Like the millions of monarch butterflies that flock to Valle De Bravo, a small town in the state of Mexico, free flight pilots have been making a yearly pilgrimage to one of the best paragliding and hang-gliding destinations in the world.
For decades we have enjoyed the incredible hospitality of Valle De Bravo.
This special place in the world sits at 5500 feet above sea level and centers on a beautiful lake. It's a town that it is filled with amazing food, art, and a central square which lights up every evening with people sharing a common space. I traveled to Valle this season to guide two tours of paragliding pilots through the skies and streets of a place, which I realized, has been an integral part of my life for over 15 years.
Working with excited and eager pilots, hungry to learn new skills, is a true joy. Moreover, dancing between cloud streets with ecstatic fellow flyers while being able to not only share hoots and hollers at cloud base, but local dining spots and regional cuisines as well, is truly a great job.
Working with Paraglide New England was also a refreshing move as I hail from Long Island, NY and spending time around the east coast massive was a pleasure.
But let’s go back to those cloud streets!
Flying without an engine is a surreal experience. Soaring through the sky for hours on end with only the soundtrack of your environment is Zen.
But, the pinnacle of the chase are those rare and special days that we get to interact with clouds in ways unlike any other kind of aircraft.
Because a paraglider is the slowest aircraft on the planet, we get to use clouds for longer than any other aircraft.
A budding cumulus cloud is a gas station for a paraglider pilot. When there are no clouds, we have to somewhat guess, or extrapolate where the thermals will be. When there are clouds, they are giant homing beacons that show us where the thermal is. Coring up under a cloud, giddy with excitement, we climb up to the wispy area where the cloud meets the blue sky.
If we are lucky and the meteorological conditions are just right, we surf up the sides of the clouds and for a few moments, get above the giant white pillow where you feel infinitely small in such a vast space.
It is breathtaking....... and to share it with new friends in one of the coolest mountain-flying towns in the world is the epitome of KAVU days.
Nick Greece
FB
IG
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