snowfields on crib goch

Last week I was rushing out. Late.

It was a great flying forecast, perfect to try a long out-return. As I walked up to launch, Phillip was already disappearing over the back towards the bigger mountains… sort of under-lining my lateness, in thick marker pen like a teacher.

Laying out quickly, gliding off low in pursuit of Phillip’s wing, the inevitable landing happens, and I am now even more behind schedule, shedding clothing, and carrying my wing another 50m higher up a very steep and slippery slope, to await a stronger cycle.  In tee shirt and jeans to savour the cooling breeze, I know I have blown it, any chance of some ‘massive’ flight that still lurks in my brain, but I no longer care, because I am riding the wind, being a bird…and saving a very long hot walk out from my bomb-out zone.

And then I am above the snow fields, those magical elusive things on a summers day, that hang so high up above the valley, tempting you to visit.

Nearing the clouds, feeling  the cold , and thinking of landing to gear up, made me think,  I should land there! It felt like skiving, bunking school for the day to go off playing, the snow was still hard, packed deep into the boulder fields. Summer snow is an amazing thing.

That night I looked at the UK xcleague. First up was Steve Etherington, winning the day with a brilliant out-return.It made me smile. And then Mike Cav uploaded his flight…and he had flown it too, along with Steve.

I must be getting older.Years ago I  hated bombing, especially watching others, gliding over head. But last week it gave me something special, something ephemeral that won’t be there next month. I got to walk on summer snow, thanks to my paraglider.

A couple of weeks ago, gliding under the massive power lines for a landing in the steep Mandi valley, we got a brief radio message from 70 km away that sounded  unbelievable. ..and then we instantly lost reception, dropping into the final part of the gorge. Stein, one of our long time Himalayanskysafari clients and friend, was dead, on the 5000m mountain called Thamsur, 20km over the back from Bir. Our excitement and euphoria after a great flight evaporated.Sadness claimed the day. We cremated him with a buddhist ceremony 2 days later, and as I sat up alone with Matthew, tending the fire until midnight, I reflected on the price we sometimes pay for our passion. Matthew had cremated his close friend Ron at the same place earlier in the week, and it felt impossible to pretend that what we do is ’safe’. But still we do it. Why? I could only say, to feel alive. Pure irony.

Will has posted a lovely tribute here…

Mountains provide such conflicting emotions…exemplified by his next vid .

I hope i can keep my own fire burning…Steins passion for life should be an example to us all.

And I think it will be, because Richard and I continued doing what we had been aiming to do, and flew the next week to Manali.

What an amazingly  unexpected and a beautiful thing to happen, totally out of the blue, to get a visit from Babu Sunuwar!

When I was a kid  and Everest had just been climbed, Sherpa Tensing was the most famous person in my mind, and having Babu come to see me  felt just the same.

I first heard Babu’s name from himalayan friends, after he made the first whole crossing of the wilds of Nepal (by tandem!), and to me he was then immediately a legend.

But it wasn’t long before almost the whole world knew of him after he climbed his first mountain Chomolungma with a friend Lakpa Tshering Sherpa, and then they both flew from the very summit, went xc, landed near a torential river, and paddled for 25 days to the sea.  To hear about it from Babu, who is a natural born story teller and absolutely full of enthusiasm, felt like such a gift.

And just as amazing was the guy who delivered him to my door, paddler Dave Thompson, responsible for teaching the very young Babu to canoe, and become a Nepalese river guide. Almost every stupidly mental himalayan river I had gorped at during my travels Dave had paddled and survived…apparently you  buy yourself  more time when drowning by drinking the water you ‘breathe’ !

Which leaves me thinking, it is the crazy aspects of the other peoples ’sports’ that makes me realise we are all really mental. But the best sort of people to spend a day drinking tea with. Thank you so much Babu for coming to visit, you really made my day.

PARAGLIDING DAY TRIPS TO MANALI -2012- AVAILABLE AT SKYGUIDES.CO.UK

it might not be much, and maybe not enough to warrant posting about here, but in this welsh summer of wet dreams it feels huge.
The tracklog in xcplayer http://www.xcleague.com/xc/flights/20121182.html?vx=0112
says it all…the last part is all green and low saves, fighting against a valley wind, too close to the ground and unforgiving rocks, easing the r10 to best advantage by crossing then recrossing the ridgline at every col trying to find the mini convergence points to gain a small climb.
Satisfying and gruelling, and maybe a new little out/return record, my own little game, in my own little back yard.

