Author: The Hippo Press

Skydiving without a plane, surfing the indoor waves and other ways to get outside your comfort zone.

Looking for adventure? This week, our reporters go outside their comfort zone to get the thrill of new experiences.

Actually, some of these adventures started way before this week. Matt and Angie first started looking into their subjects way back in early 2020 and this story was slated to run in the issue of March 19, 2020 — an issue which ended up focused on a whole different type of new experience.

But now, nearly two years later, who couldn’t use a little adventure that is purely fun? So this week, Matt Ingersoll brings you skydiving and surfing — without leaving Nashua. Angie Sykeny takes a more daring (and physically challenging) approach to fitness. And Meghan Siegler gets to break stuff.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Indoor skydiving and surfing at Nashua’s SkyVenture

By Matt Ingersoll

I’ve never jumped out of an airplane, nor hung ten on a surfboard — two basic facts about myself that made a trip to SkyVenture NH in Nashua seem fitting for this assignment.

SkyVenture opened in 2006, first offering indoor skydiving before adding indoor surfing in 2013 (under the name Surf’s Up NH). The top of the facility is visible from the bustle of Daniel Webster Highway, and while I had driven by thousands of times but had never set foot inside prior to writing this story, I have to admit that it had always intrigued me.

Owners and founders Laurie and Rob Greer told me their customers are usually one of two significant pools of people — experienced skydivers (or surfers) who are looking to improve their skills, or anyone who has ever been curious about what it’s like to try either one. I’m in the latter. I grew up always being around the water, and while I don’t exactly love heights, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never wondered what skydiving is like (not enough to actually do it, mind you, but hey, I’m game to try a safe, not-so-far-from-the-ground simulated version).

A wave of nervous excitement passed through me as I arrived in early March 2020 to try out skydiving and surfing. The staff highly recommends booking your sessions in advance, due to the time slots filling up fast, and also asks that you show up at least 30 to 45 minutes beforehand to complete a preliminary safety class.

When I reported to the front desk, I was directed to a series of touch-screen tablets mounted in the lobby, where all participants must sign a waiver (or, if you’re under 18, the parents of the child sign it). For safety reasons, there actually are a fair number of restrictions for both skydiving and surfing. For example, you must weigh under 250 pounds to skydive (275 pounds to surf), you must not be under the influence of any drugs or alcohol, and you must not be pregnant — none of which disqualified me. There is an additional attraction next to the wave machine called the “fish pipe,” or a large rotating barrel you climb into that simulates the feeling of a very fast and endless water slide. Because of the motion associated with it, the fish pipe is not an activity for people with high blood pressure, prior head injuries or epilepsy. This is all part of the waiver that customers need to read carefully before they can participate.

Sky high

After I signed the waiver, I headed upstairs for my skydiving session, which began with the safety class. It was here where I met Kevin Drivas, my instructor, who has more than a decade of skydiving experience (you know, the real, jump-out-of-an-airplane kind) to his credit.

Drivas explained to me that because he and I wouldn’t be able to hear each other over the sound of the wind in the tunnel, we would communicate with each other through a few hand signals. If I forgot the signals, a teleprompter was also there to provide instructions during my flight. Drivas then demonstrated the way I should position my body as I entered the tunnel — holding both arms out in front of me, with my hands flat and my legs straight. It was also important that I not jump into the wind tunnel, but rather slowly lean into it as I let the force of the wind carry me up.

Because I was the only one participating for this particular session, the class only took a few minutes before it was time to get into my “skydiving” gear. Drivas handed me a pair each of elbow and knee pads that I dutifully put on, followed by laced sneakers, a heavy purple and black jumpsuit that I comfortably wore over my clothes, a helmet, a pair of safety goggles that replaced my glasses, and a pair of earplugs. I was ready to learn how to fly.

I followed Drivas a few feet away to the enclosed wind tunnel, and that was when that wave of nerves rose in my stomach again. I think it was the fact that I wasn’t going to be attached to any harness or mechanism that made me the most nervous — just suspended literally in midair inside a 40-foot tunnel by recirculatory winds rushing at more than 100 miles per hour. According to the Greers, professional skydivers must train in an indoor facility such as this one to prepare for competitions, so I think it was that fact in and of itself that racked my nerves a bit.

