If you've spent any time at a dropzone recently, you've almost certainly seen the altimeter viso 2 strapped to the wrists of students and seasoned pros alike. It's one of those pieces of gear that seems to have a permanent residence in the skydiving world, even as newer, flashier tech hits the market every year. There's a reason for that, and it isn't just because people are creatures of habit.
When you're falling at 120 mph, you don't want to be second-guessing your equipment. You want something that does exactly what it's supposed to do without making a fuss. That's essentially the legacy of Larsen & Brusgaard, the Danish company behind the Viso line. They've managed to create a digital instrument that feels rugged, reliable, and—perhaps most importantly—simple.
Why the Viso 2 remains a dropzone staple
The first thing you notice about the altimeter viso 2 is its size. Compared to the massive analog "clocks" that many of us started with on our student jumps, this thing is tiny. It's sleek, low-profile, and doesn't snag on your lines or your jumpsuit sleeve when you're moving around in the door of the plane.
But don't let the small footprint fool you. The screen is designed for high contrast, which is a big deal when you're transitioning from the bright sun at 13,000 feet to the shadows of a cloudy day or the glare of a setting sun. I've always found that the digits are crisp enough to read with a quick glance, which is exactly what you need when you're checking your altitude during a chaotic formation or a high-speed tracking dive.
It's also surprisingly tough. The casing is high-impact plastic, and most people keep theirs in a silicone wrist mount. These mounts come in every color imaginable, which is a nice perk if you're the type of jumper who likes their gear to match. But beyond the aesthetics, that silicone cover adds an extra layer of shock absorption. I've seen these things take some serious knocks against the plane door or during a less-than-graceful landing, and they usually come out just fine.
Getting used to the "one button" system
Now, if there's one thing that confuses people about the altimeter viso 2, it's the menu system. It uses a single button to control everything. For anyone used to a smartphone or a device with multiple toggles, it can feel a little bit like learning Morse code at first.
You've got short presses, long presses, and "double-taps" to navigate through the settings. To turn it on or access the menu, you have to click the button in a specific rhythm. It's designed this way on purpose—the last thing you want is for your altimeter to accidentally switch off or change settings because you bumped it while you were packing your rig or sitting in the plane.
Once you get the hang of it, though, it becomes muscle memory. You quickly learn how to cycle through your jump history, set the date, or adjust the backlighting for a night jump. It's one of those things that feels clunky for about ten minutes, and then you never think about it again.
More than just a height meter
While its main job is telling you how far you are from the ground, the altimeter viso 2 packs in some pretty cool extra features that help you track your progress as a skydiver. It has a built-in logbook that stores the details of your last 200-plus jumps.
It doesn't just record that you jumped; it records your exit altitude, your deployment altitude, the total time you spent in freefall, and even your maximum speed. For someone working on their body position or trying to see how a new wing-suit or canopy affects their fall rate, having that data right on your wrist is incredibly helpful. You can land, walk back to the hangar, and immediately check your stats to see how that last jump performed compared to the one before it.
The speed tracking is particularly interesting. It can display your speed in either mph or km/h, and it gives you a decent look at your average fall rate versus your top speed. It's not a full-blown GPS data logger, sure, but for a compact wrist-mounted unit, it provides plenty of "nerd stats" to talk about over a beer after the sun goes down.
Accuracy and reliability in the air
The core of the altimeter viso 2 is its pressure sensor. It's remarkably accurate and reacts quickly to changes in altitude. You won't see that "lag" that sometimes plagues cheaper digital units. When you're screaming toward the ground, you need the numbers to keep up with your actual position, and this device delivers.
It also has an automatic calibration feature. When you turn it on at the dropzone, it sets itself to the local ground elevation. If the weather changes and the barometric pressure shifts while you're waiting for the clouds to clear, it's easy to reset it to zero. It's also designed to handle "offset" altitudes, which is useful if you're taking off from one location and landing at another that has a different elevation.
One thing I've always appreciated is how it handles the "sleep" mode. It's smart enough to save power when you're not jumping, but it wakes up the moment it senses the pressure change of a plane climb. You don't have to worry about forgetting to "start" it once you're in the air.
Dealing with batteries and maintenance
Let's talk about the power source. The altimeter viso 2 runs on two CR2325 batteries. Now, these aren't as common as your standard AA or even the CR2032s you find in every grocery store, so it's always a good idea to keep a spare set in your gear bag.
The good news is that the batteries last a long time. Depending on how many jumps you're doing and whether you're using the backlight often, you can usually get a couple of seasons out of a single set. When the battery starts to get low, the device gives you a clear warning on the screen long before it actually dies. Changing them is pretty straightforward—you just pop the back cover off, swap them out, and you're good to go.
As for maintenance, there isn't much to do. Keep the screen clean, make sure the silicone mount isn't getting brittle from the sun, and you'm pretty much set. It's a "set it and forget it" kind of tool.
How it stacks up against the competition
In a world where we now have altimeters with full-color touchscreens and Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, is the altimeter viso 2 looking a bit dated? Maybe a little. But "dated" in skydiving often just means "proven."
Newer models like the Ares II or the various color-screen options are great, but they also tend to be more expensive and sometimes have shorter battery lives because of those power-hungry screens. The Viso 2 sticks to a monochrome LCD that is incredibly easy to read in direct sunlight—something that some fancy color screens still struggle with.
It's the Toyota Hilux of altimeters. It's not trying to be a smartphone; it's trying to be a reliable instrument. For a lot of jumpers, especially those just starting out or those who do a lot of "working" jumps like tandem videos or coaching, that reliability is worth more than a high-res display.
Is it the right choice for you?
If you're looking for your first digital altimeter, it's hard to go wrong with this one. The altimeter viso 2 is priced reasonably, it's durable, and it holds its resale value remarkably well. Even if you eventually decide to upgrade to something with more bells and whistles, you can almost always find a student or a newer jumper who's looking to buy a used Viso.
It's small enough to stay out of the way, accurate enough for high-stakes jumping, and provides just enough data to keep you informed without being overwhelming. It's survived the transition from the "analog era" to the "smart era" because it focuses on doing one thing really well: letting you know exactly how much air you have left before it's time to pull.
At the end of the day, gear is about confidence. When I look down and see those clear black numbers on the gray screen, I know exactly where I am. And in this sport, that's the only thing that really matters. Whether you're on jump 10 or jump 1,000, the Viso 2 is a solid companion to have on your wrist.