The Hills are Alive - 7 Hills PAC Boogie in Madison, WI
The Hills are Alive
Posted by Lara On 9 July 2009
by Russ Haas
photos by Eric Bernetzke
…with the sound of skydiving! I’m talking about Seven Hills Skydivers, located near Marshall, WI,
which is just a hop, skip and—dare I say, a jump—from Madison. But as the locals will tell ya’, it’s in
the smack-dab-middle of the purtiest country you ever did see right there in the heart of Wisconsin.
Not too long back, a friend of mine invited me to visit this club DZ for their annual “Head for the Hills”
boogie June 18-21, and if I’d like, I could even help out with tandem instruction and shooting video.
Never one to forgo a normal weekend of jumping at home (located near Green Bay), I responded, “I
don’t know, it’ll cut into my summer jumping.” And then it dawned on me…this was summer skydiving! “And did I mention,” he cooed, “they’ll have a PAC?” Sold! I didn’t need to hear anything
else. Coming from a dz where Cessna 182s rule the roost, I didn’t need much more of an excuse to
head for the hills, and that’s just what the wife and I did.
The first thing we noticed when we got to Seven Hills was the distinct shortage of seven hills. For a
lack of a better description, the land is pretty flat, and even from the air I had a hard time
distinguishing mounds of any sort (unless you count the hot brunette I took for a tandem, but that
was my wife, and I’ll save that story for another time). Turns out that the DZ gets its name from the
seven hills of Rome, but what exactly those were I haven’t a clue ‘cuz I didn’t dig any deeper into the
origin. I never was much of a history buff.
What I am a fan of is skydiving, and there was plenty of that to be had. Chicago Skydiving Center was
kind enough to lease their PAC 750XL to the DZ for the long weekend, and when it arrived, it flew at
every opportunity. Sure, there were your occasional weather holds, ‘cuz what’s a Wisconsin summer
weekend without at least a thunderstorm and a tornado warning or two? But the rain and the
warnings passed, and when they did, we jumped. Honestly, you had to, because if you didn’t jump,
you’d have to suffer the consequences and be forced to graze on the acres of food that were supplied
pretty much from sun up to sun down. And the food was goooood!
Let me ask you something—how much did you pay in registration for your last boogie, and what did
that registration fee entitle you to? I don’t know about you, but I’d have to search far and wide to
beat the goodies my $25 registration fee got me for my three days of attendance. I know I already
mentioned the food, which not only tasted great, but was homemade (thanks to the generosity of club
members). In addition to the food was the beer—all you could drink! And let me tell you, it went down
well after a day of sweating it out in the sun. It wasn’t the only relief, though, because even when
jumping was on, you could always pack in the air-conditioned clubhouse, grab a free bottled water,
take a cool shower in the DZ washroom, lay in the shade of the wooded camping area or relax and
chill out to the tunes played throughout the day and night. All this for little more than the cost of a
jump ticket! If there were complaints, they didn’t come from me, ‘cuz I was too busy chasing the Mrs.
away from all the free JELL-O shots! Damn, woman, quit hoggin’ ‘em all!
What the registration couldn’t buy, though, was the hospitality, generosity, and friendship the people
of Seven Hills provided to those of us who were visiting for the weekend. I’ve been in this sport long
enough to know what to expect from drop zones and skydiving events of various shapes and sizes. I
didn’t expect to be treated quite so well, however. To be asked to get on a jump, to be thanked for getting involved, to be invited to share in a story or joke…these are the small things that make or
break a boogie, and it all boils down to one thing: the people. And like the food, the beer, and the
vibes, the people of Seven Hills are good.
On that note, I’d like to offer my thanks to all the people who made the 2009 Head for the Hills boogie
a blast. For fear of getting names wrong or worse yet, forgetting them entirely, I’ll just pay thanks as
anonymously as I can. Thanks to the dude who first greeted us and continuously checked in to see
how we were doing. We’re still doing great, but I’m a little hurt that you haven’t called to ask me once
more. Thank you, manifest gals; your job is tough, I get that, but you always made me feel
appreciated all the same. Thank you to the guy who packed nearly fifty tandem rigs on his own. It’s
probably not a record, but it kept me and the other TIs in the air without delay. Thank you, Mr. Pilot;
you fly airplane good! Thanks to the ground crew, who ensured the plane stayed tied down, the
packing tent stayed up, and all the other behind-the-scenes stuff fell into place. Thanks to the guy
who ran with his head cut off making sure communications were kept up. To the video guys and
editing producer: you made the students look good! I didn’t fare so well, but honestly, if three plastic
surgeons can’t help me, neither can you. Thanks to the Tandem Examiner who provided that extra
instruction; I hope to make you proud, chief! Food providers, you know how appreciative I am of you
(and that includes the chef who grilled in the rain)! For all the players who contributed anything to
make this event a success, props to you! Thanks to everyone who made my wife happy – Giggles/Jell-
O Shot Girl thanks, you! Number 2, thanks for inviting us. And finally, to the guy who went around ziptying all the tents shut and somehow missed mine, I thank you the most! You would not have wanted to be in that tent if I couldn’t have made it out for one of those frantic nature calls!
There’s more to say that I could go on about, but who wants to read about 9-way CRW formations,
off-field cemetery landings, or pants-less tandem students? Those are topics to be discussed around a
roaring campfire with good friends and a cool beverage in hand, something you’ll easily be able to find
the next time you visit Seven Hills Skydiving Club. So if you’re ever in central Wisconsin, and you feel
the need to drop in on one of the flattest yet most scenic drop zones of the upper Midwest, the folks
there will be sure to welcome you. As for me, I’m not sure the next time I’ll be able to pop in for a
visit, but if someone asks me if I’m returning to this boogie again next year, I’ll tell you what my
answer will be: Hill yeah!