Paralpinsim: To climb up on foot and fly back down. Originating in the Alps, these combined tactics can be used to great effect in our own hills too, as North Wales-based Mountaineering Instructor and film maker Rob Johnson demonstrates in this short film.
"The roots of paragliding can be traced back to the simple joy of walking to the top of a hill and flying back down" says Rob.
"As equipment has progressed over the decades the emphasis has been on the flying and pilots have, on the whole, been able to avoid the walking element and just fly, catching thermals for height.
"As gliders got ever lighter climbers once again realised the potential for flying off the mountains having climbed a route to the top. In the French Alps the concept of Paralpinisme was born with lightweight gliders being a fantastic way to avoid the slog of the walk down."
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