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!
Even if your Sunday doesn't include actual flying, you can still find ways to keep paragliding on your mind. For example, if the barista at your favourite coffee shop knows you, she might paint a picture of you flying with their tasty balsamic glaze.
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Not everyone wants to stay on a tandem flight for the whole time ;) A few years back I served as the "airplane" for another pilot who wanted to drop off my tandem with a D - (deployment) bag, and after releasing from my harness he flew off on a speed wing while I floated around solo on my tandem wing, coming in for the softest landing ever. With all the rain we've had the last few days (and more predicted all week) people excited about winter sports are starting to talk snow. Time to start core and balancing exercises to be able to launch on that slippery stuff!
There's a beautiful spot in Chilliwack where you can hike up to a small hill top and gaze over the city. There are always birds soaring at the peak, playing with the thermals and circling for hours. Unfortunately flying by humans is not permitted here, so we have to settle for second best and simply watch and learn from the birds as they glide overhead. If you don't believe in magic then you haven't been paragliding. Sharing the sky with bald eagles as you fly between the misty clouds is an experience you just can't describe with words... This year's Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is in the middle of November. People will come from all over for eagle viewing boat tours but for a few lucky pilots yesterday the "viewing" started early. Three bald eagles were flying from one paraglider to the next, showing us the lift or having fun by zooming by inches above our canopies. With a gorgeous weather forecast up ahead it looks like we'll be flying like this through most of October! Fall flying is here, and that means some beautiful soaring days mixed in with smooth stable days where we can run up and down the hill racking up the flights. Soon it will be time to bring out the skywalk spot landing circle and have fun contests at Riverside again. Maybe even today...
The weather has been moody lately as we shift into fall…strong winds followed by a flyable window followed by stable air. Instead of playing the waiting game on launch yesterday, I met up with some paramotor friends who were flying locally. Note to self…lift some weights before getting into this sport! Granted, the motor I tried on was a big & heavy one but even running around with just the motor running or practicing forward launches with the wing and motor not running were a lot more strenuous than regular paragliding. But watching the guys skimming the fields, dragging their feet through the hay as they circled around the fields made me think all the extra effort would be worth it. Thanks for a fun day! Can't wait to try it out & get airborne myself. |
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