A New Year of Diamonds in the Sky

Self portrait looking down

It seems every time the DEAF Crew gets together an adventure is bound to follow. With clouds bubbling through the high mountains, light winds, and freezing cold temperatures, it seems like a good winter day to fly. So, I rally the troops and we all arrive at the designated trailhead. We start walking from here, up to the Bonneville Shoreline trail, then begins the long hike up the west ridges towards Lone Peak. It is surprising how hard it is snowing as we hike, I mean REALLY snowing.  About halfway up the faint trail vanishes into the deepening snow leaving us the task to break trail through thigh deep snow. We have all flown this enough that finding the trail is like second nature. The higher we go the deeper it gets. The deeper it gets, the more icy the under ground is...sure glad I have my gators and crampons. Slowly we slog our way to the knife ridge, then up to the launching field some 3,000 vertical feet (1000 m) above the valley floor.

Jeff (the boot), Paul, Clark and Matt trudging through thigh deep snow.

It is great to have all four of us together at the same time again...the right way to start the year! We find a nice wind blown patch of snow to launch from. Lay out our gear then get dressed up like we are going to the moon...it is after all -10º C up here. Clipped in, ready, the winds begin to settle downslope...no time to wait. We punch off in quick succession, like fighter jets from an aircraft carrier out into a snowy filled sky. As we descend, punching through the inversion layer the sun appears glistening the falling diamonds in the sky. A magical glass off flight in the setting sun.

A nice wind blown launch site

What a great way to start off the New Year, a cold way, but a great way nonetheless. I look forward to another year filled with great adventures and experiences with my good buddies Paul, Clark, and Matt. I feel lucky to be part of such a great crew to fly with.

Self portrait coming out of the clouds...isn't it cold? YES

Arial view of Matt. Paul way down on the left side of the frame, Clark above me...and the deer? They are in there too.

Already looking forward to the next adventure....maybe tomorrow?

Lonely Skies

Beautiful skies just before launch

There is a certain level of peace and solitude to be found in the snowy mountains of winter. There is just something special about the calm and quiet air that I find refreshing. It lacks the anticipated bubbling energy and excitement that so often causes my palms to sweat and heart to race come early spring. Productive thermal activity is greatly diminished in the cold snowy air, which brings a relaxing change. December has been quite stormy, which has brought strong winds and a bounty of snow, with beautiful skies and still plenty of great days to fly...so long as you are willing to brave the elements.

Self portrait-knee deep in snow

This month I have found myself flying mostly alone in the solitude of winter. Sure there has been a few days here and there flying amongst friends, but mostly my companions have been the mule deer that populate the Wasatch foothills. As the snow keeps falling, and covering each of our tracks, we have been taking turns setting the trails. Sometimes the deer break trail for me, and when it is fresh, I find it my duty to break it for them. Although generally silent, their presence has kept me company.

Racing to beat the snow

Flying through different winter storm cycles provides opportunities to experience different textures of air, to learn, experiment, and redefine your boundaries and limits as a pilot. However, one must always exercise good judgement and know your own limits and skill level. I have had some interesting flights this month that have provided new knowledge to draw upon. I have experienced 30 mph catabatic winds rush in with no warning from a calm upslope breeze. Such winds threw my glider off the mountain and down into a canyon (glad I wasn't hooked in). I have experienced unique thermal flights in the middle of snow storms. It is always interesting to be going up, while the snow falls down. I have had many mid-day and afternoon flights in the snow covered canyons and foothills. At the request of a good friend I even ventured to the Point of the Mountain for a north side thermal flight (haven't been there since May). No crowds, students, instructors, tandems or spectators...just a couple friends, soaring high above the bench for an hour or so in the freezing cold air. A rare treat indeed!

Shallow wing over before landing

As I look back on the month it has been a refreshing and peaceful change. The mountains now covered in white continue to provide wonderful views, calm air, and beautiful skies. They have offered a lot more quiet solitude than normal, but I find I am never quite alone...I still have the deer to keep me company.