Insert the cliched phrase “don’t look down,” as that definitely applied here. I found myself actively trying not to do just that as I leaned into the rushing air with my arms out in front of me.

A split second later, I felt my body rising until suddenly my feet were off the ground. I felt Drivas’s hands around my torso as he steered me to the center of the wind tunnel.

Now admittedly, it took a few tries before Drivas could let go of me completely. He would later tell me that this was due to my nerves kicking into overdrive the second I entered the tunnel. He gave me the hand signal to straighten my legs, but for some reason my brain thought this meant I had to also keep them together, causing my whole body to flip until I was on my back like a turtle on its shell. Another hand signal required me to relax my arms, but I was applying so much tension that they were almost stonelike when Drivas attempted to move them. Because of this, the first two times I entered the tunnel, I had to exit a few seconds later.

But you know what they say — third time’s a charm. Somehow, it just clicked for me after that. With my legs straight and my arms up over my head, Drivas was eventually able to get me into a neutral body position inside the tunnel before releasing me. I was flying on my own (albeit for just a few seconds)! It really did feel more like a sensation of floating, rather than free falling. I felt weightless as the wind furiously blew against my face and body, letting it just carry me.

During the last few seconds of my flight, Drivas held on to me again and the air tunnel controller revved up the speed, causing both of us to float even higher up to the top of the wind chamber. Remember that scene in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory when Charlie Bucket and his Grandpa Joe start to float after trying the Fizzy Lifting Drinks? That’s what it reminded me of (except there was no exhaust fan at the top and we didn’t have to burp our way down, of course).

This was the longest duration of time I was in the wind tunnel, so when I was guided out for the last time, I immediately noticed how dry my mouth was and how out of breath I quickly became. Video of my ascent was captured on a nearby television monitor, and it wasn’t until I viewed it just then that I realized how high I had actually gone up — let’s just say a scary height.

As I began to take off my gear, Drivas reentered the wind tunnel for a little demo. Within a few seconds, he was doing front flips and backflips in midair like it was second nature to him. Watching him do tricks inside the wind tunnel was, quite honestly, almost as much fun as going in there myself.

Surf’s up

My skydiving session over, I went back down the stairs into the lobby and through a door on the opposite end to the SurfStream wave machine. After changing into my swimsuit and packing my belongings in a locker, I met with Danny Hyatt and Dave Cormier, two of the surfing instructors.

Hyatt asked me if I had ever surfed in the ocean before, and when I answered “no,” his response was “that’s good,” the reason being that, while the Surfstream is designed to make numerous types of waves, it’s not exactly the same as surfing a natural ocean wave. In the words of Hyatt, whose uncle taught him to surf out on the waters of Hampton Beach when he was a child, “in the ocean you ride the wave, but here, the wave rides you.” I understood what he meant once I climbed on my board for the first time. Unlike the ocean, where you’re waiting for a wave to form, the SurfStream requires you surf on a wave of already flowing water, making your stance and weight distribution on the surfboard that much more critical. Hyatt also demonstrated the way I should position myself when I fall off the board, by crossing my arms over my chest in an “X,” and with my fingertips touching my shoulders once I knew I would be going down.

Just like for my skydiving experience, I put on a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. While I was getting prepared, Hyatt and Cormier queued up the SurfStream, and that filled up with rushing water within seconds. According to the Greers, it’s the first machine of its kind to be available in North America and the largest in the world, moving 240,000 gallons of water in a minute. It also has several different settings, accommodating everything from boogie boarding to wakesurfing.

When I was ready to hit the water, I followed Hyatt and Cormier to one side of the Surfstream. Cormier placed my surfboard flat onto the water while Hyatt took his own board out on the waves next to it. My task would be to place my feet onto the board, take Hyatt by the arms and pull myself up to a standing position. He would then guide me out to the middle of the Surfstream and let go of each arm one at a time while I attempted to balance on the waves.

Maybe I just don’t have the greatest sense of balance, but this turned out to be quite a difficult undertaking. The first time I got on the board, I was able to stay on it for about 30 seconds before wiping out (almost taking Hyatt down with me in the process). I immediately realized just how important the placement of each foot on the board really was.

