We were tired of waiting for awesome paragliding to come to us, so we went out and made it happen. In April 2015, we drove up to the North Cascades, and lucked-out in that the highway was open as a result of a low-snow year. It was one of my first back-country flights, and it certainly set a precedent! The wind was just right, so we launched! We ended up flying over Liberty Bell, and South Early Winter Spire. I eagerly await a repeat of this. I'm grateful for the guys who brought me along and showed me the ropes.

Have you ever hiked gone up a difficult hike and thought to yourself "I wish there was an easier way to get down this. This hike needs a zip-line or something!" Well, that was one of the thoughts that lead me to start paragliding. I wanted to hike up a mountain and fly off of it... After a year of learning, some more experienced friends took me up on my first back-country hike & fly trip. They showed me the ropes of navigating weather, finding a good launch spot, practicing good communication over the radio, safety checks, patience, and good teamwork. I am now HOOKED on this type of flying and cannot wait to do it again! Special thanks to Jake Pratt, Noah Briller, and Coty Hollifield.

Here's a video of my first year of paragliding. From the launches on the practice hill, to flying solo, you'll get a feel for what it's like to experience flight as a newbie

I went paragliding in early July, and happened to get a few clips of my new friend Connor just enjoying the smooth evening air. We launched around 7 and didn't land till close till 8:30pm... The air was warm and buoyant, making it super easy to to just enjoy a relaxing evening flight at Tiger Mountain. I'm looking forward to more summer evening flights like this!