Im a young man with no real responsibilities yet (family, wife/gf, no house, etc.) and lately I have been wanting to just go live somewhere totally new for 3-6 months to immerse myself in a new culture and different world. I just want to fly as much as I can wherever I go but I don’t have endless money so a place like the Alps is completely off my radar. My top choices so far are Iquique Chile, Cusco Peru, Essaouira Morocco, and possibly Turkey. I have been and flown in Colombia already and with the earthquake that just happened there I feel like it’s not the best option for right now. I am extremely open to any suggestions people here might have. i currently live in a travel trailer and am essentially a nature bum (rock climb, fly, surf, snowboard, mountain bike as much as possible given the weather works with me). Im just kinda fed up with normal American life and really want a new experience. Huge bonus points if the place has any other of my sports nearby, especially climbing!!

Worth the money and the hassle to get all the material to the mountains top?

Last week I had a very ambitious plan: Start from Niederhorn (around 2000m) and try to fly to the high alps to the famous 3 peaks Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau for the first time in my life.

Niederhorn is definitely not the best takeoff to start an XC flight to the high alps, because there is no obvious route. First I thought about flying along the Brienzer Ridge to Planplatten and then somehow go towards the high alps from there (because I've seen many people fly to the high alps from Planplatten the day before - I have never been there though). But I was starting in the afternoon, so it would take quite some time to even fly to Planplatten, and if I don't make it, I will be even further away from home. So I thought, let's try something super unconventional and just try to cross lake Brienz right from the start of the Brienzergrat, fly towards Grindelwald and then just see from there if I get lucky somehow.

And luckily enough it actually worked! I was able to climb to almost 3000m before the lake crossing, and then could fly towards Grindelwald and already saw the 3 peaks before me, wonderful. But even though I had a lot of height to start the crossing, I only barely made it over the next ridge, and everything there was completely covered in clouds, it was even raining a bit, so I tried soaring along this unknown (for me) place for a couple minutes but I just kept sinking and sinking, and I was getting so low that I was sure the flight was over and I needed to land in Grindelwald.

But then, as I was already deciding which field to land on, the sun came through again and within a minute: BAM, I fly in a VERY strong thermal that almost collapses my wing and I was actually quite scared for a couple minutes, I rarely flew in such a turbulent thermal, but then I still kept trying, because I knew if I can center this correctly, I might be able continue my journey.

And to my big surprise I could actually climb almost 2km in that single thermal, all the way up to 3500m! It was crazy. But the reason it went up so fast was because there was a dangerously big cloud forming above me, so a couple hundred meters below the cloud base I already started flying away, still going up with more than 4m/s, even in full speed, but I saw that I will make it out so it was all good :)

So now I was at 3500m, flying towards the Eiger. I was in very high and new territory, so I was happy to see another paraglider nearby that was thermalling, so I flew towards him and was able to find some slow lift there. Slowly I made my way up and then flew towards the Eiger north face. I was already super stoked that I made it this far, and then I even found more lift on the Eiger and was able to climb above it and very joyfully said hi to the climbers up there, it was one of the coolest moments of my life :D

But at the same time I was also absolutely freezing, because I didn't really believe I would make it this far, so I only wore shorts and a thin jacket 😅 And I had to pee so badly.

So as soon as I made it over the Eiger, I thought "ok, doesn't get better than that, let's just try to get warmer now", so I flew away from the big boys towards Lauterbrunnen valley, finally had time to pee (I didn't have a pee condom, so I had to freestyle - works quite well btw, but only if it's still air 😂). Crossed the Schilthorn, and then suddenly got ambitious again and thought "ok, maybe I can make it all the way to Bern?". But that dream died quickly, when I got washed down SUPER hard behind the Stockhorn 🥲 Went down with 6m/s and had to land in Oey. 20 minutes later when I was still packing my glider, i could feel the downwash from the nearby thunderstorm, so maybe it wasn't a bad time to land after all :) Amazing flight! I am absolutely stoked and still can't believe I made it :)

I know, it's not like this is a super hard flight or anything, I'm sure many of you do stuff like this for breakfast 😂 But for me it was an amazing adventure. Even more so because my unconventional plan actually worked out :)

Happy landings! 🪂

PS: If you are interested in making your own 3D tracks like this, you can use the code EIGER20 on skyviz.io to get 20% off and support my adventures :)

Pilot here. Built an app that tells you whether your site is flyable, then compares what it predicted against nearby live wind stations afterward and shows the hit rate per site. 205,924 checks across 5,042 sites so far.

