Introduction

1 – Mind games and the art of sports psychology

2 – Preparing your glider

3 – The reverse launch

4 – The Forward or “Alpine” Launch

5 – Launching with skis

6 – How to choose a paraglider for you

After a great day’s skiing when the slopes have gone quiet, there is nothing more satisfying than flying a top to bottom into the sunset

Our sport is constantly evolving and today one of the greatest things about the paraglider is its portability. There is now such a wide selection of paragliders that come in the lightest materials and most compact sizes; so small you can fit them into a rucksack, weekend suitcase or your hand luggage. With the winter season in full swing and Spring just around the corner, ending a great day on the pistes with a sneaky top to bottom is just the best feeling- launching into the setting sun and listening to the chilled sound of silence over snow-capped mountains. Nothing short of perfect…

Today, many of the alpine resorts cater for paragliding throughout the winter season providing designated launch areas for tandem or solo pilots away from the busy slopes, wmaking launching with or without skis stress-free.

These official launch areas often have a groomed flat surface facing a steep-ish slope, and a large area behind where you can prepare and lay out your glider, then step into your skiis.

What to look for when choosing your launch area

First and foremost: security.

Look for any bail-out options just in case of a problem. A steep slope will help you take off but if you get it wrong you may end up rolling down the hill ‘gift-wrapped’ in your glider, or find yourself face to face with hazards such as trees, rocks, cliffs and chair-lift cables, with little or no options.

 Alpine flying conditions

Always check the weather. Although the skies may look blue with a light wind, Alpine weather can sometimes be deceiving, with sheer levels of compressed meteo wind as well as valley breezes. Weather is always available at the Tourist Office and you can ask the local pilots or flying school as well before making your own decision as to whether the conditions are suitable for you.

In the mountains during the skiing season you can expect anything from gentle smooth air which are perfect for end of day top to bottoms, to some meaty thermal activity particularly in Spring, when climbs can be as generous as 6m/s and more, towards April. Generally speaking, because the sun is lower at this time of year the end of day conditions are much smoother and more mellow.

February is usually marks the beginning of better thermalling days and as the end of the season blends into Spring, the flying can improve from gentle soaring to some great cross-country.

Be nice!

As is often the case, we the visitors are the guests therefore some etiquette needs to be observed when flying in a ski resort. The majority of resorts don’t allow you to take off and land just anywhere on the slopes and whilst this may be tempting to “wow” the crowds with your close-proximity skills, it is disrespectful as well as reckless and could result in you being fined by the local police, or worse, being wrapped over a low cable or dangling from a tree, so be cool, polite and careful

Almost every resort has its own local flying school and commercial tandem operation. Some launches are for their use only and some are public, and although it is useful for tandem pilots to have other pilots in the air, it will ruffle their feathers if visiting pilots mess up the launch areas.

Practicalities

Snow conditions can dictate whether to foot launch or ski launch and some take-off areas will only be suitable for either one or the other. A launch covered with fresh powder could become extremely difficult to walk on; similarly a wind-blown launch can be icy and slippery.

Some lifts will not allow you on them without skis, but in most cases, lifts servicing a launch area will allow you up either with or without skiis and you can decide once at the top whether to leave your skis with the liftman or take off with them on foot.

If you are going to fly with skis, it is better to opt for your regular ones rather than the mini ‘Bigfoot’ skis which may dig into the slope at the tips. Also, think about your ski poles. If you are Back-Country skiing you will need them, so opting for telescopic or folding poles is a must.

If you are using a commercial launch it’s always a good idea to check it out beforehand just as you would when visiting any other new flying site. See what the surface is like, have a look at what the local pilots have on their feet and ask about out the landing area too.

What are the main differences when taking off on skis?

The forward launch technique is mostly used for ski launches. Reverse launching is possible if you’re a confident skier and there is a bit of a breeze and you are nifty on your feel, but it is fairly tricky. With a steep enough slope you can forward launch in any reasonable breeze with or without skis. Things will feel different if you’ve never flown with ski boots, skis and thick ski gloves before. You’ll need to factor in the extra weight as the additionnal winter equipment can add on as much as five extra kilos. Your glider will feel slightly different in the air too and your ability to weight shift may be inhibited slightly by the bulky clothing and heavy boots, so anticipate any movements of the glider and be prepared to use more weight shift as well as being sensitive on the controls through a thick pair of gloves. Your glider will also fly a little faster because of the extra weight.

If you are launching without skis and the snow is soft, you may sink about a foot through the upper layer of snow due to the extra weight and walking around is a little clumsy.  Likewise when the snow is icy or hard, it may be slippery, so just beware of your footholds when moving around preparing your glider and also during the launch itself.

