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 [...]

If you happen to be one of the many pilots who have ordered a flying dvd from me, at www.flyskyhigh.net , then this little cubby hole under the staircase of a small welsh cottage is where they come in. It looks an unorganised mess I know, but everything important to me is here, in this [...]

But not a nice one…a huge potentially unstable one that is growing daily after a major landslide, just 10km north of the flying site in Karimabad. Miracuously, only 19 people have been reported dead, but for them and their village this is a major disaster…look at the precariousness of the situation at http://pamirtimes.net/
It appears the [...]

BIR>>>HIMACHAL PRADESH>>>INDIA
The monsoonal affect finally vanished punctually on the 8th of October.
It was time for the local people to bring in the harvest, and everywhere hay was being made,and piled high for the coming winter. The flying conditions were classic Bir, and each day on landing the LZ became a little bigger and easier as [...]

 
What can you say about the Xalps except respect.
Respect for the pilots, respect for the supporters, respect for the organizers who have the sheer balls to host the event in the first place.
 
I started following it this week because Hugh asked me for some knowlegable  words for a news report.
I totally failed him, but did [...]

I have just read Brad’s ozone blog to find out how the team is doing on the 500km Bir to Nepalese border bivvy run…AND THEY HAVE DONE IT! 
Congrats to all of you…such a good trip.
didnt you just want to keep going and follow luc all the way to kathmandu!

 
Yesterday I flew!
Alone.
The first time in a month.
The first time since last Friday.
Soared up from low,
my middle aged body skimming snow for 2000 ft,
before becoming adolescent at the small summit,
and laying down tracks in 50m power slides,
thrilling to the energy of my wing.
My sadness and latent anger,
brewing all week,
was lost on the wind,
and as I [...]

The shortest day has gone, and from here on in for us pilots in the northern hemisphere it can only get better.This year,for the first time ever,I offered a sacrifice,torching an old glider on my favorite take-off , hoping for a better summer next year.
I almost burnt one 8 years ago, a brand spanking new one [...]

It’s easy to sometimes think that brilliant new flights in exciting ‘exotic’ places are easy to come by.
I certainly do, because I am a dreamer, but the reality of what it sometimes takes to get in the sky and make an epic crossing is brilliantly described by Phillipe Nodet in ‘TAJIKISTAN‘…8 days of wilderness walking just to find [...]

It has been a strange summer.
A summer that was filled with big expectations, but as often happens with paragliding, expectations that could not be fulfilled.
At least, that is, the expected ones !
What actually happened was more than I could have ever expected…2 flights that I am not going to forget for a very long [...]