Despite the shallow water levels, falling off the board really didn’t hurt much at all as long as you followed the instructions. I will say, though, that every time I did fall, I increasingly became more and more determined to get out there on my own hands-free (only to fall again). Let’s just say the instructors made it look so much easier than it really was.

My session was 15 minutes total, with the ability to divide that time up in order to try out different settings on the Surfstream. That doesn’t sound like a ton of time, but it actually does afford you quite a bit of opportunities to master balancing yourself on the board.

I decided to try boogie boarding and, as it turned out, even that required a little bit of skill and balance. Getting into the water was the most difficult part (it felt as though I was preparing to jump into a pool from a high diving board). Once I was in, Hyatt and Cormier taught me to firmly grip the boogie board and simply move from one side to the other by leaning into the water and putting more weight on that side. It proved to be an effective way to maneuver around, but trying to stay on the board was still a challenge.

I got to watch the pros in action once again after my session ended. The most important thing I learned from them? Remember to relax and breathe. Too often when I tried to balance on the surfboard, I did not focus on my breathing when I should have, causing my body to tense up.

I knew before my SkyVenture visit was over that I had to try the fish pipe (which, according to the website, is currently not running). I followed Cormier to the large rotating barrel in the back corner of the room, where he began to get it ready for me by checking the air and adding several gallons of water. As he did so, he explained that the barrel spins for 90 seconds, gradually getting faster before reaching a maximum speed of just under 20 miles per hour. You can choose to either stand or sit, but running on foot for the entire 90 seconds is much easier said than done.

When the fish pipe began spinning, I was able to stay standing for all of about three seconds before falling (it gets extremely slippery once the water has time to travel up and down the sides). By the time I attempted to get back up, the fish pipe had already started moving so fast that I could barely move on my own beyond a sitting position. Picture going down one of those extremely steep water slides you might have encountered if you visited a water park last summer — that’s what this was like, but with the added effect of constant rotation, making me feel dizzy but also extremely exhilarated once it stopped.

Adventure recap

My visit winding down, I reentered the lobby after changing back into my regular clothes. Everyone’s skydiving and surfing experiences are captured in the form of photos and videos that are available for purchase once you finish. Using the same tablets I signed my waivers on, I was able to get everything sent to my email with the help of the front desk staff.

Would I try any one of these activities again? Absolutely. Would I recommend indoor skydiving, surfing or fish pipe sliding to my friends or anyone looking to “jump” outside their comfort zone? You bet. Both were much more difficult than I was anticipating, but I never felt like I wanted to give up trying to balance on the surfboard, nor did I ever feel too terrified of heights to get back into the wind tunnel. As Drivas told me: “If you’re thinking about doing it, then do it.”

SkyVenture New Hampshire

Where: 100 Adventure Way, Nashua (formerly 3 Poisson Ave.)
Hours: Current hours are Wednesday through Friday, 2 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., for both skydiving and surfing (the fish pipe is currently not running). Reservations for all activities are highly recommended; call or book online
Cost: Rates vary depending on which activity you want to do and for how long, but generally will start at $55 per two-minute skydiving session and $45 per 15-minute surfing session.
More info: Visit skyventurenh.com, follow them on Facebook and Instagram @skyventure and @surfsupnh, or call 897-0002

ALL THE RAGE

Emotions and breakables fly at Rage Cage NH

By Meghan Siegler

Going to Rage Cage NH in Nashua for this story was not my idea. Two coworkers, separately, emailed me links for the place and somewhat emphatically suggested that I go. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I was game.

I was nervous but not especially angry when I walked into the Rage Cage, and I wondered how my rage session would go sans rage. As it turns out, smashing stuff is fun even if you’re not particularly upset.

But for people like me, who come in without a specific thing to rage about, owner Tedd Cherry said he’s found that it’s not all that hard to coax out some emotions.

“I kind of try to break people down psychologically when they come in,” he said. “We really want people to stop masking [their emotions].”

