A Skywalk Adventure

I stare out into the blackness of night, unable to sleep, but knowing the day is passing by. Every few seconds a red light flashes illuminating the wing from darkness.  Today will be shorter by eight hours, which means if I don't sleep now I am going to be worthless. I try to get in a few hours but, 2 or 3 restless hours is hardly enough. I stare out in the pre-dawn sky and see London passing by, glowing gold in the darkness of dawn.  I realize I am actually over Europe and will soon be landing. As I cruise through the air, my thoughts race forward to the events that may lie ahead. Right now they are still unknown, but I meet them mentally with some fear and trepidation. I have never been off this continent....Hawaii doesn't count. Never been to a foreign culture....again, Canada doesn't count. But if life is about living, gaining knowledge and having new experiences...then perhaps I am on the right track.

As I look back on my life... I think I am learning to live in the moment, learning to enjoy the journey a bit more than I have in the past. Since I have learned to paraglide, learned to fly, a skill and hobby that consumes much of my energy, I have opened myself up to a new world of experiences, friends, and now memories. It is this developing love of flying that is the reason for the trip. I am on my way to Grassau, Germany for a 5 day conference with Skywalk Paragliders. They have been kind enough to invite me out to their corporate headquarters for a week. I am traveling with my friend, mentor and original instructor Jonathan Jeffries as he is one of only two Skywalk representatives for the USA.

At this point I will spare you from my boring travelog.  I know nobody wants to know what I had for dinner, or what time I went to bed...after all this blog is about paragliding right??  So on to the flying.


A day later and after spending hours in solitude walking the surrounding forest and small village several miles away, just soaking up Germany it is time to get in the air.  After wandering through Skywalk's inventory racks, piled with wings, Jonathan, Tetsu (Japan), Ian (UK), and myself grab some flying gear and head for the mountains of Austria. Absolutely amazing! As we drive through the alps and pass small villages I can't believe how beautiful each is all nestled in small pristine valleys.

Once in Austria we arrive at Kossen Mountain, hike to the resort, buy a gondola ticket and fall inline with the skiers. So strange to be able to walk right next to the skiers, with your paragliding stuff, and not get strange looks. We get off, hike a few hundred feet and find ourselves at a beautifully groomed launch site. So foreign, but so awesome.  A quick layout of my glider for the day (black and white Chili 2) a few tugs on the A-lines, the wing lifts, turn, run and watch the snow fall below me. I stare up into the Wilder Kaiser mountains. Not much lift anywhere, but flying several thousand feet high above the valley floor and among the snow covered Austrian Alps is a memory not soon to be forgotten. As we all get in the air, it is awesome to look around and see just a bunch of Skywalk paragliders in the air. Everybody having a good time playing in the smooth winter air! A safe landing in the huge designated LZ right next to the ski school area. We quickly pack up our wings and head up for another. Like little kids in a candy store, we just can't get to the top fast enough. Once at the top we again get all set up and all launch into the air together. There is a little more lift and we are able to stay in the air a bit longer, goofing off and having just a great time. After this, it seemed everyone was kinda done, so I went up by myself for just one more. After all that is why I am here...to fly. Another awesome flight. The afternoon is getting later, and just so amazing flying around in these mountains. In Utah, our mountains are so spectacular, but being in Austria is just an amazing experience with the small villages, the beautiful vistas, and the acceptance of the sport.

Above the Village of Grassau, Germany

Through several days of Skywalk training it is clear this group is a melting pot of cultures.  Pilots from various countries all over the world.  People from Romania, Japan, UK, Turkey, Korea, Israel, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Columbia, Australia, etc. JJ and I are the only ones from North America.  After several days together learning, testing, and getting to know Skywalk Paragliders it is clear this is a fabulous company, filled with great people, brilliant engineers, and talented test pilots.  What a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with so many great people.  I have learned that regardless of languages and cultures, we all share the same passion for flying, and it is wonderful.

As my eyes reluctantly turn home I reflect on a fantastic and memorable adventure. Meeting great new friends, flying in the Austrian alps, and continuing in this fantastic road that paragliding has set me on. At the close of the trip I am enthusiastic for Skywalk, and honored to be considered as the only Skywalk team pilot in the United States. I am not sure what that means right now, but I am thankful for their support and their faith in me as a pilot.  As I look back on my tenure as a pilot it is amazing how far this sport has taken me, and helped to define my life. I am learning that perhaps throwing out the goals that society so regularly demands is perhaps the best approach to learning to live in the moment. It continues to amaze me how much freedom and happiness I have found in flying and I want to share that with others. I think I walk out of Germany with renewed confidence and a deeper passion for this wonderful sport.

