A bird's eye view

 

(Editor's note: I'm going to start posting the last several installments of my Excursions column, which appears every other week in the Jackson Hole News&Guide)

By Amy Schenck

What: tandem paragliding

Who: with Matt Combs of Jackson Hole Paragliding

Where: from the top of the gondola at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Cost: $225

As a ski instructor at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, I’ve watched countless 6 year olds stare awe struck at paragliders circling overhead.

“Amy, look!” they shout, eyes glued to the ski and finger pointing overhead.

Truth be told, I feel my own wave of awe on each of these occasions. Something about a nylon wing skimming the horizon gives flight to the imagination in a way the cold, hard metal of an airplane never could.

Two weeks ago, more than just my imagination got to lift off the ground.

I was headed up the gondola for lunch when I got a call from Matt Combs, with Jackson Hole Paragliding.

The conditions are perfect, he said. Would I want to go on a tandem flight? Matt and I arranged to meet an hour later on top of the gondola.

Serendipitously, I happened to have everything I would need with me: a helmet, goggles, warm layers and even my camera. My skis stayed behind, a seemingly mundane mode of travel compared to what I was about to experience.

The pre-flight preparation went by in a flash. I signed away my life in several pages of paperwork. Matt unfurled the wing, clicked each of us into our harnesses and offered a few instructions for takeoff. Then, without hesitation, he gave the signal: “run.”

My ski boots dug into the snow, as I fought against the resistance of the wing inflating with chilled mountain air.

Within just a few moments I found myself kicking at the gap growing ever wider between the two of us and the slope below.

We soared out above the mountain. We veered right to get a bird’s eye view of Casper Bowl and the Craigs. Casper chairlift seemed to tickle my toes, appearing to be nothing more than a few stitches on a snowy white canvas.

Calm coursed through me. The quiet of the sky felt all the more palpable having launched from the spring break mayhem still carrying on below.

Matt and I talked about the type of lift paragliders use to gain altitude – thermal lift, convergence life and ridge lift.

A healthy dose of instability in the air made for strong thermal activity. We chased down the warm columns, catching them and then riding them upward by spinning in circles.

After playing with thermals for a while, we cruised out over Teton Village. Matt showed me how to slow down, speed up and turn the glider. He then let me take control of our overhead wing.

I piloted the glider in long looping circles, leaning hard in the direction I wanted to go while simultaneously tilting the wing.

Before taking off, Matt had asked me if I like roller coasters. I told him I did, but would surely get nauseous if we did too many acrobatics. So, we agreed to leave the “ride” for the end.

In the last two minutes before coming in for a landing, Matt sent us swinging, plunging, spinning and twirling. I let out a cry of part terror and part delight.

Just as I was beginning to wonder if my stomach could take it any longer, Matt swooped the glider down toward the resort’s cross-country ski track and we came in for a soft landing.

In the afternoon sun, I found myself absolutely grinning, from ear to ear.

Matt rolled up the wing with extraordinary efficiency – just one of the many signs that he’s been at this sport for several years.

We hopped back on the gondola. Matt was after another flight and I needed to retrieve my skis.

In addition to tandem flights, Jackson Hole Paragliding offers instruction. Classes begin May 1. The cost starts at $1,500 and goes up to $1,900 during peak season. The price includes a minimum of 25 flights using Jackson Hole Paragliding’s gear. During those flights students learn how to do high wind launches, low wind launches, 360 degree turns, figure eight turns and spot landings, among other skills. At the end, students earn their novice rating.

The novice rating can be earned in as little as two weeks, but most students take longer, because of work and weather conflicts, said Scott Harris, co-owner of Jackson Hole Paragliding.

Scott suggests interested students start with a tandem flight to figure out whether they’re interested in spending the time and money to pursue the sport.

The $225 price of a tandem goes toward the price of lessons.

Scott said that paragliding in Jackson is unsurpassed by anywhere else in the country because of the amount of vertical and number of launch sites in the area’s vicinity.

“If you learn to fly here you can fly anywhere,” Scott said. “It’s kind of like of skiing, if you can ski Jackson, you can ski anywhere in the world.”