Perhaps because I was writing a story about my experience, Tedd didn’t mess with my head (next time, Tedd, next time). He said he likes to get a feel for where people are at as he’s explaining what they’ll be doing, and he has no problem swearing to see if anyone is offended. I brought my son Ben with me; he’s 16 (the minimum age allowed to rage), and the first time Tedd swore he checked in to make sure we were OK with it. (We were.)

Tedd clearly loves his job and is excited about the psychological benefits it offers. It’s a healthy way to deal with negative emotions, he said, a better alternative to alcohol or drugs or physical violence. He’s had people come in after break-ups and bad days at work, and people who just need to let out long pent-up emotions.

His enthusiasm was contagious. I will admit that I was a little sketched out when we first got to the Rage Cage; the space is located in a building on West Hollis Street, and when you open the door you walk into a large room that’s pretty dark and filled with, well, trash that’s waiting to be destroyed. But Tedd apologized and said it was a bit messier than usual, with inventory waiting to be put away.

“We’ve grown so fast that I’m having trouble keeping up with it,” Tedd said — he just opened in February and the response has been good. “I think the pandemic helped us quite a bit.”

To get us started, Tedd had us sign waivers, because of course there are waivers — you’re using bats and sledgehammers to destroy breakables and furniture in a small enclosed room. He then gave us a list with the number of items we could pick from various size categories; the number and sizes depend on the package you choose. There’s a whole wall of shelves, many of which are filled with glass: bottles, vases, drinking glasses. He said that three weeks ago he bought 17,000 pounds of glass, and at that point there was only about 2,000 pounds left. There were also small appliances, dishes, furniture and computer monitors, much of which he gets from thrift stores and nonprofits. For Ben and me, Tedd picked a variety of items for us, but typically he has people choose their own stuff so they can have some kind of emotional connection to it — say, a person who is frustrated with their desk job might find it freeing to smash a monitor with a baseball bat.

While Tedd filled a shopping cart with junk, Ben and I put on our safety suits, gloves and helmets, then headed into the “cage,” a small room with concrete walls and floors and just enough room for the two of us to take turns raging without worrying too much about getting hit with flying debris. We let Tedd choose the music — he likes to give customers options, from death metal to mildly scream-y. Ben and I couldn’t think of any good mad music, but Tedd is a pro and picked the perfect mix of loud, angry, but not obnoxious music.

Here’s my takeaway: Throwing glass at walls is fun. Beating a chair to smithereens with a baseball bat is extremely satisfying. Smashing computer screens is something most of us have wanted to do from time to time, and it feels good. Wielding a sledgehammer feels powerful. And watching my incredibly chill son show some aggression was pretty amusing.

I would love to go back when I truly need to let off some steam. I very much enjoyed all the smashing, but I was more worried about writing the story and taking pictures (which I did a terrible job of) than fully giving myself up to the experience the way I would if I went there specifically to release some frustration. I feel like it could save me from some serious yelling when my 13-year-old daughter is determined to break me down with her eye rolls and attitude.

Rage Cage NH

Where: 10 West Hollis St., Nashua
Hours: noon to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Cost: Prices vary depending on the number of people, amount of time in the smash room and the number and size of items you want to smash. For example, “The Quickie” 20-minute smash session is $20 while the “Ultimate Showdown” for four people for an hour is $130, with several options in between. Glow smash is also available.

Paint a mess!

Rage Cage NH also features a soon-to-be-expanded paint splatter room that’s open to all ages — and every Thursday is kids’ day where the vibe changes from heavy metal to a little more mellow. Have a glow paint party with ultraviolet black lights, bubble and fog machines and whatever music you want for $25 per person for an hour, with up to eight people per party allowed in the current space. A regular paint splatter party without the glow is $15 per person. Rage Cage NH will be open during school vacation week for paint splatter only, Dec. 21 through Dec. 23 and Dec. 28 through Dec. 30.

GO FOR A SPIN

Get fit, have fun with pole dancing classes

By Angie Sykeny

As an on-again off-again fitness enthusiast who gets bored easily, I have been-there done-that with a variety of group fitness classes and physical activities, from my humble beginnings following the same 2003 Tae Bo workout DVD in my living room to my experimental phase in college attempting ballet and Taekwondo, and finally to a series of trendier classes offered at my gym, like Zumba, BODYPUMP and Pilates.

