continuation
We asked him what his job was and he told us he was a paragliding instructor. Apparently he had been looking for customers, saw a promising-looking family get on the lift, and ran after us. I, for one, had expected to have to make reservations or appointments beforehand, but he told us that we could paraglide immideately on reaching the top. We would have to fly tandem with an instructor, since it was our first flight.
We took him up on his offer and he showed us to the 'paragliding hut' near the top of the mountain. One of his colleagues who was there, a member of the national paragliding team, was to take my brother up with him and take pictures. I was to go with the instructor we had met, Mr. Andersson(a typically Swedish name). Mom firmly rejected the offer and Dad stayed behind with her.
After we were strapped in to harnesses so as not to fall out of the paragliders, we were instructed to run down the side of the mountain, with the instructors behind running right behind us, connected to the us and the chute. After only a few steps of running, even in our clumsy ski boots, the harness simply pulled me and Mr. Andersson off of the mountain to soar. The flight was wonderful. Paragliding is exactly like sitting on a flying chair. you have a perfect 360 degree view of the world below you and the sky above you, only interrupted by the instructor sitting behind you and the parachute above. Mr. Andersson let me control the flight a little bit, by pulling on two cords to adjust the amount of drag on either side of the chute.
The landing was pretty easy, like the takeoff, but I can see how it could be very uncomfortable if the ground isn't covered with snow or there are strong winds.
this picture isn't from our flight, I should be getting some of our pics up soon.
We took him up on his offer and he showed us to the 'paragliding hut' near the top of the mountain. One of his colleagues who was there, a member of the national paragliding team, was to take my brother up with him and take pictures. I was to go with the instructor we had met, Mr. Andersson(a typically Swedish name). Mom firmly rejected the offer and Dad stayed behind with her.
After we were strapped in to harnesses so as not to fall out of the paragliders, we were instructed to run down the side of the mountain, with the instructors behind running right behind us, connected to the us and the chute. After only a few steps of running, even in our clumsy ski boots, the harness simply pulled me and Mr. Andersson off of the mountain to soar. The flight was wonderful. Paragliding is exactly like sitting on a flying chair. you have a perfect 360 degree view of the world below you and the sky above you, only interrupted by the instructor sitting behind you and the parachute above. Mr. Andersson let me control the flight a little bit, by pulling on two cords to adjust the amount of drag on either side of the chute.
The landing was pretty easy, like the takeoff, but I can see how it could be very uncomfortable if the ground isn't covered with snow or there are strong winds.
this picture isn't from our flight, I should be getting some of our pics up soon.
posted by Jason (who else?) at 9:14 PM
feed for this blog. 
4 Comments:
Paragliding? Wow very cool, did you take any pictures from the paraglider? Those would be very cool to see too.
note the last sentence of my post:
"this picture isn't from pur flight, I should be getting some of our pics up soon."
but anyway, you answer is yes, but first I'll have to get them developed and scan 'em in.
They're not digital because the guy taking the pictures, who, as I mentioned, is a member of the National Paragliding team, does not even have a computer. He spends too little time indoors. He didn't used to have a phone in his house either, until his family got fed up and gave him a cell phone.
Amazing, huh?
{quote}note the last sentence of my post:
"this picture isn't from pur flight, I should be getting some of our pics up soon."{/quote>}
Yes I know but I wanted to know if you took them from the paraglider, I know that wasnt the picture from your flight.
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