With head in the clouds

A paraglider is a type of glider with a soft lifting surface. It is steered the same way as a glider or a hang-glider. During flight, the forces of nature are employed to cover long distances without using even a drop of fuel. Professional pilots can fly even several hundred kilometres. A great advantage of a paraglider is its small size and light structure. It is probably the only glider that can fit in a backpack!

Learning how to fly a paraglider is not difficult, and the activity is safe as long as we comply with the rules. Of course, there are accidents, but most of them occur due to bravado. In the case of paragliding, flight safety is based on three pillars: weather conditions, equipment condition, and human approach. Whereas among some of the obstacles can be found unfavourable meteorological conditions, e.g. rain or too strong and gusty wind. In Poland, the best conditions for paragliding are, of course, in summer, with the paragliding season lasting from spring to mid-fall.

Paragliders from Małopolska choose Beskid Wyspowy (the Island Beskids), which is a part of Beskid Zachodni (the Western Beskids), situated between Raba valley and Kotlina Sądecka. A characteristic feature of this region is the system of isolated, single peaks that resemble islands, hence the name. It is an extremely geographically attractive region for paragliders, with 15 take-off areas from which it is possible to fly in every direction. Unfortunat these places are accessible only on foot or by a 4×4 car. The most popular places among paragliders are Ciecień (829 m), Śnieżnica (1006 m), Spyrkowa Góra (711 m) and Szczebel (967 m). When starting an adventure with paragliding, it is worth choosing Ciecień or Śnieżnica (45-50 km from Kraków).