Tandem Jump in New Mexico

New Mexico jumps big. The ground drops away into high desert plains, then folds up into the Sangre de Cristo and Sandia ranges, and the dry, thin air keeps the horizon sharp for miles. From altitude you catch the tan sweep of the Chihuahuan Desert, the Rio Grande cutting its line through it, and the state's odd geology stacked up in the distance. Clear air like this is what makes both a first tandem and a serious AFF progression pay off in views.

First-timers ride tandem, and the drop zones here run them well, an instructor handles the technical work while you handle the freefall and the scenery. Soaring over that much open country, with the land running out to the far edge of sight, lands differently than a jump over farm squares. Many of the fields sit within reach of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces, so you get the access of a city drive and the emptiness of the desert once the door opens.