Paragliding:
a visual journey
Follow along with us as adventurers take to the skies for the first time on a tandem, learn valuable paragliding skills or even catch a glimpse of pilots just goofing around!
Snapped this shot as Lee was braking his Skywalk Chili 3 when landing at Bridal Falls the other day. I just love how the movement in the wing comes through on the picture, nothing else to say really (besides how great the colours look!).
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Skywalk Paragliders host a yearly competition called Night Fever with the tag line, "Last one out turns off the light". The prize goes to the pilot who's the last one to land. Since it is usually held in Austria which is a bit far, we decided to hold our own version here in BC. Although it looks like the middle of the day in this shot, the shade shut down the lift at Bridal Falls within a half hour of George's landing. Lee held out the longest on his Skywalk Chili 3, with Joseph (Ozone) 2nd and Monica (Gin) 3rd. Monica won the endurance record for staying up for over 5 hours and took home 2 prizes! It was a busy day at Bridal Falls - a sunny, stable Saturday that had over a dozen paraglider pilots soaring the ridge in front of launch. As the lift gave out, a surprisingly ordered landing pattern developed. Surprising because not everyone chose to follow right-of-way or ridge rules on the mountain. But we'll focus on the positive and show off this short clip of the choreographed approach and landings - starring George, Mark C, Martin N then me, and a quick glance over my shoulder showed Monica coming along next with the rest of the pilots slowly slipping off the hill to join us. Flying at Bridal the other day I was following Monica around the sky when I noticed her entering a steep turn to do some spirals. I flew off to the side to grab some video. After finding a good spot and turning on my GoPro, I caught a few turns then..a dorky move…I hadn't heard the camera turn on so did the classic "is this thing on" film technique. Oops! Her spiral was a lot nicer than the wondering look on my face... Can you recognize the site? The trees and shrubs have certainly grown up on both sides of those stairs now. Klaus & Monica built this beautiful outhouse for Bridal Falls in 2005(?), and a group of volunteers brought it up for installation on what looks like a fantastic flying day. A lot of people come out to fly but don't even think about how our launches & landing fields stay in usable condition. Volunteers make it happen - this time around Monica mowed the landing and George took a weed-wacker to launch at Bridal Falls. Thank them next time you're out, we would be back to landing in the swamp and snagging our lines in the clover and tall grass when taking off without their hard work and dedication! After flying at Bridal yesterday, a mysterious paragliding tree appeared in the landing field. Only the shadow was captured on film.
Sometimes we get so focused on "life" that we forget to pause and take it all in. Playing tourist the other day brought me to both of these gorgeous spots I only usually see from the air. This time I did nothing but simply enjoy the scenery and be thankful I live in such a beautiful and peaceful place. GoPro cameras are great, but not always the best for catching action in the deep (or not-so-deep) background. Here's a group shot of Monica, Klaus & I paragliding together at Bridal Falls…objects are closer than they appear! This is me launching in 2002 (?) from Upper Launch at Bridal Falls. I think this should be our next hike & fly destination…what do you think? |
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