It doesn't get much better.

This weeks fotos, shot by Loyd Machin. Views that I missed. A typical summer week of flying in Alicante. Chilling, kite surfing, tapas and beer and a daily flight later in the day.
It doesn't get much better.

Clavicula

Hola buddies, got several messages wishing me a quick recovery. Thank you so much.

To make sure for those who are interested, I 'only' broke my clavicula, collar bone, sleutelbeenbreuk. So no vertebra or anything like it, thank god. And very important, it was not a paragliding accident, no I was cruising around with my Vespa scooter. Looked around, and bang hit the pavement, catapulted over the scooter, and felt immediately my collar bone was sticking out. In hospital only for 3 hours, docters forced the bone back in after stretching my shoulders backwards, now I am wearing a shoulder-corset all the time to keep it in place. Painkillers ... well this time I can't resist them.

This is my tandem season, so it is not the worst timing. And on top of that, this summer we teamed up with the Parahawking team, so I have buddies around, Scott, Anita, Yvan and Jess, helping us out. Big thank you.

When my guiding season starts again, from 10th of september onwards I'll be back flying for sure.

And I will know every detail about the Tour de France ! Viva Contador !

Hope you are having a great time you guys.

stupid

On the outlook this afternoon, taking my vespa out, having a look at the sea, the flags etc... . Looked too much aside and hit the pavement.
Result, I just got out of the hospital with a broken collar bone.
I am out for some time.
Stupid me, I wasn't even watching a gorgeous lovely looking woman as Kath thought, no truly I was watching the sea !
Damn hurt, all in place now but have to rest for a bit.

Relax don't do it

Relaxing day. Coastal flying. Inversion all over, looked like you could cut through it with a knife, so thick.

So no other choice than chilling, beach, and hours of late afternoon flying.

No big World Champ stuff like in Piedrahita, but still Andrej, Andre and Andreij from Ukraine and Russia who came down and enjoyed their Ozone R10 and R11 on our just so friendly coastal site. I hope they enjoyed the stressfree time they are having now.

Summer thermals, better than expected.

Was watching the Tour de France race this afternoon, before heading out to fly. Usually that means around 4.30 in the car, heading for the sites. So mostly I watch, during siesta half asleep, the most boring part of the stage. Just when I have to go it starts to get interesting as the finish gets near. Always missing it, because of course it is so flyable lets say daily from 5 pm.

But today again it was bloody worth it. Thermals up to 6 m/s tops, flying tandem. Hard work to chat with the passenger, explaining him why we turn right here, if those gusts and climbs are normal etc... etc... . Hard work because flying with a well fed man, just like me.

Yelmo paragliding film-festival down south made it again more pleasant for fly our hills. Almost nobody around, makes it all so much more stressfree, especially in summer when many visitors from all over Spain, come and enjoy the sites.

Foto : Yvan flying tandem parahawking

hey buddy

Thumbs up little Espen.

A Spanish lovely day, heat, beach, fly, and a late BBQ - pool party.

Conditions were fantastic to please lots of passengers. They all could fly themselves overlooking sierra de Santa Pola, and boating over the turquoise Mediterranean Sea.

Whole families enjoying. And a group of Welshmen arrived, to make the upcoming week more complete. Lets spoil them.

Thats the way I like it

Cabo de Santa Pola, few pilots around. Stressfree flying, thermals and dynamic.

Flying with Espens and Gro's kids, hope they liked it as much as I liked it, taking them up for their first flight.

An awesome end of a hot day in Alicante.

Beach, ice cream, siesta, and on top of it - some lovely flying over the mediterranean. Can't ask for more.

Yes you can, flying with hawks around maybe ? We didn't even have to ask. Parahawking was done, special treat for all who were there to see this. Amazing flying with hawks around, unique I'd say.

Scott and his team - parahawking, us flying tandems with kids today, that's the way I like it.

Comp scene

Comp scene.

Never ever appealed to me. Witnessed too many pilots, not current at all, seeing them once a month on the hill, taking off in conditions they otherwise would never have taken off in. All because it was competition day. Silly, stupid.

And unfortunately, we have sad news today, as two fellow pilots died at the world championship at Piedrahita up north. About 9 reserve deployments on top of it.

Too many pilots fly gliders way too tricky for them, too many pilots fly in comps because they want to have "the biggest one".

Stop it guys, gear down. Fly for fun. Lately I read the book 'the great book of base' by Matt Gerdes, pioneer and godfather basejumping.

Forgive me not quoting him literally, but he started off the book with telling us that basejumping on its own is already impressive enough, that nobody has to overdo it, or will die.

Well that's exactly what we have to bear in mind when we fly our paragliders. It is already impressive enough that we fly, so don't overdo it. You don't need to be the first at the other end, wherever that other end is.

Take care you guys, all of you, and listen to uncle Nick ... . For gods' sake be careful.

Smooth flying again today

Is this gonna be the winner, have no idea. Kids were asked to make a drawing about parahawking. You can see more of these pieces of art on our facebook account Doyouwanna. You can participate in being a jury for the drawings by clicking on 'like it'. Be our guest.

