When learning to paraglide, ground handling is often taught as a single skill set, but high-wind ground handling deserves its own focused training. Managing a glider in strong wind isn’t just about using your hands—it’s about understanding how to use your body, particularly your hips, as the primary control mechanism.
Miniwings provide a bridge between paragliders and speed wings, making them an excellent choice for pilots seeking a faster, more dynamic wing without the high-risk profile or specialization of a speed wing. Their balance of agility and efficiency makes them ideal for a wide range of flying conditions and pilot skill levels.
Parakites are a fascinating innovation, blending design elements from both paragliders and speed wings while introducing advanced features for dynamic, high-energy flying. The reflex profile enhances stability and allows the wing to maintain its shape during aggressive maneuvers. The parakite’s riser system is specially designed to provide the pilot full range of the speed system within the brake travel. This allows pilots to soar more efficiently, converting kinetic energy into altitude, making parakites highly effective for coastal soaring and other high-performance flying conditions.
Paragliders are designed for maximum efficiency in both flight and lift, featuring long, narrow airfoils. The higher the aspect ratio (the longer and narrower the wing), the more efficient it becomes in terms of speed and lift.
Speed wings have a much lower aspect ratio, which makes them less efficient in terms of flight performance. However, this lower aspect ratio contributes to greater stability and makes them easier to fly compared to paragliders.
Cross country coastal flights with the boys. We got up at the crack of dawn, filled our fuel tanks and launched in zero wind. I would say a full fuel tank and a 185moster in no wind is definitely the hardest Paramotor launch I’ve ever tried. Actually nailed it on the first try. But for sure, cheated with all the power. She was a chonk that morning. And my Luna2 launched and flew totally different loaded up. What an epic adventure. Jumped off a building downtown that night as well. One of my favorite things to do is a multi sport nylon day with friends!
There were many moments when I felt confused as to my feelings and emotions. I felt trapped inside my own body. Numb. Depressed… I was having the best year of my life (last year 2023). I met the man of my dreams. I was supposed to be so happy. And I was. …but also I felt a deep sorrow… and anxiety? Well with the near death experience and loss of my beautiful home that I had built with my own two hands. It made sense to me that my newfound numbness and sadness correlated to that event.
Night time driving in the desert is a different kind of dark, the pitch black is vast and empty. Oncoming traffic headlights blinding with stark contrast. It was the first Sunday night of February, I had just spent the last week flying speed wings with the Froth Crew in the Eastern Sierra. I was aware of a small oil leak coming from the timing cover, the gasket was failing after 250K miles. My next stop was Arizona to see my trusted mechanic Tony from AAA bus Sales, who sold me the bus in the first place. While driving through Death Valley the oil leak increased…..
There’s so much of my past self I don’t resonate with anymore, but I LOVE her just the same. She was growing. She was doing her best she fought hard to get me here.
Now when I align myself with products and companies, I try their product, get to know their business, and make sure it is something I am 100% behind and supportive of. Something I should have done from the beginning, but you live and you learn. Also, I want to be in a partnership with a company that will come to me with any issues with an open dialog. Willing to listen and trust me before hearsay.
I woke up this morning in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. Snow falling outside and everything covered in white. Roan was whining to go outside because the neighbors dogs were at the door. Our front door is the back door of the house looking out over the snow covered back yard and Howe Sound. I grew up in Florida, almost naked and always in the warm ocean… how did this sun kissed ocean girl learn to ski? Luckily I spent Christmas’ in Canada with my German grandparents.
Transitioning from Skydiving to Paragliding was one of the most rewarding journeys of my life. I personally had a very interesting transition and experience but that is because I went about it completely backwards and sideways.
As a professional BASE jumper and paragliding instructor you would not think that I suffer from anxiety. While BASE jumping and paragliding require me to face my fear and work through it, I still struggle with the every day mundane anxiety of interacting with humans and the pressures of succeeding at my career and life style.
Even though I take my training and experience conquering my fears jumping off cliffs and apply it to my everyday life… like everyone else I have days that can feel over whelming.
13,000 feet above the earth in an airplane, the engines hum loudly in my ears. The red light flashes on, my brother and I move to the door and open it, letting in the fresh cool air. My mother and father are right behind us lined up ready to get in position. My brother, Sean, and I hang our heads out of the airplane and spot the airport, taking a second to silently check in with each other before climbing out… he has a huge smile on his face.
Roan isn’t just a dog—he’s my lifeline. He was trained with precision and purpose, but what he offers is far more than obedience. When my hands start to shake and my vision narrows, he doesn’t wait for a command. He leans into me with his full weight, grounding me with deep pressure therapy. That pressure is his way of saying, “You’re here. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” And sometimes, those simple truths are all I need to find my way back.
The ability to have my wolf companion accompany me on most of my adventures has created a bond between us that is stronger than any other physical bond I have experienced. My relationship with Roan is pure magic and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to experience this in my lifetime. He is not only my service dog, he is an essential life companion.
Life on a Bus… after a long boring winter stuck in Arizona unable to chase paragliders as Cyn Built our home I was very excited to finally hit the road with my partner in Crime, Pluto, this spring for some adventure. We drove north at the end of November into a snow storm and with in the first three hours of leaving Phoenix I was bounding through the snow drifts of Flagstaff.
Roan and I are visiting my parents in Ocean Ridge, Florida for the holiday season. I brought the paddle board out two days ago for some ankle biter swell and he seemed very interested. He paced on the shore and jumped around in the shore break as I surfed.
I attached Roan’s harness to mine, and with Kyles help, we slowly lowered down over the lip of the cliff. We backed down which meant that he was also lowering down bum first, it definitely made him nervous and tense but he never fought me or became unruly. As we got a bit lower and more vertical on the rope he rode more on may lap, like when we fly and he was much more relaxed.
Roan and Cyn bought a school bus with intensions to convert it into a skoolie (tiny home) over the winter. With all the different sports and activities we get up to, we needed slightly more storage and ‘garage’ space than most single females with a furry companion. Looking forward to having our actual home where ever we park it, waiting for us to return from our adventures!
Roan started paragliding in April of 2018 at Monterey Sky Sports in Monterey, California. His partner, Cyn, is a paragliding instructor with over 16 years of flying experience. Roan was introduced to paragliding slowly, very similarly to how humans are introduced to the sport. He came out and observed paragliders launching and flying around the dunes of Monterey for weeks before taking his first tandem flight.
The exit went as planned and Matts parachute opened perfectly. The silks were deployed and blew behind us in the 20+mph relative wind. The most challenging part of this stunt was working with the material of the silks in the strong relative wind. I had visions of grander that I would be able to do many positions but once I got both feet locked in I really only worked with that orientation. Of course the splits being the most ascetically pleasing.