The 3-day intro course is perfect for people who want to dive a bit deeper and experience more of what Paragliding is all about without committing to taking the full course, investing in equipment, etc. It’s also a great gift idea!
Boulder Paragliding’s three-day intro lessons will take place in the training hill of The Foothills Community Park in North Boulder. Classes start at 7:00 am and we finish around 11:00 am.
During this course we recommend all students to come three days in a row if weather allows, this will help you create momentum and accelerate your learning process. If you have mastered kiting techniques on the ground, then you’ll be able to do your first solo flight on the third day, maybe two flights depending on the weather.
What to expect during the course:
Day one
- 3 hours of kiting practice and theory on the ground
- Intro to the equipment (backpack, glider, harness, etc)
- Learn how to do a pre-flight check
- How to properly connect to the harness
- How to check the glider and ensure there are no twists or tangles on your lines
- How to connect your glider to your harness
- Short tutorial video on forward launches
- Your instructor will also demonstrate the forward launches and practice them by your side
- Learn how to pack the glider after you finish
- Friendly environment
- A short intro on weather and aerodynamics
- 1 teaching tandem flight with your instructor
- During this flight you will be able to take control of the glider, make some turns, and get a much better feeling and understanding of what the art of paragliding is all about. All of this with your instructor right behind you during the entire flight.
Day two
- Continue kiting practice on the ground until the technique has been mastered. We will also cover some theory topics:
- Learn how to correct the course of your launch in case you need to do it
- Talk about the flare timing for landing
- Learn how to use the radio
- If you’ve mastered kiting techniques, we will do a simulator class. During this lesson, you will be seating in the harness which will be hanging from a frame with risers and brake lines. The goal is to simulate what is like to paraglide. You will also learn:
- How to turn, make 90 degrees and 180 degrees turns
- How to use the stirrup
- How to get out of your harness 45 feet before landing
- We will revisit flare timing for landing
- Master radio communications. In order to fly solo, you have to be able to follow 100% of your instructor’s commands.
Day three
- If you are ready and you have mastered your kiting techniques and radio communications, you will be able to do your first solo flight! We will hike up to the lower launch (about 20 to 25 minutes) and get ready to fly.
- If you not ready, we stay on the ground mastering your kiting and ground handling techniques. Keep in mind that every person learns at a different pace. For many students it takes more than three days to have a solid kiting technique, if this is the case, due to security reasons, you won’t be able to do a solo flight on the third day.
- For those that don’t get to fly solo you have two options:
- Continue learning until you’re ready for your first solo flight. Additional daily lessons are $150/day for about 3 hours each day.
- A teaching tandem flight with your instructor. During this flight, you will be able to take control the glider, make turns, etc with your instructor right behind you during the whole flight. Teaching tandems are $50 and exclusive to our students.
Equipment rental is included. You only have to bring:
- Running/hiking shoes with ankle support
- Plenty of water
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Comfortable and breathable clothing
Note: We can’t guarantee you won’t get hooked after three days of Paragliding classes if that happens and you decide you want to start the full course, we’ve got you covered and we will give you a $500 discount towards the full course!
