28 September, 2008
Happy Birthday Becky Peace!!
Becky arrived in Christchurch this morning and after two days of non-stop travelling was rearing to go PARAGLIDING!! Time was short, tomorrow would be filled with extreme cold weather clothing issue and the following day we depart for the ice. Now or never.
I met Beck at the airport at 10am with a rental car and we sped off to the coastal town of Redcliffs, a suburb of Christchuch. Here we met Dave with ParaPro (http://www.parapro.co.nz/) who would graciously serve as our site guide for the day. Conditions were on, so it was off to the local cliff soaring site: Taylors Mistake.
Becky and I first flew paragliders in 2004 in an intro course at Taylor’s Mistake, so it was a bit of a homecoming to fly here with our own equipment. Taylor’s launch sits at the back of a horseshoe shaped valley that faces the sea. The prevailing afternoon sea breeze funnels into the valley and is forced upwards by the hills forming a soarable lift band. Coastal soaring heaven! As long as the wind blows you can stay up! Soar for an hour, top land for a pee, relaunch, soar for 30 minutes, land for lunch, launch again, fly until sunset. The scenery isn’t bad either!
Happy Birthday Becky Peace!!
Becky arrived in Christchurch this morning and after two days of non-stop travelling was rearing to go PARAGLIDING!! Time was short, tomorrow would be filled with extreme cold weather clothing issue and the following day we depart for the ice. Now or never.
I met Beck at the airport at 10am with a rental car and we sped off to the coastal town of Redcliffs, a suburb of Christchuch. Here we met Dave with ParaPro (http://www.parapro.co.nz/) who would graciously serve as our site guide for the day. Conditions were on, so it was off to the local cliff soaring site: Taylors Mistake.
Becky and I first flew paragliders in 2004 in an intro course at Taylor’s Mistake, so it was a bit of a homecoming to fly here with our own equipment. Taylor’s launch sits at the back of a horseshoe shaped valley that faces the sea. The prevailing afternoon sea breeze funnels into the valley and is forced upwards by the hills forming a soarable lift band. Coastal soaring heaven! As long as the wind blows you can stay up! Soar for an hour, top land for a pee, relaunch, soar for 30 minutes, land for lunch, launch again, fly until sunset. The scenery isn’t bad either!
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