The Principality is an ideal setting for paragliding . The abundance of mid- and high-altitude peaks provides a perfect launching point for exhilarating aerial routes, with descents of truly breathtaking scenery and boundless panoramas whose mere sight releases more adrenaline than any other adventure activity. In fact, paragliding is a sport that originated with mountaineers who wanted to descend quickly from the summits they had climbed.
The passion for flying has a dreamlike quality; the desire to emulate birds has always been present in every culture. Paragliding is a contemporary tool available to all those who aren't afraid of heights and want to make their dream a reality, to see how much "flying" is like "dreaming of flying": stillness, silence, and safety, because in reality, if you fly sensibly and follow the basic rules, you can feel as invulnerable as in your most confident dreams.
It's essential to take to the skies in a paraglider under ideal weather conditions . This can be done on sunny, cloudless days, when flights are calm. However, some lift is also sought after, which requires clouds, as these create thermals. Between flying on a completely clear day and flying through storm clouds, which are dangerous, there's a wide range of conditions that generate the necessary updrafts.
Another crucial rule is to always fly with a partner and get firsthand information from local pilots about the area's weather conditions. On the one hand, without any prior experience, you can hop into a tandem glider piloted by instructors. On the other hand, you can aspire to fly the glider yourself, for which it's essential to take a course offered by several schools in Asturias. After the lessons, you'll be better equipped to understand what you're doing, know your own limits, and interpret wind patterns to stay aloft longer. Only with proper preparation can you experience one of the greatest sensations of freedom known to humankind.
It's about taking off, flying and landing on your own. The takeoff is done on foot from the edge of a slope facing the wind. The pilot sits in a harness, attached to the sail by two carabiners. Use a helmet, often has an emergency parachute, and usually a varioaltometer, GPS and radio equipment.
As has been reiterated, the participation of local pilots is essential to getting started in this type of aerial windsurfing. They will advise us on the specific locations that exist in Asturias and which have been becoming increasingly popular in recent years in municipalities such as Gijón, Sariego, Proaza, Llanes, Cangas de Onís, Avilés, Navia, and Aller.
En Cangas de Onis:
The lookout of Següencu, very close to the town of Cangas de Onís and with 700 meters of altitude above sea level, is a meeting place for paragliders from the region of the East and all of Asturias every week.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