Today we had our flights as normal in summer. Practically every day choosing our window to get a two hour flight in. Tandems and solo, whatever pleases you. Landing whenever you felt your boots are filled... .

every days' stuff, or maybe not

It looks and sounds like every days' stuff, but it ain't. Each time it is a bliss to get in the air.
Just like today, being hot, but cool in the air. Relaxed flying, nothing epic, just the way we like it at times. Not too many people, chill, take off, chill and land.

Jeckle one of the harris hawks.
Anita, releasing Jeckle for a training flight.

Tidy - Roadtrip 2011 Pyrenees

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We flew most of the day today, amongst walkabout seeing pilgrimage chapels in remote places, in beautiful scenery while having our lunch. Swimming in turquoise lakes in between the morning flights an the late afternoon flights at Ager.
Beer o'clock,well deserved now.

Sixth roadtrip to the Pyrenees, Berga, Organya and Ager. Always lucky with the weather. But that has maybe to do with knowing the sites, having contacts with local pilots, and not just showing up. Keeping it all correct and respecting the local paragliding knowledge, always making sure not to step on anybodies toes. Said !

Tidy.

roadtrip Pyrenees 2011

We have to shelter from the heat up here in Organya. Even the strongest non believers of a siesta were snoring away thi s afternoon. As if a hairblower full on was dry burning your skin.
Some relief in the icecold waters of the waterfalls of Coll Nargo.
This all after several days of great flying over Berga and yesterday down here at the Magic Mountain Organya.
Organya which has changed in a bit of a mecca for the young acro pilots.

Organya in a different mode. A speed more, all goes fast, young very technically clever acro pilots do speed around the sky, helicopter their little wings on the small take off. Amazing.
Then us, we unroll our big dinosaur wings at take off, hopefully not making too much shadow ...
good times, thats all I can say.
More days to come up, still Ager to be flewn, maybe tomorrow. Leaving soon to join the boys,the acro boys, I hope we dont fly in their way. Even full speedbar they overtake like sportscars.

Cabo de Santa Pola last minute

Only late late late some pilots could enjoy a flight at the cliffs. Winds were strong till 9 pm, then just died off, just good enough for the better take offers to have a last minute flight.

I will not be blogging for a week, as we are off to Berga, Organya and Ager. Flying these sites at the foot of the Pyrenees, Spain. Talk to you later, hope you have a splendid week. Un abrazo.

Soaring

Coastal it was today. And how. Winds just died off around 6 pm, then hoovered back up to 40 km per hour and more.
Just in between the strong winds there was a window to take David up for a tandem. Guy was in the air just before me and that was it.
Some locals flew before, but then only Alex was to be spotted with his Flying Planet little wing.

He invited me to fly his little pretty wing, his speedwing, and at first I was a bit cautious. Me way over the weight limit, 40 km per hour winds etc... but it was fine. Really carving the air, fast up and down constantly having to adjust the flying. Good fun.

Hogueras Alicante - 2011

Hogueras Alicante, is the biggest fiesta in town in the year. Always held at the end of June. Big parades, everybody on the street all night long. Spanish brass bands, rock 'n roll, old, bold, long, short, punk to hippie. All are there. A fantastic week to be here, and enjoy that spanish thing, FIESTA.

Beautifully looking young women in the parades.

rock'n roll bands all over town

And of course foodstalls, because every social event in Spain is always around food...

Statues that are gonna be burned down, in midtown Alicante, tomorrow friday night. All fire brigades from the whole region are present to avoid damage.

And there is always one who has to wear that funny costume, hilarious, but all part of the fun.

parahawking alicante

Thunderstorms in the back
couldn't hold us back.

A lovely day, oh dear here we go again, a lovely day at Palomaret. Good old Marcel, young and good looking Ian and Guy. Youngsters Scott and Anita with the hawks pleasing a pleasant german family.
All performed well, exceptionally well beautifull Heckle, who is one of Scott's birds. Dove to the glider, landed softly on passenger hand, and this several times.
Conditions were dodgy at starters. Cumulus were towering, and anvils were shaped in the distance. We were aware if winds would pick up, if a sudden drop of temperature would be felt we had to be cautious. But nothing at all, Alicante at its best. With some boaty air in the end.


Spectators for the parahawking. Check out this website if you haven't yet

Paragliding is not (only) a sport

Uf. Don't know. Just thoughts. Been doing sports all my life, competitive, recreational, all of it.
And I never approached paragliding as a sport actually. Pilots endlessly chatting about the strong conditions they have been in, about their biggest achievements, their thoughest flights. Don't know.
And even more now, with the parahawking project on the side, I feel there is so much more in our 'sport'.
It is opening another part of what flying is all about. The hawks, what Scott does, what his project stands for in Nepal. It is all an extra dimension of what flying is all about.

Flying a paraglider is so much more than the sportside of it. There's the feeling, the views, the being at spots where nobody ever was, the kick each time you take off.
I miss some local pilots, you never see them again. Or if you hear from them they have been at a competition elsewhere. Or they tell you to call them when cloudbase is extreme high and an XC of more than a 100 km is possible.
Fantastic guys, they really are, and I really miss them. But my flying is, being at different sites, sharing the sky with buddies. Sharing with passengers on a tandem, twice the pleasure. And recently looking at the birds in the sky, following the glider, doing their stuff.

High fives, chilled beer afterwards, the happy feelings getting home satisfied.

Santa Poleros

Guillermo, Manolo, Jose, Antonio y Yvan