FTFA:<p><pre><code>    Glass hurts, but it gives. So does grass. Haystacks and
    bushes have cushioned surprised-to-be-alive free-fallers.
     Trees aren’t bad, though they tend to skewer. Snow? 
    Absolutely. Swamps? With their mucky, plant-covered 
    surface, even more awesome. Hamilton documents one case of 
    a sky diver who, upon total parachute failure, was saved 
    by bouncing off high-tension wires. Contrary to popular 
    belief, water is an awful choice. Like concrete, liquid 
    doesn’t compress. Hitting the ocean is essentially the 
    same as colliding with a sidewalk, Hamilton explains, 
    except that pavement (perhaps unfortunately) won’t “open 
    up and swallow your shattered body.”</code></pre>