I am strapped onto the back of Gabor, a 27-year-old paragliding pilot from Hungary.  The constant beeping of the altimeter with its increasing and decreasing pitch seems to copy my heartbeat. I check my harness, pull the straps tightly and adjust my helmet. I take a long deep breathe as I look ahead. The path I have to run is steep, then there is a dirt trail and immediately after that a sharp fall. Will I be alright?


Simply put, paragliding is a sport where you strap yourself in a foot-launched glider that resembles a parachute which flies with the energy of wind and pilot’s power to steer.

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“You know, it is more likely that you will be killed in the streets of Kathmandu than flying off the cliff,” he said.

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Then he tells me that the wind is right for take off and we start to run together. And before I know, we are off the ground. We soar up slowly with the lift from wind and hot air, glide over the hills and I suddenly feel my tension evaporate. I sit back comfortably on my harness and relax.  It was a very easy take off, slow and gentle, as if we were levitating in mid air after gaining a siddhi through years of meditation.


He is busy pulling the suspension lines behind me to keep ourselves steady and fly the glider. He uses the air pressure to steer the glider and we constantly soar or do a little dive to put up with the air turbulence.

The scenery is striking. The sprawl of Kathmandu, hills around the valley and the breathtaking snow-capped mountains beyond come into view. The sun is shining in the brilliant blue sky as we continue to climb up. I look down and see lush green jungle, with a dirt trail snaking through it. Though it is already summer, the mountain air is cool and refreshing.


Gabor has been a professional tandem pilot since 2005. What started as a hobby soon became a passion as work took him to various parts of the world, and this year, to Nepal.

“I have flown in many parts of the world and some of the spots were fantastic,” he tells me. “But flying in Nepal has its own charm, especially when the day is clear and the wind is right, you can reach very high and have the fantastic view of the mountains and the beautiful country below.”

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We circle the hill and slowly descend into the same spot from where we took off. Like I was instructed, I stand up to be ready to run as soon as our feet touches the ground.  But it seemed that the wind was making our landing difficult. We come back for another attempt and again we can’t land.

I again sit back and enjoy the quiet and peaceful experience while gliding down. Gabor is doing all the hard work for me.

“You are enjoying the ride?” he asks me smilingly. “Not to worry. Think that you got some bonus time. We will now land at the football field below.”

I couldn’t be more grateful to him and the wind god! We continue to talk as I take some of the breathtaking aerial pictures. Far below, the beautiful design of the Godavari botanical gardens is splendid with its green houses,   and ponds and further on is the forest of Fulchowki.  

What is a paraglider’s worst nightmare? I ask Gabor to keep the conversation going.

“You see the hills, the trees, the wind… we deal with nature. Most of the days are normal. We don’t have any problems. But sometimes nature is aggressive and you have to be very careful,” he says. “Yes, we are trained to handle all situations. But you have to have respect for the nature or otherwise no amount of training would help you.”


Then he wanted to show me an aerial maneuver, a kind of a stunt, for which I need to hold on to the harness tightly.

I thought he wanted to dive in great speed or something, and the adventure seeker in me was excited.  

“No, it is not some paragliding acrobatics.  It is called Slalom, and it very easy maneuver done prior to landing. Of course, you will feel some nausea and want to throw up. It is perfectly all right,” he says and tells me to shift my weight a little to the left and then to the right as we start to circle above the ground like an eagle.   


We are about to land now. I come out of the harness while we are just a few meters above the ground. We slowly descend. Thinking that we will step on the ground with some kind of force, I prepare for impact. But when we eventually landed, it was like a feather touching the ground. I was surprised how smooth the whole ride was.  


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Kathmandu Paragliding Pvt Ltd, in association with Xsport Nepal, is the company that introduced this popular adventure sport in Kathmandu. Affiliated with Nepal Paragliding and Hang Gliding Association (NEPHA) and certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the company wants people to enjoy the skies and see the valley from a completely different view.

The best period for paragliding in Kathmandu is from November to February. The weather is mostly clear during these months and offer excellent mountain visibility. But apart of the months of June – August, gliding in other months is also equally fascinating.
 

For the full story: http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/component/content/article/13-top-column/5621-gliding-in-the-mountains-.html