Preparation 

You will realise straight away that things are different when preparing your glider because the wing will keep wanting to slide across the snow. This can be overcome by placing a few lumps of snow on the leading edge just below the cell openings, but be careful not to place them so that when the glider inflates, they fall into the cells.

Some mountain and lightweight gliders have small loops on the upper surface near the leading edge which have been designed to attatch string for pegs   to the ground and hold it in place on steep slope. As soon as you inflate the glider, the pegs pop out of the ground which helps your wing to rise symmetrically.

Meticulously check the routing of all the suspension lines and then check them again. Lay out the wing with the centre section considerably higher than the tips to ensure that it inflates first before the wing tips. This helps to avoid one tip inflating before the other and the wing turning over or ‘horse-shoeing’. If the snow has a hard crust, be careful not to catch the lines on the broken edges as they can easily get snagged. Once the wing is organised, place the skis into the flat area or dug-out and lightly wedge the backs into the rear of the launch pad or under a thin layer of snow, then put your harness on.

Next, step into your skis carefully making sure that any snow is removed from the soles;  free-falling ski from height is extremely dangerous and can have fatal consequences. Make a final check to ensure you have no suspension lines caught on your bindings or skis. This occurs more often than not so it is imperative to check and check again just before you shuffle forward to the edge of the launch area.

Launching 

Wind direction is important, the hardest direction being a slight crosswind. Crosswinds pose problems because of the way the glider will turn when it inflates. You will be inflating it down the fall line and won’t be able to make the necessary sideways movements to compensate, as if you were on foot. A light tailwind is fine as long as you can gain sufficient airspeed and your runway slope is long enough. One of the major differences of ski-launching is when the glider tensions against you, you can’t offer resistance against it other than with your body weight.

When you are at the edge of the ledge or dug-out, lean as far forward as you can through the risers to keep the tips of the skis weighted and to avoid being jerked backwards and pulled off balance. You may prefer to have a bit of slack in the lines to enable you to gather some speed before the lines tension, however if you are on a really steep slope you may prefer to start with the lines slightly tensioned so things are a little slower and possibly more controlled.

As the lines tension you may almost stop in your tracks so at this point feeling the wing through the risers and pressuring the glider using the controls and your body weight is key to keeping it symmetrical. The glider may have a tendency to overshoot if the take-off is steep but a good positive damping with the brakes will keep it in check. If everything looks and feels good you can speed the wing up as youl feel your skis start to accelerate down the slope.

Fly the glider at maximum trim speed, keeping a straight course and enjoy the ride as you fae downhill. Do not let the glider overtake you but do let it fly fast – keep the wing pressured through the brakes so the lines stay tensioned even if you ski over little bumps. If at full speed you still not airborne, apply a touch more brake and you will have ‘lift-off’.

In-flight

In flight you will notice the cumbersome skis and heavy boots so try and keep your skis together and pointing forwards instead of allowing them to trail under your harness.

If the conditions are spring-like you can expect some thermic activity and movement in the canopy. If it is very thermic it is not a great idea to fly with skis as they will cause your body to sway increasing the inertia. Yawing can also lead to increased pressure on the ski bindings, which, if the air is turbulent, may lead to your boot popping out of the binding, causing you to losing a ski somewhere irretrievable. You will also notice an increased sink rate because of the extra weight of your equipment and your glide ratio will also be slightly poorer because of drag from the skis.  Trying big wingovers or spiral dive manoeuvres is not a recommendation when flying with skis.

Landing

Land on snow wherever possible. Whilst landing on grass or mud wielding a pair of skis is possible, it is uncomfortable and requires a precise target landing with zero ground to avoid an embarrassing face-plant or a knee injury from suddenly falling forwards.

Landing on snow at full speed and skiing out some energy before flaring is really fun. Make sure that the wing drops behind you otherwise you will be skiing over the lines and slicing them with your edges. If you want a more gentle halt, flare your glider a few metres from full speed and as the glider drops down behind you or to the side, raise your arms to help keep the lines tensioned and off the ground, preventing you from skiing on them as you may be pulled slightly backwards before coming to a complete stop.

Any pilot will tell you that flying above snow-capped mountains is one of the purest most exhilarating sensations of free flight, and like a surprise gift, it will procure the same unleashed excitement again and again. The silence, the breath-taking scenery, the peaceful solitude of flying through the crisp, icy air towards the setting sun… followed by sharing a revival of the flight with friends over an après-ski drink at the bar – What a perfect way to end a great day’s skiing.

 

LINKS:

Collaboration Tim King, Flight Culture School @ www.flightculture.co.uk