A                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 A new year and a new venture …guiding in the big mountains of the Karakorum himalaya. I want to try and take what we have learnt guiding in Bir to the big mountains of the Karakorum in Pakistan, with help from Brad Sander. So if you would like to come and fly in the clearest air on the planet, and see up close the strong sun sparkling off untouched ice peaks, then there are lots of links and info at  www.skyguides.co.uk

These prayer flags outside my kitchen window were put up for the pioneer Bruce Mills, and his himalayan home. They will help remind me of  a long life well  lived, and his survival when you have played so hard is real success. RIP mate.

This is beautiful Nanda Devi. I have seen it from a paraglider twice before, the first time from 40km away whilst doing the first bivvy crossing of the Indian himalaya with Bob Drury, and then the second time from much much closer, as I bombed out into a frighteningly massive gorge at the entrance to the Rishi ganga.

I should know better, I know. But we are sometimes moths to the flame…and this flame is so beautiful.

So its time to be sorting kit. The Ozone Delta is my wing, perfect  performance that will hopefully get me out of the tight spots by gliding right over them, whilst having the secrurity of handling to get in super close when needs must to catch the nasty climb. And this year I am going to fly it with the new Supair Delight, a new super light xc bivvy harness. If it can last as long as my Altirando that has taken me around the himalayas for the last 4 years I will be well pleased!

Xavier, a long time french paraglider pilot, competitor, photographer,pwc organiser, and all round star guy is missing in probably high remote mountains in the Andes. And, typical of someone who has spent the last 20 years as a flying vagabond, his rescue insurance is too small and fast running out. What would he do if it was one of his pwc competitors ? Everything in his considerable power to find the poor pilot and bring them back to safety…and only then throw the  pwc manual at them.  Make a donation to help find him at the PWC website. http://www.paraglidingworldcup.org/

Xavier has been found, unfortunately dead, high up on a 6000m mountain, camera as ever in hand.He always lived life full bore,but also with consideration,which I think is very rare. I first ‘met’ him high up in Chamonix before either of us flew paragliders, Xav hanging out a chopper door whilst I hung on tiny finger holds cursing the noise and downdrafts. Years later at a pwc launch, he came over laughing holding large photographs, saying he had proof of what I did in a previous life.It was always good seeing Xavier.

 He lived a brilliant life,  following his own path, and died doing what he loved best, high up in the wild mountains, camera in hand. I am personally made up that he could still be ‘irresponsibly adventurous’  in todays constantly connected world, willing to cut loose and embrace the adventure full on. I am sure he will smile at the out-pouring of love and concern he has generated. As he did in  life, he continues to bring  the paragliding community together in a big big way.

I have just had a weekend bivvying out in the woods, waiting for the summer to start, and to fly over this amazing landscape of valleys and mountains once again.

Sitting here around the fire, looking over at the col in the distance, it is hard not to think you are in the foothills of the himalaya, somewhere like Bir.

I can remember flying over that col a few times, usually a thousand feet above it on classic days…one time  a hundred feet below. And it makes me realise that we dont always need to be flying , the  memories seem to endure.  To watch a Raven or Buzzard can sometimes almost be as thrilling as pulling on a brake line, and banking into a turn.

But evenso…bring on summer.

post script…and less than a week later summers here, and i fly over those distant mountains to do a 54k out return over the wilds of the migneint. Even with an r10 it felt a battle, so I salute the 52.5 of Chris Canata  in 2006. Hopefully with the longer days soon on the way that paultry 1.5k can be extended a little further.

The Ozone Magnum chasing Es Tresidder and Sam Smith

His name is Es, and he’s a Mountain Equipment athlete with a taste for climbing ice in winter, and mountain running in summer.
He has the Cuillen ridge record already in the bag, and this year it’s the welsh 3000 summits run that he has in his sights.

15 mountains…
40 km…
3000m of ascent… 
      
and a record time of 4hrs 19 min that has stood since 1988 when Colin Donnelly took it from Josh Nailer with a massive margin.

When I was asked to come and work as an aerial camera platform I was more than interested because I too had studied the route with a view to attempting it, using a paraglider to reduce the punishing distance, but still landing at each summit to visit the top as the runners must do.
But even with a wing it didn’t look easy…and dangerous!

And it wasn’t to be easy for Es Tresidder either,finishing  an hour behind time…strengthening Colin’s massive reputation which must be an increasing phyche-out.

Lynwen Brown’s day was also not easy, the strong stable thermals inducing a debilitating sickness as  she looked into the veiw finder…and terminating our cross country following the runners.
We made a landing near a mountain stream for a welcome early bath…and I am sure for Lynwen another reputation was enhanced, that of Alun Hughes.

10 secs in 'the elavator' since the title photo... www.bamboochicken.tv