Drew and the instructor start walking for their takeoff.
During Christine’s visit, she suggested her husband Drew go paragliding for the first time. I enjoyed my experience paragliding in Medellin so much so last year, that I took the opportunity to go again.
The process for getting from the metro line in Medellin to the paragliding offices hasn’t changed, and therefore I was able to help guide our crew, including Troy and his French friend living in Bogota, to the northern bus terminal (Caribe metro stop), and subsequently onto a bus headed for San Felix.
Troy captures Drew's flight on video.
When we reached the paragliding offices, about 45 minutes later, we called Alejandro Gallego of Dragonfly Paragliding (or Parapente in Spanish). Ideally we would’ve called a day or two early to make a reservation, but given how the weather can vary from day to day, I figured it’d be no big deal if we got to the staging area first, and then called him up. Alejandro and his brother run Dragonfly, and Troy was referred to them by a friend.
While Troy was shooting video, his French friend from Bogota used his DSLR to take photos.
We waited around for a half hour or an hour until the Gallego brothers arrived, signed our lives away, and then headed up the staircase that leads to the take off area. As it was a weekday, it felt like we had the whole hilltop to ourselves.
Troy and I went with the brothers first, and unlike my sketchy takeoff last year, I barely needed to take a few steps this time before I could my feet leave the ground. At that point, I only needed to sit back in the seat and enjoy the ride.
A paraglider comes in for a landing.
The thermal energy tends to be stronger in the morning when it’s more likely that the sun is out, so it pays to arrive early, and if you go with a group, try to be one of the first people to fly. The reason being that the weather can change quickly in the mountains and once clouds start rolling in you might not be able to reach as high an altitude.
Colorful canopies fill the air.
My flight with Dragonfly was far better then the one I had last year due to the conditions, and the pilot made me feel completely comfortable. I forgot how many flights he had under his belt, but it was probably something like 5,000+ over 10+ years of paragliding in Colombia. He didn’t speak much English, but it’s not necessary.
The small collection of paragliding shops perched below the takeoff and landing area.
When it was Drew’s turn to go, it was already around noon. He’s a bit heavier than Troy, myself or the French guy, which wouldn’t normally be an issue if winds were higher I believe. The first half hour of his flight was great, he reported, however we’d noticed he was drifting down in altitude, slowly, and into the valley. Instead of being able to catch some thermals to gain altitude and fly back, they continued to descend. We started to wonder if he was going to make it back.
Eventually, after another thirty minutes, the pilot realized it wasn’t going to happen, so he set them down in a cow pasture. Christine, Troy, the French guy and I all went down to the paragliding shops to wait for him. It turned out to take several hours for them to take a taxi to the bus station, and then get a return ride back up the mountain. Drew looked exasperated when he finally did arrive, though we were all happy he was safe.
____________
Recommended
Alejandro Gallego (pilot)
Dragonfly Paragliding
Cel – 300-333-0080
Tel – 388-0688 (at night)
Ooh, I just got to try paragliding for the first time a few weeks ago and I’m completely hooked, the feeling of freedom is amazing. I love your photos!
Catia´s last [type] ..Paragliding in Brasov- Romania
Thanks Catia. I’ve been tandem skydiving, and done a large canyon swing in New Zealand, but paragliding feels the closest to flying for me. And for some reason, less dangerous than handgliding, which I have yet to try.
That looks totally awesome, paragliding in Medellin! I am going to add that to my to do list for when I get down to Colombia… Question: While you sit in the paragliding seat, are your hands free so you can you pull out a camera, or flip cam, and take video from the air?
Ryan´s last [type] ..Does Going Abroad Make You More Affectionate
Yes, you can definitely snap photos or video while you’re flying — a benefit of doing a tandem flight! The sound quality on video can be terrible though, as the wind can be really loud.
Wow
this looks so fun
must be amazing to do =)
-Bionica
Looks like soooo much fun! It’s on my Bucket List!!!
Andi´s last [type] ..Europe- Day 3 Part 1
Great Dave! I did this in the french alpes some years ago. Maybe i’ll try again in Colombia, i trust, this guy is frenche;-)
fabrice´s last [type] ..Mes 10 plus belles expériences en voyage
Nice theme, my friend.Is this one limited or a free design? Iam a freshman in this total internet blogging thing and wish to begin my personal blog with wp. I like you blog theme and the posts you provide. Is there any alike theme out there? I don’t want to replicate or imitate your blog. Imitating is for chinese
. Compliments for switzerland
City Guide theme is by Woo Themes and I paid $70 for it. In the beginning, don’t worry about trying to find a totally unique theme for your blog. Experiment with different free themes so you can find what you like. You can always learn to customize them later.
excellent report, I was not aware that Medellin was such a nice paragliding location. awesome valley view pictures. have to go there sometime – been mainly flying in the Swiss Alps myself so far.