DropZonez.com

What are risers?

Equipment

Risers are the four webbing straps that run from the shoulders of the harness up to the canopy's suspension lines. They carry the entire load of a jumper under canopy, and they double as a control surface.

Front and rear

Each shoulder has a front riser and a rear riser. Pulling a front riser makes the canopy dive on that side; pulling a rear riser slows and flattens it. Both are used for steering when toggles are unavailable, and front riser input is central to high-performance landings.

The toggles for normal steering are stowed on the rear risers, which is where a jumper reaches to unstow them after opening.

This is background, not training

These pages explain what things are so the language makes sense. They are not instruction and cannot substitute for it — skydiving is taught in person by rated instructors at a drop zone, and anything involving equipment handling or emergency procedures belongs there rather than on a web page.