Day Off 6: "The conditions are perfect..."

In my first blog Day Off 1: Expecting the unexpected... the plan was to go parapenting. Whilst the sky was blue and the sun was shining, it was just too windy down in the valley to do it. 

Today, Benjamin tells me "the conditions are perfect!"

Day Off 6: Parapenting!

As Benjamin said, the weather is as perfect as you can get. Hot, sunny and not a cloud in the sky! With plenty of snow about and hardly anyone on the mountain this day off is off to a good start.

Having previously arranged to catch first lifts (impressive after a night out), Abbie and I headed up the mountain to make the most of the predicted weather and to book the parapenting before everyone else had the same idea. After chatting with Benjamin, we agreed to meet up at midday - plenty of time to get a few cheeky runs in!

The view from Benjamin's hut

After a few hours cruising around Les Arc and Peisey, it was time to part ways with Abbie and make my way to the take off point.
As mentioned in my first blog, Benjamin unfurled the parachute, set up the equipment and strapped us both into the harness. After a refresher on how we would take off, we got into position...

...and then the wind picked up.

ONLY KIDDING!

We set off down the piste gaining more and more speed, felt a yank on the harness (the parachute inflating) and then we were up!

Gliding over the resort that I've snowboarded in all of last year and this year was surreal. Seeing the runs from a different perspective and the mountains stretching for miles into the distance was absolutely amazing. We flew over the ski area and then over the trees to try and catch some thermals to give us a higher boost. Then, once were away from the mountainside, I was allowed to 'pilot' the parapente! This consisted of pulling both handles down to break, easing them off to pick up speed and pulling down left or right to send you in that direction. 

Cheeky selfie over Bourg Saint Maurice

After a good 20 minutes of flying, Benjamin asked if I wanted him to send us spiralling down into a spin to the landing spot. Sure, Why not? - was my reaction at the time. In hindsight, probably not the best idea after a heavy night out - but it was still awesome!

Now it's all well and good me explaining what it was like but for you to get a better idea, take a look at the short video clip I made. The flight was about 20 minutes in total but the video is only about 1 and a half.

Click full screen and watch in 720 or 1080p for the best quality

So there you have it. If anyone gets a chance to go parapenting I'd recommend it! You're sat down (except for take off and landing) and the views/experience is amazing.

Day Off 6 is definitely up there in the top days off so far!