Paragliding requires some essentials. For those of you who want to take the plunge and discover new sensations while flying over the sky above Annecy, here are our tips !
Getting off to a good start
Above all, you must keep one thing in mind: your safety is your priority! That’s why, before indulging in this passion, you should consider a certain budget to learn good practices and fly safely. Start by doing a tandem flight with an instructor. It will be an opportunity to discover this activity without taking any risks. You can then perfect your skills with an initiation course over a longer period of time to learn everything about the equipment, takeoff, landing, turns, aerology, weather etc… The opportunity also to make your first solo flights but guided by radio by your monos! However, we strongly recommend you to follow a training course, which will be the best way to give you confidence and to start flying in almost all conditions.
Getting equipped
Then comes the time to buy your own equipment. Here again, the question of the budget arises. You will be able to equip yourself according to your means, but don’t skimp on quality! You have to think about the canopy, the harness, the helmet, the gloves, the reserve parachute. There are three different categories of canopies: the A for beginners, the B for beginners, and the C for experienced pilots (D for competitors but we are not there yet!). A priori, if you are a beginner, don’t choose the C! Stay aware of your level, take advantage of your initiation course to ask your instructor for advice and read the article how to choose your paraglider to learn more about the choice to make!
Practice
Finally, a piece of advice that can be applied to any sport or normal activity: practice and do it well surrounded! The ideal is to do your paragliding outings with a group of friends to share together these moments of strong sensations, to improve together, to encourage you, to exchange good practices. You can also alternate between flying and ground training (inflation) during which you improve your handling of the glider, while keeping your feet on the ground, reassuring and effective! The more you practice, the more confident you will be and the more you will explore the surroundings of Lake Annecy with pleasure: the Col de la Forclaz seen from the sky is waiting for you!
And don’t forget, everyone goes at his own pace, paragliding is not a trivial activity, it deserves that you take the time to train and that you progress step by step to fly in complete serenity! If you prefer, it’s like skiing! We all start on the green slopes, we don’t go to the black slopes, it’s the same for paragliding, we don’t go from a situation of flights in calm conditions (in the morning or at the end of the day) to flights during the day, in turbulent conditions.