In early 2020, I reached out to Juel Sheridan, owner and instructor at New Perspectives Pole and Aerial, which offers numerous pole fitness and pole dancing classes for all experience levels, as well as aerial, lyra (aerial hoop) and trapeze classes. At the time, the studio was located in a small space in Manchester’s Millyard and had six chrome poles.

In a recent conversation I had with Juel over the phone, she told me New Perspectives has moved to a larger studio in Hooksett to allow for social distancing. The new studio has two class spaces, with seven poles in each, including a few stainless steel poles to accommodate people with an allergy to chrome.

“It’s more spread out and open by design,” she said. “We can fit more people — we can run two classes at the same time — but even with more people, there’s more space, so people can feel safer when they come in.”

When I reached out back in 2020, I asked Juel if she had any open spots for the Intro to Pole class. She said the classes had been nearly booked up for about a month but she could squeeze me into a Monday morning session.

Everything needed for the class — mats, spray bottles, rags — is supplied at the studio. No special apparel is necessary; “anything you would wear to the gym” is fine, Juel said.

It had been a while since my activewear drawer had seen the light of day, but I managed to dig out a loose athletic top and some workout leggings that still fit and headed to the studio.

As soon as I walked in and introduced myself to Juel, she had me fill out a short form with some basic information about myself and an emergency contact.

Four other people showed up, all of whom appeared to have been there before and knew the ropes. I followed their lead and made my way from the reception area to the main floor, where the poles were. I had a small moment of panic after the back row of poles was quickly occupied. “You only live once,” I thought, reassuring myself as I timidly claimed the front-and-center pole.

At the start of the class, we each grabbed a mat and laid it down next to our pole. Juel led us in some simple stretches for around five minutes; then we rolled up the mats and took to the poles.

Over the course of the hour-long session, Juel demonstrated and had us mirror various movements based around the pole. The skills involved in performing those movements consisted mostly of footwork, hand positioning and a correct distribution of body weight. We learned different ways of gripping the pole with our hands, hooking our legs around the pole and engaging our core to generate enough momentum to complete a full spin — ideally, multiple spins — around the pole.

We would practice a series of three or four different movements, and then Juel would show us how to use transitions to string the movements together into one sequence. It took me many repetitions before I was able to carry out a sequence that was even remotely graceful. I shudder to think of how I looked: a befuddled expression on my face, clumsily grappling with the pole and the only person in the class sweating buckets and fighting to catch my breath. I found solace when I scanned the room and realized that everyone was entirely focused on themselves.

After what felt like much longer than an hour, we returned to some stretches to close out the class.

As I reflect on the experience, I’ve come to several conclusions. The first is that, based on the word “intro,” I significantly underestimated how physically demanding the class would be. My muscles were sore for the next three days after the class, which leads me to my second conclusion:

Pole is a comprehensive workout. It works every part of your body, and if you aren’t feeling it during the class, you will undoubtedly feel it the next morning. Lastly, I ask myself if I would take a pole class again, and my answer is, absolutely. Not only is it an effective way to build strength, flexibility and muscle tone, but it’s also fun, and a great option if you’re looking for a fitness class that breaks the mold. With more than a dozen different advanced pole classes offered above the intro class, there is a ton of opportunity for growth, and I believe that for someone with dedication this exercise medium could blossom into a hobby.

Pole and aerial fitness classes

• Aerial Moon Yoga Studio (85 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 321-2275, aerialmoon.com) Aerial yoga.
• Center Stage Fitness & Aerial Arts (2 Paul’s Way, Unit 2, Amherst, 801-3032, centerstagedancefitness.com) Pole and aerial.
• Kama Fitness (250 Commercial St., Suite 3007A, Waumbec Mill, Manchester, 339-8253, kamafitnessnh.com) Aerial and trapeze.
• New Perspectives Pole and Aerial (35 Londonderry Turnpike, Suite GH, Hooksett, 775-3136, newperspectivesnh.com) Aerial, pole and trapeze.

Featured Photo: Hippo reporter Matt Ingersoll gets a feel for skydiving, with a little help from instructor Kevin Drivas. Photo courtesy of SkyVenture NH.