Gliding in the smooth moonlight

Take to the Sky

I sit here in the calm glow of the computer screen, a few brief minutes to myself reflecting on a busy holiday filled flying weekend. November is nearing an end. We still have a few days left, but the completion of our national holiday of Thanksgiving seems to be a fitting end of the month...to me at least. As I sit here evaluating my life I have many things to be thankful for. A truly wonderful life: amazing wife, kids, faith, good health, and wonderful friends. I am thankful for the ability to live in a country that had enough foresight (then at least) to create a day to stop and count ones blessings. One thing I am thankful for, for which this blog focuses on is the miracle of free-flight. Thankful for those pioneers who have gone before to not only prove it was possible, but to perfect it in such a way that someone like me can actually soar with the birds; no motors, no metal, and no machine...just fabric and string.
I am thankful for the ability to dream, and then to act. I remember the first time my feet left the ground just above the training hill. It was only for seconds really, but a life changing moment. I think every paraglider pilot remembers their first time, and it was probably that instant that solidified the pursuit of their dream.
I now have years of flying under my belt, hundreds of flights, and hundreds of hours in the sky. I have not been to the training hill in a very long time, yet the feeling of that first flight never quite fades. I know many pilots get tired of the quick, short flights of winter, and thus hang up the gear for a season. They ask "Is it really worth all that effort of hiking up for only 5 minutes in the sky?" To me, the time and effort required to hike up a mountain is but a small price to pay, even if my feet were only a few seconds above the ground. To me every moment in the sky is still a miracle, a dream come true, and one I hope to never lose enthusiasm for.
Until one experiences this miracle of free-flight it is difficult to express how magical it truly is. I try with words to describe it, but fail in such a task. The short videos I make are an attempt to convey that joy, exhilaration, and pure magic of the sport. Perhaps even share a small piece of my passion along the way. If one has ever had such a dream, maybe now is time for you to take to the sky.

This short video is a compilation of me and my close friends captured along the Wasatch mountains during several short flights throughout the month of November. It does not showcase the flights of the last few days, such as flying the meadows of Lone Peak on Thanksgiving morning, Friday evening flights on the upper north faces of Grandeur, or the Saturday flights over the city of Bountiful. Those will have to continue to live inside my memory.

Turning of the Tide

A week or so ago the Wasatch Mountains were hit with the first measurable snow of the year. This is usually a turning of the tide in paragliding when most pilots pack up their wings and pull out the ski gear in a mad rush for the hills of white. At the conclusion of the storm I too found myself heading up familiar hills, but not with hopes of gliding through fields of snow....but to continue floating over them. I have lived here in the Wasatch my whole life and have been skiing/snowboarding for 35 years. I have experienced every kind of powder turn, and to me nothing can compare to cutting through the winter sky in a paraglider. So I always look forward to winter flying. For me, there is no such thing as a beginning or end to the flying season, which many people find rather odd. For me, it is always time to fly the mountains. Sure the air texture and temperatures change with each season, but the pure miracle and exhilaration of flight never does.

Early Winter Evening Flight

I was lucky enough to capture a handful of thrilling days and rare treats in the wake of this last winter storm. Catching a few rare thermal days in the mountains. One special day flying up, over, and around Grandeur Peak and the surrounding canyons and mountains, all covered in white. Another flying up and around the Lone Peak area for a solid hour and a half in the early winter thermic air. Beautiful evening flights at sunset from high up in the mountains. Rare treats indeed!

View from my driveway...after the storm.

I think the last 72 hours have been the real turning of the tide. For winter has surely come. At my house, tucked up to the mountains, we have received over 24" of fluffy Utah snow. I have shoveled my driveway more times that I did all of last year. I too look forward to 'recreational' and relaxing ski days ahead with my kids, but I still look forward to carving the smooth, cold air of winter. This is a wonderful season for flying, and with the turning of the tide I look forward to keeping my feet off the ground as much as I can...after all my feet start hurting when they have been on the ground too long.

Winter Thermal Flying around Grandeur Peak

The storm has ended, the sky is clearing and my feet are starting to hurt again.... :o)

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.