Alternatives to downhill winter sports #5

Okay, this one is a bit downhill, but there’s also some fast uphill and huge thrills. It’s tandem speed riding. Single-person speed riding is still a relatively new sport in the paragliding family of sports. It involves a wing about half the size of the average paragliding wing (25m2) — at around 8m2 to 13m2 — so that the flight is very fast. Strap on a pair of skis, and the thrill of skiing is intensified by the option to fly off the snow, into the air, and up to the virgin snow-covered cliffs above the pistes. Speed riders get fresh tracks in places skiers can’t go.

Now, add a few things into the equation. First of all, put Mika Reignier, France’s speed riding champion and general crazy guy who likes to fly with the smallest wings available (as little as 6m2) in the flying seat. Then, put Yannick, a speed riding instructor and possibly the only man in La Clusaz brave enough to try this, into a harness in front of Mika. Add skis and the wing and watch them fly (subscribers who are reading this via their inbox will need to click through to the video link):

Their wing is larger than a speed riding wing, at 18m2, and Yannick assures me it’s a stable ride, albeit very fast and scoopy, as the video shows. If you’re curious, they were hovering over at l’Etale in La Clusaz, descending alongside the Grand Laquais drag lift. He offered me a ride, but I’d prefer not to turn my ski pants brown.

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I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

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