The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

Leaving Southern California for the North Shore of Hawaii Sounded like the perfect opportunity for a then 18 year old Robin Jandle, and it was. So when the opportunity to go make a skydive over one of the most beautiful places on Earth came up, she was... absolutely not into it. So, as good friends are known to do, they took her anyway and peer pressured her on to the plane. One grudging tandem turned into a second, then AFF in one of the most challenging places in the world to learn, and before she knew it, she had her sights set on a career in the sport. Now a competing member of the US  Canopy Piloting team and a working instructor for Superior Flight Solutions in North Carolina, Robin Jandle happily embraces her place as possibly be the busiest skydiver in the Lunatic Fringe. 

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Ellis Danho Bourbonnais!

Ellis Danho Bourbonnais is the quintessence of a renaissance man to say the least, but most certainly not in the way most people would think. From surfing in the Gulf and then Hawaii, to MMA, skydiving, BASE jumping and climbing, Ellis is more at home pushing his personal limits than most people are on a sofa. Attacking new passions whole heartedly is where he's at his best, and he takes this time to give us a few of the reasons why.

in 2012 going out to make a tandem skydive in Poland was pretty much like everywhere else. You book it, you jump. But when Marta Molinska made her first skydive, she didn't even make it to the ground before she was asking how she could make it as a pro. Her instructor not only got her to the ground safely and aimed her in the right direction to begin her journey, but remains her biggest supporter to this day. Now, not just the AFF instructor she set out to be on that very first jump, but managing a skydiving operation and now one of the three people helping to organize what has become the incredibly successful European Skydiving Symposium, Marta has taken her initial passion for skydiving to the next level, and the next, and the next... Lunatic Fringe all the way.

Another kick ass mid week reboot with JYRO!

Back in the can to talk all things nylon are Julien Peelman, Chris Stewart and first timer Chris Snell who are quite literally the ABC's of canopy development, design and production for New Zealand Aerosports. From concept to the production of Proto types to test jumping, we sit down to chat about exactly what it takes to put together the industries leading wings that help keep the lunatic fringe in the sky.

“Imagine a free fall from an altitude exceeding 26 miles, breaking the sound barrier unaided, and ascending to the highest crewed balloon flight—this is Hera Rising. Their historic dive aims to leave its mark on history and in hearts, smashing records and lifting spirits.”

Meet Eliana Rodriguez, Swati Varshney and Diana Valerin, the Hera Rising teammates who, along with everyone at Rising United have aimed their sights higher than ever before., determined to take the Lunatic Fringe to the highest levels.

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Mas Di Siena!

Mas Di Siena's entrance into skydiving wasn't exactly smooth, and was a start that would have dissuaded more than most from pushing to reach the level in our sport that he has. Hell, it would have kept most playing video games instead. Ex competitor, professional skydiving instructor and proud as hell meat hauler, Mas has managed to project a shiny outlook and happy disposition that most "working" skydivers should strive for, a great way to approach life in general, and a Lunatic Fringe kind of singing voice that's simply to die for...

On location at the absolutely beautiful dropzone located in Mombasa, Kenya, we get the chance to dive into the mindset of a destination boogie goer, the DZO, a first time tandem student, a 77 year old lifelong British jumper younger than most teenagers, and a few regulars to the podcast that help to try and define what it is that makes the worldwide Lunatic Fringe community so damn special. 

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Simon Colmer!

It started with an accident onboard a commercial airliner over Austrailia, or at least the catalyst did.  In an event that will forever be a part of Simon Colmer, part of learning to get past it was a bucket list that happened to include skydiving; yet for someone scared of heights dealing with the after effects of a traumatic experience onboard an airplane, it was one that took a bit of time to get around to.  Now, splitting his life quite clearly between the "real" world of an IT job, and weekends as a freefly coach and up and coming canopy pilot, Simon takes time to tell us about his rough beginnings in the air, lessons learned through injury, experience and travel and a host of incredible characters and mentors, and how he keeps the passion going in a sport with changing trends and appearances as he balances between the regular world and the Lunatic Fringe.

Life was all mapped out for Even Rokne. After school and having spent his time in the military, he would be taking over the family business. A hardware store was his future. Right up until it wasn’t. As for so many before him, skydiving changed it all. There from the very beginning, Even vividly remembers Skydive Voss when it was just a club, and a very small one at that. One of the founders of Extreme Week, Even helped not only to shape skydiving in the area, but the very community that would come to embrace not just it, but so many different extreme sports activities. Using his experience to pioneer events around the world, in 2024 he and his partners will be trail blazing new landing areas across islands in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. Seychelles. With a story that many a skydiver can easily identify with, Even Rokne is clearly on the cutting edge of the Lunatic Fringe, and not walking away anytime soon.

Another kick ass mid week reboot with Team Airwax!

World Champions and always outgoing ambassadors to the world for skydiving, Team Airwax with Greg Crozier, Karine Joy and Ewan Cowie join me face to face in the studio to talk about life after lockdown, travel in the time of Covid, previous lives and what the future holds in store. We touch on what it takes not only to be a championship team in our sport, but how social media plays an enormous part in staying relevant not only to sponsors, but to future generations of skydivers, and how a 2006 Pommero is the perfect bottle of wine to sip while chatting with other lifetime members of the Lunatic Fringe.