Flying above the birds- Paragliding at Bir!

Flying above the birds- Paragliding at Bir!

Never before in life did we experience a mystical journey of being in the air, apart from an aeroplane. When we decided to visit Palampur last week, we looked forward to a peaceful stay away from the commotion of Delhi. Experiencing Paragliding at Bir was an added advantage as the landing site at Bir (pronounced as Beed/बीड़) is just 30 kms away.

Even though it had rained heavily the previous night, our luck shone the next morning in the form of a bright sun. We started for Bir from Palampur with a stopover at Baijnath Temple. It’s always good to seek blessings when you are going for an adventure sport!  Read more about our Palampur experience here.

Also Read : Palampur-The perfect weekend getaway!

Colorful palette of gliders

Soon we were at the landing site at Bir! The first thing that we saw was landing of the colorful gliders. The noteworthy thing was none of the landings we witnessed were a crash landing. This motivated us all and our faith in the pilots increased by folds. One of the best site for paragliding in the world, Bir also hosted  the Paragliding World Cup in October 2015.

The view from Billing!

After a small briefing session and the initial formalities we headed for Biling, the launch point. You would get a choice to opt for GoPro (a selfie stick with a camera to record the flight video) for a few extra bucks. Do go for it as the video will be a treasure for life. The distance from Bir to Biling is around 14kms and we all had butterflies in our stomach as our vehicle ascended. After reaching the take-off point and geared up for the flight you get that feeling of now or never once before you take the plunge. I spoke to my pilot Ranjeet who informed that he has been flying for the past 8 years and he still gets goosebumps before every take-off.

Up Up in the Air!

Soon that moment arrived when I was at the edge of land, all set to run, run as fast as possible for a good launch. Moments later I started running and I was soon in air before I could realize. The view of the ground was totally surreal. With only green trees and patches of land visible below, I was experiencing one of the best times ever.

Time for some STUNTS!

The view of the clear blue sky above and the mountains surrounding us from all sides, we had one of the most spectacular views ever. Just then I saw a bird flying below me and I understood what it means to have a bird’s eye view, literally!  I may go on and on writing about all the views and experiences I had during my flight and would still fall short of words.

Experiencing pure bliss!

After a good 30 minutes flight, we decided to prepare for the landing. As we approached the landing site, the town became more and more prominent. Soon I was able to see more gliders landing as we were coming down fast. Ranjeet instructed me for the things to do while landing and we had a safe and smooth landing. All I could say when asked about the experience was AMAZING!

Journey at a glance!

Here are a few things to remember when going for paragliding at Bir:

Ø  Clean the Go-pro camera well before the flight as it makes a lot of difference to the video quality.

Ø  Speak as loudly as possible in-air to record your voice clearly. High air pressure lowers the quality of sound recorded.

Ø  Carry a storage media like a pen-drive when going for Paragliding as it helps in collecting video.

Ø  Double check the video in your media before leaving the site.

Ø  Pose as much as you can just before landing, there is a photographer clicking your pics!

Ø  Last but not the least, have full faith in your pilot! The staff members are trained professionals who are friendly and will ensure your safety at all times.

Happy flying!

This was our story, would love to know yours!

Did you like reading this post? If yes then please show us your love by sharing this by below means.

Comments

comments