Thanks for sharing the videos! It looks like a fun sport, but based on what you’ve just said here, not something I’d care to take up.

It does look like LOTS of fun, though!

However, a collapse is definitely a BIG-DEAL that has to be corrected immediately or dire consequences are the by-product.

murf2222

Thanks — very informative! Couldn’t ask for a better answer.

I love this quote. Of course its not quite true. Paragliding is a totally un-natural state of affairs and the mere ability to do it, implies you are lucky. Eleven years I’ve kept that luck, though like Murph222 I’ve got stories to tell.
Josh

PS Jim I only posted as its not RE related.

The pro’s of paragliding are the portability of the gear. The paraglider itself folds up and you carry all of the gear (about 40 pounds total) on your back. For the occasions that we sink-out it is a lot easier to carry back up the trail from Black’s beach.

Hang gliders don’t break-down nearly as small and are therefore difficult to not only carry, but travel with.

As far as the flying goes, Paragliders and hang gliders fly in the same environments. At Torrey pines we both fly in the lifting band of air that hits the cliffs and is redirected upwards.

Mountain flying entails seeking out thermals to maintain lift and again, both paragliders and hang gliders fly at the same sites.

Hang gliders are much faster than paragliders and do not have to constantly worry about their wing folding-up on them like a taco. The smooth laminar air at Torrey Pines is a perfect match for paragliders. Mountain sites however are much more challenging for a paraglider because the air is so turbulent that the risk of the wing collapsing is always on your mind.

Paragliders are less expensive too. 4k-5k gets you set-up where-as I think hang gliders start at over 6K

For anyone that has ever dreamed of flying like a bird, paragliding/hang gliding is the closest thing you will ever get.

To put it into perspective…..I was supposed to watch the super-bowl with a cousin, but when I saw that the flying conditions were gonna be optimal at Torrey, I changed my plans and elected to record the game. I was mocked by my cousin for not watching the game live, but my position is…………

The WORST day of flying is STILL better than BEST football game…..(and this is coming from someone that is still in agony over the Charger’s collapse).

In fact, I think it was probably on Sunday that Jim got his footage of me flying.

Murf2222

During my “formative” flying days (about 3 years ago) I had quite a reputation at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Some of my hair-raising moments included……..
**I was losing lift and trying to make it back to the gliderport, but could not make it so I had to land at Black’s beach. This is rather routine as you just aim for a dry section of sand. Well, as I was rounding a bend and setting up for a final *flare* to land I realized that it was high tide and that particular section of beach did not exist anymore! I landed in 4 feet of water and began a mad panic to unclip my gear before the waves sucked me and my wing back out to sea.

Never have I been so happy to see a middle aged nude guy, as he raced into the surf and held onto my paraglider so I could extricate myself!

**Once while flying over the Torrey Pines Reserve area the wind got too strong and I landed traveling BACKWARDS on the north side of Torrey Pines Rd with my wing draped over a tree. The lifeguards showed up and left when I told them I was uninjured. 15 minutes later I started hearing lots of sirens. They started getting louder and before I knew it there were 4 emergency vehicles there. I told them I was okay so they all left….including a hook and ladder truck that COULD HAVE helped me get my wing out of the tree, but hey…I was alive AND unhurt so no worries here!

** My alternative landing stories also include one where I was trying to fly with the big-boys above Scripps aquarium. In my attempt to make it back to the lift-band along the cliffs I sunk-out and had to land right on La Jolla Shores Dr. Fortunately for me a construction truck not only yielded, but even gave me a ride back to the gliderport!

Luckily I have never hurt myself or anyone else. Torrey Pines is actually a very safe paragliding site……as long as you stay within your comfort zone and fly smart.

The more I fly the more conservative I get. My library of noteworthy “stories” has not expanded in the last couple years.

Murf2222