Calgary skydiver brightened rooms with energy, passion: friends
Kristin Czyz, 34, died Friday evening when her parachute failed after BASE jumping off a bridge in Idaho



Courtesy / Aaron Parrotto Aaron Parrotto, right, was roommate to Kristin Czyz, left,
who died on Friday when her parachute failed while jumping off a bridge in Idaho.

By: Jeremy Simes For Metro Published on Sun May 15 2016

Kristin Czyz loved the big sky, sushi and a good glass of wine, according to close friends.

On Friday evening, Czyz, 34, died when her parachute failed after jumping off Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.

On Sunday, Czyz’s close friends remembered the ambitious woman who was full of energy.

Dave Withrow, manager of Skydive Big Sky in Innisdail, said he remembered harnessing Czyz up for her first skydive.

He said Czyz later became an instructor at Big Sky — with more than 1,000 skydives under her belt — and made trips around the world to feel the thrill.

“She was one of those types of people that when she walked in the room she made other people smile,” Withrow said. “Just by being there.”

Czyz also introduced a new-to-Calgary Aaron Parrotto to her friends, when he became her roommate about two years ago.

Parrotto said she was always there for him.

“She was so easy to be around … happy go lucky,” he said. “(Czyz) was such an awesome girl.”


Facebook / Kristin Czy Kristin Czyz was an avid skydiver.

The duo had a relationship that not many roommates can say they have, Parrotto added.

The two would crack open a bottle of wine and eat Czyz’s homemade sushi, and then try to watch a flick on her “crappy” tv, he said.

“I'm going to miss our date nights at all-you-can-eat sushi,” he said.

There were also yoga classes, Flames games and lengthy runs.

“I don't think people really knew the kind of relationship we had,” Parrotto said.

“Like what roommate comes home and makes you your favourite home made clam chowder soup when you’re sick?”

Czyz was relatively new to BASE jumping, Withrow said, adding she may have only done about 40 jumps.

In fact, he said Czyz did her first jump at the Perrine Bridge because BASE jumpers can train at the site.

“BASE jumping was a recent thing for her,” he said. “But skydivers tend to celebrate life, not dwell on the loss: think about the good things instead of bad parts.”

He said her friends will do a skydive together in memory of her next week.

Parrotto said he’ll never be the same since Czyz’s death.

“I've never seen someone so happy and excited every time she was going out to do what she loved,” he said. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to this beautiful person.

“I love her dearly and thought of her like a sister. Hopefully she will finally get me to go skydiving with her soon.”