if you want a holiday with less tourists.
What packages do you have available?
There are three jump options available:
- Interlaken jump: Our classic jump and all-time favourite, as this is the only one that allows you to skydive over the amazing Interlaken area! > Click here to check prices and book your jump
- Eiger jump: This jump is a special one! It is designed for those who want a very unique experience – to get up close and personal with the world famous Eiger. > Click here to check prices and book your jump
- Lauterbrunnen jump: This jump is designed for people who want to jump into the pristine valley of Lauterbrunnen.
What are you waiting for?
If you’ve always wanted to skydive, Switzerland is the perfect place to try it and there’s no better spot to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience than Interlaken.
Skydiving here offers not only the heart-stopping thrill of jumping from a helicopter but there’s the added bonus of the incredible scenic views that will be forever etched in your memory.
Come and jump with us at Skydive Interlaken, we promise it will be something you’ll never forget!
To read our full guide to Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region, > click here.
About the Author
Laura James is the social media manager for Skydive Interlaken as well as helping out the ground crew. Originally from New Zealand, Laura has been skydiving since 2014 and she loves living in one of the best places to sky dive in Europe – Interlaken!
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