Paragliding Verbier

Fly

12 Apr 2014

I spent the winter of 2013/2014 working in Verbier, Switzerland, and perks of my job allowed me to go flying with Mike and Stu, twins who run a paragliding school in town. I’d actually done a number of flights previously with the twins, several years beforehand, which my uncle had surprised me with when visiting him in the summer school holidays.

My Grandad, Arthur Smith, drove him and I out to Switzerland in the summer of 2006. You can see him looking down as we set up, in his red fleece, and also a photo of the two of us in the car about to set off on the drive, below. I’m just 15 in that photo! Later on during this trip, I went to “ground school” and took on a number of solo flights, the longest being around 45 minutes, from the take-off in Verbier down to Le Châble. At that age it was truly exhilarating and an unforgettable experience, which was both a blessing and a curse, and returning to school classroom didn’t quite provide the same rush. My eye had well and truly been opened.

The following winter, in April 2007, I spent an Easter school holiday week skiing with Mike in Verbier and we managed to squeeze a flight in. My first take-off didn’t go so well and we had to run back up to the take-off area with the wings for a second go, as the photo below shows. The second time was good though, and I flew down to Le Châble and landed with my skis on in the grass down in the valley.

This combination of flights meant I’d done flights in both summer and winter, taking off on solo flights from both foot and ski. These trips to Verbier in my teens are my favourite childhood memories, so I’m glad I held on to these photos and am able to be sharing them again.

Winter Tandem Paragliding. Apr 2014