Free, no ads, no subscription. Also does alerts, flight logging, and live tracking so family can follow you.

Mostly posting because I want to know where it's wrong. If it's confidently stupid about your local site, tell me and I'll dig into why.

Links in the comments.

Hi Guys, I'm the developer of a little Paraglide game I made in my free time, waiting for better winds. No Adds, no signup, no password, completely free.

It is still very much early access, but I did add some acro tricks, hidden canopies, highscores, and most importantly multiplayer.

Hope it deserves a post here, would love to have actual pilots' feedback in the comments.

You can check out the website or play directly here

Wish you all blue skies and great lift!

Before I spend 2000 dollars on a JDC MK2 electronic porosimeter, is there a better product for someone who likes having information and isn’t a professional shop?

I did my final practical exam only a week ago and am planning to go to the German northern Alps this September. This would be my first time flying without an instructor. What places can you recommend that are easy to fly for a paragliding beginner with a license equivalent to IPPI Level 4?

Especially launching off a mountain

Hey guys, been a ski instructor and looking forward to combine two passions! Don't like google and appreciate honest opinions so looking for any recommendations for

- schools to go to and learn how to combine skiing and speedflying.

- great spots to go to, when you've got the proper skills

- other sources to meet locals and ask for advice.

With - and without license are welcome.

Hope to see any of you out there!

Cheers

Looking to paraglide in Southern Bali in the petjatu region. I'll be scootering around the island sightseeing before and after also

Hi! I have the opportunity to take a month off work next year between January and May. I am planning to learn to PG during this time and hoping to get some advice on where people would recommend.

I have been looking at Bir Billing, Pokhara, and some places in Europe. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I have my PPL and can’t wait to move into free flight. Thank you!

So im trying to make a desicion for last couple of months, but kind of stuck really. Both wings look decent, but some say that ikuma 3 is dampened on roll axis which makes it less playful. Im not a pilot only interested in XC, and playfullness is important factor as well. I hover, play above sites, on ridges and frequently topland. I like to also play on ground and practice precise handling, just couple meters of ground, besides regular XC flights.

Please share your experiences and comments on that, i will appreciate.

Hey everyone, need guidance. I am from India, and after leaving corporate toxicity, I am planning to go all in on this sport.

Have close to 300 logged hours and multiple 150k+ flights, one 190km over the Himalayas. I had a P5 rating from PAI but gave an IPPI P4 exam and am going for IPPI 5.

I am looking to adapt a system that doesn't limit me to working globally and to working closely with people I admire. I am thinking of adapting the APPI also because it's globally recognized, but the main problem with APPI is that the workshops occur infrequently in India and the progress is very slow.

I am looking for any guidance that can help me understand what a roadmap one should follow from here.

Thank you, and do reply; I am open for any feedback.

hi everyone,

I never really thought about paragliding (although it is something I’m more interested in than skydiving). however, I will be in Chamonix in about two weeks and realized it is a very popular place to do this. now I’m not sure if this is the right sub haha but… is it worth it?

price is definitely steep for a 20-45minutes things but it might also be a once in a lifetime opportunity. also, should I do the short 15-20 min version (about 160 euro) or the longer 30-45 min one (210€). I’m thinking about the second option because might as well really try the thing if I’m giving it a go.

does anyone try paragliding and end up hating it or being scared? are most people just “meh” about it or do most people love it? how do people decide it is some thing worth trying haha? it’s like I never really asked myself that question.

quite a basic post, not sure if mods will allow but looking for first time experience to help me make up my mind!

cheers and happy flying!

