1.) If you bail out in the high altitude, you might consider a
freefall for some time, lets say 1 minute to get you down to more
dense air. If you have a lanyard (also known as a static line, which
can only be installed by a rigger) you would need some sort of oxygen
supply because the parachute will open immediately.

Jacek
Pasco, WA[/quote]

Guys, you a scaring me!

How long does it take to freefall (say) 10000' ?
Or 5000 ?
We know if we have departed the cosy cockpit real high because we would have a sore nose from the oxy supply being ripped out, and, we were real high when we lost control. Things get sticky after that, like how long did it take me to depart?
How long was I spinning/tumbling/flipping before I departed?

Most of the bale-outs I have heard of (not many) have occured as a result of a mid-air or the wings departing for whatever reason, luckily quite high.
More dangerous Mid-airs are normally quite low, as the gliders hit whilst entering a thermal during pull-up.

I suppose the luxury of having any height is a good start, but now I have to think of oxygen starvation during a successful bale-out as well!

Is there a good way to determine a 10000' height when falling, to pull a ripcord? Surely there is enough go-gas available at even 15000 for a minute or so of slow decent under a canopy to survive the fall?
Or should we wait until 2 or 3000' before pulling (and be guessing that height too) the ripcord.

As a non-jumper, how long does one actually have freefalling at our glider flying heights before hitting the ground?

I fear over-complicating such an emergency is a step backwards, but I am open to the conversation.

Thanks,

bagger