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What is paragliding?

Paragliding, in simple terms, is an activity where pilots fly down a 🏔️ hill with a wing. The wing is made out of durable material, weighs around ⚖️ 5 kg and is completely foldable, so you can carry it in a backpack. Since the wing is designed to sink slowly, you lose about 1 meter of height every 8 meters going forward.Paragliding is not parachuting. You're not jumping from an airplane.

🚑 How safe is paragliding?

From statistics, paragliding is as roughly safe as driving a car 🚗. But of course, there are two sides to safety.On the one side, paragliding equipment constantly becomes safer. Wings become more stable and better mitigate mistakes. Harnesses protect you better.

🗺️ Where can you go paragliding?

Technically, you can go paragliding where ever the wind isn't too strong or too turbulent.

📝 How to start paragliding?

A very first step could be a tandem flight. But it's really not necessary. Some people say that a tandem flight can overwhelm you. They suggest to simply start with individual lessons.A good way to start is to find a flying school 🏫 to get training. Paragliding is not something you just teach yourself. Luckily, there are a lot of schools out there, you'll find them on the internet.

🎒 How to get paragliding gear?

The simplest way is to stick to your school. Most schools are distributers for a small local selection of manufacturers 🏡. Your flight instructor will be able to judge your skill. So if you go with what's recommended to you, you probably won't make a bad choice.But it might also get a little expensive 💰. Schools will want to sell you new equipment. That's part of their business.