23/08/2026
Skysurfers — They Still Exist!
Skysurfing was born in the late 1980s when daring French skydivers strapped boards to their feet. They took freefall to another level, using the wind as a canvas to replicate the feeling of surfing ocean waves.
Following the first jumps by French pioneers Dominique Jacquet and Jean-Pascal Oron in 1980, Patrick de Gayardon popularized and revolutionized skysurfing in the early 1990s. By inventing the first safe emergency release systems to cutaway the board, de Gayardon pushed the limits of the sport, transforming it into an incredible mix of freefall, acrobatics, and board control.
In the 1990s, Skysurfing exploded. It became one of the most spectacular disciplines in skydiving and even reached the X Games, bringing the sport to a much bigger audience.
But then things changed.
Despite its massive success in the 1990s—even featuring in global commercials for brands like Coca-Cola—skysurfing saw a decline in the 2000s. The sport requires an extreme level of experience (usually around 1,000 standard jumps before even trying a board) due to the high risk of a "flat spin" (uncontrolled spinning that can cause blackout or prevent parachute deployment). With the rise of wingsuit flying and freeflying, skysurfing has become a rare, niche discipline today.
Sky Surfing slowly disappeared from the mainstream.
Today, you rarely see a Skysurfer at a dropzone.
But they are still out there.
In this video, you can see the famous Red Bull athlete Sebastian Alvarez performing two sky surfing exits.
Curious about his next project? Me too!
“Always seek your instructor’s advice before trying anything new.”
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