Paragliding Segment: Adventure #1

Mount Zion, on the west side of Lookout Mountain

Recently I was on Lookout Mountain located in Jefferson Country, Colorado. The west side of the mountain is named Mount Zion, which is marked with a huge M.   It overlooks lovely Golden, Colorado and the most spectacular views of the table mesas, as well as the city of Denver.  An abundance of activities take place in this area, but the most amazing activity that takes place here is paragliding and hang gliding. I had an opportunity to do a paragliding segment for a Television show called Eye on JEFFCO and spend some time with these adventurous and daring pilots and finally flying with them!

Golden, Colorado

People know Golden, Colorado for its historical attributes and important role in the “Gold Rush” years of the 19th century. The fact that it is the home of Coors brewery and the School of the Mines are also well known facts, but what many don’t know is that there are many amazing sports that occur there. 

 Activities take place here such as rock climbing, running, hiking, road and mountain biking, but one of the most attention-grabbing activities to take place occurs in the sky.

Paragliding and hang gliding has quite a history in this particular spot in Jefferson County.  If you wander around the town of Golden, you will see all kinds of banners showing cool things to do and among them, you guessed it, is paragliding.  At one time Golden’s chamber of commerce even had a hang glider in its logo.

"Why does one do this?," might be a recurring question to answer:  Most pilots will explain the feeling they get from the experience as one which couldn’t be described without actually doing it.

Normally gliding off the side of a 900-foot mountain might require a difficult and long climb.  One reason that these two launch sites on Mount Zion are unique is that there is road access most of the way up the mountain, with only a short hike to the top, which makes it much easier to carry the gear to the launch area, which can weight more than 50 lbs.

This sport can be dangerous so pilots have to be properly trained.  There are a few full-time paragliding instructors in the area who hold regular classes for those who want to learn.  In order to fly, these pilots, not only need to have the correct gear, but clothing, equipment and instruments.  Conditions have to be just right for flying.  Not only wind speeds but direction are important for a safe and enjoyable flight.  Constant checking of the area‘s wind and weather reports are a way of life for these pilots and many times it’s a waiting game that many have named “Para waiting”

Packing and unpacking gear is just as important as the flying itself.  Making sure the wing is not tangled when packing is key in the preparation for flight, which can take a great deal of time prior to flying.

Tandem Para Gliding and Hang Gliding

There is a slight difference between paragliding and hang gliding.  One has a fixed wing and the other a soft wing. Launching and landing are similar, with some aggressive running required in most cases, but steering is essentially the same. on both craft and is accomplished by weight shift.

It’s amazing how far and how high these pilots can fly.  Some have flown as far as 100 miles and over 9000 feet in the air.

  

There’s a way to fly if one does not want to learn to fly alone.  It’s called tandem paragliding and a pilot specially trained for tandem instruction gave me the opportunity to do just that.  When flying as a tandem passenger, one must go through a training session and take a short test in order to fly with a certified tandem pilot.

After I did this, I was ready, but anxious to actually fly!   Running until the pilot says stop was the most important instruction on my mind. Then in a matter of three or four steps, we were off the ground!  I was actually flying.  The feeling was of complete exhilaration, yet a stability that one wouldn’t think I would feel, soaring over 1000 feet in the air.  We leaned into some turns and spirals that gave me the feeling of freedom, as if had taken on the role of a bird. Soon after, it was time to land, arriving safety and smoothly on the ground.

After observing and speaking with these pilots, and actually flying with them, I have a great respect for the sport and completely understand the passion and feeling of freedom they get in doing it. 

For more information contact the Rocky Mountain Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, www.rmhpa.org.