Tandem Paragliding Start On Tons Of Snow

We have had so much snow off late in Austria that the tandem paragliding is now also in full winter gear. It’s extra romantic to fly now. It’s like in the movie Frozen. With regular skiing attire one is warm enough to fly. For non-skiers we provide a warm helmet and extra warm gloves.

Here you see the snow on top of Gaisberg (1288m) on Wednesday 29th of november 2023. Luckily the starting fields had little snow. It was all blown off by the strong wind. So I only needed to dig a two little access paths to the starting fields with my snow shovel that had now become an essential paragliding tool.

So great flights that day. Both solo and tandem. Perfect wind! In the mean time in Zell am See at the Schmittenhöhe it was really not nicely possible to start with the tick layers of loose snow alle around the otherwise perfect starting places. So it will be a few days before we fly from the Schmittenhöhe again.

With the fair weather Thursday I am going to do a try out with tandem flying in Königsleiten in the Zillertal Arena. Keep you updated!

Is it possible to fly in the winter?

Flights in the winter are fantastic. The snowy ladscape adds some fairy tale romance. Only immediately after big snowfalls the starting areas can be affected.

What gear do I need in the winter for paragliding?

Just bring your regular skiing gear including your gloves, your helmet and your goggles. Start on skiboots is possible. No need to change. Non-skiers just bring good shoes and warm clothes.

Can I start on ski’s?

Yes if the starting field is steep enough a start on ski’s is very comfortable. Landing on ski’s is magic: smooth as an airplane.

Can I start on a snowboard?

It is not advisable to fly with a snowboard since the large area of the board will affect aerodynamics. However snowboard boots are perfect to run on in packed snow and start with.