As if life wasn't dangerous enough

[Dean Lofthouse]

Why is it that Tree Surgeons like dangerous sports. I gave up my XR650 and green laning because the odds of me injuring myself were high and have sold my CB600 because I would be tempted to do loads of track days and have thought about selling my road bike to reduce risk

 

I have this craving to take up Paragliding, have done for years and have kept putting it off. I nearly went on Ebay last year and bought one, but I'm one of these that would just give it a go and run down a hill with no training whatsoever.

 

Does anyone do it and whats involved training wise, expenses etc. I've been told there's minimal risk with the right training

[bob]

you can borrow mine if you want a go

took about 6 months to learn trailing up to lakes

very weather dependent you will go all day sit on the hill and it,s not quite right

but fantastic when it does work out

have been to cyprus as well and we were flying over a beautifull beach and the views were outstanding

have had a few accidents though

it is dangerouse but worse is very time consuming to even fly a bit and you need to be able to drop everything to go

[Chris Sheppard]

Always thought it looks great fun

[Ian C]

I have been into aircraft sinse a kid and always wanted to fly so i got into microlights (for a while) great fun, expensive but the worst thing is the weather, like Bob said you will wait for weeks and then get a couple of hours flying. Microlights can handle worse weather than a parashute and there still so weather oriantated that i gave up in the end and went back to fast bikes.

 

Go and see a club Dean and get a bit of hands on and see if you like it, on the safety front its no safer than biking really, just like bikes if you have a accident the chances of getting hurn are quite high.

[David Humphries]

Gave it bash about twelve year ago.

 

Four of us descended on Buxton for a long weekend, can't remember the club or owt.

We stayed in a massive old rectory that the diminuative wiry yorky trainer was living in.

He had two ginormous great danes.

 

Like Bob said, these things are totaly at the whim of the weather gods, we only got a couple of flights in.

Great laugh had by all though.

 

 

Excuse the photos, they're pre dig.

 

.

[christreeroot]

They do it off scout moor in rossendale, not to far from you i know a tree surgeon chap that does it and also does training. Pm me if you want his details...

[christreeroot]

Gave it bash about twelve year ago.

 

Four of us descended on Buxton for a long weekend, can't remember the club or owt.

We stayed in a massive old rectory that the diminuative wiry yorky trainer was living in.

He had two ginormous great danes.

 

Like Bob said, these things are totaly at the whim of the weather gods, we only got a couple of flights in.

Great laugh had by all though.

 

 

Excuse the photos, they're pre dig.

 

.

 

I would have thought peter jones would have just gone for a flight in his private jet drinking champers ..

[David Humphries]

I would have thought peter jones would have just gone for a flight in his private jet drinking champers ..

 

 

 

You have to remember, us bazillionaire entrepeneurs weren't born with big mullah stuffed in our daipers.

 

The fun days above were way back in the day, before I started taking the big business interests like telecoms, leisure and publishing, seriously

 

 

 

 

.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I was out on the bike one day and stopped up on the moors between Huddersfield and Oldham and there were some taking off from a hillside there.

 

It looked fun and a right adrenalin buzz.

 

I remember a right draught blowing though, they were taking off into the wind and then coming back round and landing into the wind. I remember thinking at the time that it must be on the edge of the scale of flyability.

 

I very nearly bought a hanglider but decided they were far too easy to kill yourself with and besides, me zipping around the skies of huddersfield in an out of control fashion didn't bear thinking about.

[jacko]

These guys will put you onto a good trainer in the lakes or may know of someone nearer to you.

The Sick and the Wrong - paragliding and snowboard specialists, Keswick. Telephone: 017687 80297 ask for Steve or John

or Air Ventures Paragliding - Keswick ask for Gordie (Trainer)