Quebec City skydivers help set new world record for largest parachute formation

Leaping out of a plane more than 4,200 metres in the air, Simon-Pierre Bouchard can’t control his excitement as he opens his parachute and wonders if everyone has gotten into place.

“When we exit the plane, the first few seconds are in free fall, so we see the plane going away,” said Bouchard. “This is exhilarating, this is what [gets] me to fly.”

Bouchard was one of 17 Canadians who travelled to Lake Whales, Fla., on Nov. 22 to attempt to beat the world record for largest canopy formation.

Some 104 skydivers from around the world jumped out of eight airplanes at various heights, each trying to make sure they didn't cross parachutes with those next to them, as doing so could be deadly.

Those jumping from the highest plane, more than 5,700 metres the air, need to breathe in from an oxygen tank to avoid the risk of hypoxia, or lack of oxygen.

The group only has about 11 minutes to dock their parachutes onto each other and get into the diamond-shaped formation.

'It was hard to believe at first'

Bouchard has been a skydiver for more than 30 years and, as a pilot in Quebec City, spends most of his time in the sky.

But he's never experienced anything quite like this.

“I couldn’t stop smiling," he said. “We need to trust, individually, everyone that is in this formation, even though we don’t know them personally.”

Quebec City police officer Jean-François Denis was also one of the 104 parachutists who took part in the canopy formation.

He trained for nearly five years to qualify and underwent a strict diet and exercise to lose the 15 pounds required for him to participate.

"I didn’t get any cheat days or cheat meals," Denis said.

He and his teammates waited for two hours for the international judges to declare that they had made it and beat the record set in 2007.

“People were giving hugs, high fives and shouting with joy,” said Denis. “It was hard to believe at first."

The International Skydiving Commission then also needs to approve the record for largest canopy formation before it can be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

"We have to demonstrate … that we all have proper lines to hold and the canopies of every jumper needs to be at a certain height above them,” Denis said.

With more than 1,600 jumps under his belt, Denis hoped he and the group would manage to break their new 104-person record the following day, but it wasn't meant to be.

"We were so close to get 111 but there were some mistakes," said Denis, adding he still hopes to try again someday soon.

A rare art

The selection process just to participate in the record-breaking event was a rigorous one, having to qualify at one of eight selection camps around the world, including one in the province.

The act of creating a canopy formation goes against what most skydivers are taught when they first start out, Denis explained, having been an instructor himself.

“The first thing you learn is to stay away from other [parachutes] because getting entangled or wrapped in someone else’s at low altitude can be really dangerous," he said. “It creates a bond with the people you’re jumping with."

Parachute Montréal owner Gregory Perrimond says canopy formations have become a rare art.

While there is a tight-knit community for it in the province, he knows that just finding enough people with the experience to participate in such a large formation must have been "really complicated for the organizers."

While the group travelled to Florida because of the weather, Perrimond says the wind remains unpredictable and that can be a challenge in events like this.

"Imagine the wind isn’t stable on such a huge formation, it takes a lot of work to keep it in place," he said.