Southern California Retreat

With winter upon us, we have been talking about doing a quick trip to Southern California again; this time as a collective group.  No time like the present so we make arrangements and off we go.  We defined the meeting place to be a large bushy, desert field near Lake Elsinore, California.  Paul, JoFo, and I fly into Long Beach, pick up Gary and arrive at our destination just a few minutes before JJ and Matt arrive.  Let the games begin.  We all pile in and drive to the top of the mountain to a small launch site just off the main road.  The locals are...well, interesting to say the least.  Paul, Gary, Matt and I quickly find our way into the thermic air.  We fly two more times and spend over 7 hours in the air today.  Awesome ridge soaring mixed with light thermals soaring high above Lake Elsinore.  It felt so good to be in the air for longer than five to ten minutes.  So much so, my stomach muscles are sore from sitting in the harness.



Wanting to take advantage of the time, we drive the several hours necessary up to Santa Barbara to experience some different scenery.  Crammed into a smoke, cockroach, infested Motel 6 (not my favorite environment), the night passes.  Come morning I can't wait to get some fresh air.  By 10:00 a.m. we are high in the desert mountains, teamed with Fly Above All Paragliding, launching off Alternator Peak.  Paul, Gary, Matt and I head into the unfamiliar skies, cravats and all.  There are no landing zones nearby, just miles of trees, so getting out the cravats was vital, and successfully achieved.  With high pressure upon us, it was perhaps one of the more turbulent thermal flights in my career as a pilot.  Nevertheless, we are able to work the difficult lift and get high above the mountains surrounding the Santa Barbara Valley despite getting thrown around in the unsettled air.  JoFo and JJ finally launch into the sky and join us.  We land by early afternoon, and come evening we are all still looking for some airtime.  We rush over to a beach with a small 500 foot cliff above it.  Again, Paul, Gary, Matt and I have to make our feet leave the ground just one more time.  Silly we know, but hey, that is just how we roll.  Forward launching off a plateau in zero wind, off a cliff, out over the ocean and into the sunset is a great way to end another day of flying.  The flight literally lasts only 60 seconds, but the best 60 seconds of the day, and down on the beach....everyone is pure smiles!

Come morning we decide to launch Alternator Peak one more time.  The sky is cloudy today and no thermals at all.  A butter smooth flight extending several miles out into the valley.  In a ditch effort to fly somewhere new we drive a few hours to Saboba.  It is nearing evening and the winds are dead...almost catabatic.  Matt and I decide it is worth the risk.  Little did we know that getting a ride on the ATV would prove to be the most dangerous.  We cling on for dear life as our driver cruises us along the edge of shear drops.  Matt and I launch in slight catabatic conditions, but are able to get off safely.  Again, a super fun, short flight at sunset.  Another great and memorable day in the sky.

We spend the next day sitting on the grass of Torrey Pines just killing time until our flight brings us back home.  Thankful to Gary's hospitality in letting us spend the night and feed us dinner.  As I sit here on the plane and stare out into the dark skies I reflect on what a great adventure this has been.  Great friends and great flying.  It was awesome getting to know Matt a little better and with his enthusiasm, and his willingness to always fly has definitely solidified his place in the DEAF Crew.  As I stare out the window a lyric reflects in my mind "I need freedom now.  And I need to know how...to live my life as its meant to be....."  It feels like for the first time in years I am living my life as it is meant to be....and it feels wonderful!

New Year's Day - 2012

I think it is basic human nature to start the new year off with a renewed sense of dedication.  It is a time of reflection on lives past, and hopes for the future.  A chance for re commitment to living the life you want, and to become the person you know you can become.  As I personally look backwards on my life, I realize I am pretty blessed and lucky.  I have a great family, career, faith, and wonderful friends to share  the most exhilarating dream of my life...the dream of flight.

Living on the knife edge of the present, my friends and I take advantage of this wonderful New Year's day to share it together in the sky.  We converge on West Mountain, Utah on a perfectly calm, sunny, and cold day. There is little snow, but cold enough to freeze the lake below.  We take several flights off both sides of the mountain, in super smooth air.  The last flight out to the west was met with some stronger winds and turbulence, but the views beautiful.

As the morning ends and afternoon approaches, Paul and I have just not yet had enough flying for one day, so we leave the group behind and head to Provo.  A perfectly sunny evening for a sled run off The Y and down into Provo.  The flight is smooth and a wonderful way to cap the day.

This short video was captured from a single day of flying with my fellow members of the DEAF Crew, and other pilots.  Armed with 3 new cameras and a new sponsorship from GoPro it was a great opportunity to try out the brand new HD Hero2.  I think the cameras have wonderful picture quality and it was fun to experiment with them today.

As I now look forward to the coming year, I am hopeful and excited to see where the sky will take me next.  Thankful for every single time my feet leave the ground.  Just leaving the ground is a miracle, and puts a smile on my face no matter how long or how short the flight is...I am just stoked I am flying. Often when I am in the air I have to pause and remind myself of how many people only get to dream about doing this, and here I am.  How lucky, and how thankful for such a great life.