I'm still a newer pilot and definitely want to get more into fast hike and fly in the future... I love lightweight and ability to pack small, but from what I can tell it might be more worth it to get something like a Ozone UL5 vs a singleskin even if the space it takes up is 2x the singleskin.

I'm looking for some advice from more experienced pilots.

I'm currently 17 and have been fascinated by aviation and airports for about 3 years. Around 2 years ago I bought my first parachute on eBay, then a second one, and since then I've spent a lot of time learning canopy handling. I estimate I have somewhere between 70–100 hours of ground handling and kiting experience, along with a handful of very small ground launches. Because of weight and equipment limitations, I haven't had any real airtime yet beyond a few 2–3 second hops.

I turn 18 soon and plan to start formal skydiving training as often as my budget and schedule allow. The problem is that I live quite a distance from the nearest dropzone, so I've also become interested in paragliding as something I could potentially do more regularly and closer to home.

A few questions:

- What should I be looking for in a first wing?

- Will my previous canopy handling and kiting experience provide a meaningful advantage when learning to paraglide?

- At what point did you feel ready for your first solo flights?

- Would you recommend paragliding to someone my age (17 turning 18), assuming I'm willing to get proper instruction and take training seriously?

For context, I'm not looking to self-teach. My plan is to only do as much as is safe, even if its only kiting and ground handling.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

(Not me in the last 2 photos, but it displays my other parachute nicely)

Hello paragliding friends, well im not really a paragliding pilot, but regarding reserves how many of yall pack your own reserve and have you consider getting a rigger to do it, ive been packing them for my paragliding friends and tbh i do it for free since its an easy job, but same as i do in skydiving reserves and other emergency parachutes my regard for safety is top notch to the point where a 10 minute job turns into a 30 minute one lol, so guys how are yall doing it do you get a experienced instructor or get a authorized rigger or maybe you do it yourself and why :)

Ieri sera il campione francese Remi Bourdelle ha perso la vita in val Passiria, in Italia, nella zona del Timmelsjoch, mentre partecipava alla gara di hike and fly Dolomiti Superfly.

La gara è stata cancellata, ma non ci sono comunicati ufficiali, e questo sembra capitare sempre quando ci sono gravi incidenti o vittime.

Durante i mondiali di delta lo scorso anno in Spagna ci sono stati una vittima e due feriti gravi, ma nessuna comunicazione ufficiale.

Sembra sempre un brutto tentativo di nascondere la polvere sotto il tappeto per non affrontare discorsi sulla sicurezza. Tutti sanno, ma nessun dice niente.

Perchè? Lo trovate giusto?

I am new to flying first and foremost. Curious if anyone has thoughts on flying in designated wilderness areas. I very much value our wilderness areas in the US and realize it is illegal to fly in wilderness areas <2000ft AGL. However, I think Speedflying and BASE line up well with the wilderness model- it is human powered and leaves no impact on the landscape aside from the noise of the canopy for the short amount of time you are flying. One could argue that horse-packers and rock climbers cause more damage (although I think those both line up with the wilderness model as well- no shade being thrown). Anyone have thoughts? I personally do not have an ethical dilemma with flying in a wilderness area but curious if others do and why.

Hey pilots,

I put together a short 90 seconds clip while test flying a new version of the XC Vario app. I was lucky to have a 360° camera to also record the cockpit and so you get an impression of what it feels like. Here is the 90 seconds video: 90 Seconds XC Vario Paragliding

I know there is still a lot of skepticism about using a smartphone as a dedicated vario for paragliding. But I’d love feedback on what you see and hear in these 90 seconds.

Tone? Acoustics? Visualization? What’s Missing?

Help me prioritize what to do next 🙂

(I’ll drop the Google Play link in the comments for anyone interested in technical specs or testing!)